Steps to compliance
1. Review
Make sure child safe policies and procedures record the date of endorsement and review date.
Remember that some policies, procedures and practices need review more frequently than ‘at least every 2 years’. These include the annual requirements to:
- monitor and review risks
- provide training and information on child safety to staff, governing authority members and as appropriate, volunteers.
2. Endorse
Reviewing and evaluating child safety and wellbeing policies, procedures and practices is not enough. The school governing authority must endorse them.
3. Implement
Compliant schools:
- review and evaluate child safety policies, procedures and practices at least every 2 years or after an incident
- analyse complaints, concerns and safety incidents to identify causes and any systemic failures
- report results of reviews to staff, volunteers, students, parents and the school community
- have a culture of continuous improvement.
Examples of common non-compliance
- A ‘set and forget’ mindset exists at the school. This means there is no evidence of review and evaluation at least every 2 years, or after significant child safety incidents.
- The review date of a child safe policy or procedure has passed.
- There is no evidence of analysis of complaints, concerns and safety incidents to identify causes and systemic failures.
-
Clause 14 of Ministerial Order 1359 aligns to Child Safe Standard 10 and states:
14.1 Schools and school boarding premises must ensure that implementation of this Order is regularly reviewed and improved.
14.2 In complying with clause 14.1, the school governing authority or school boarding premises governing authority must, at a minimum:
- review and evaluate the child safety and wellbeing policies, procedures and practices of the school or provider of school boarding services after any significant child safety incident, or at least every 2 years, and improve where applicable
- ensure complaints, concerns and safety incidents are analysed to identify causes and systemic failures and inform continuous improvement
- report on the outcomes of relevant reviews to school staff, school boarding premises staff, volunteers, the school community or school boarding premises community, and families and students.
-
More guidance on this Standard can be found at:
Reviewed 24 June 2022