Child Safe Environments Compliance

Statement & Policy

Last updated: February 2026

Child Safe Environments Compliance Statement

Mind Co SA PTY LTD as trustee for Mind Co Family Trust T/A Mind Co. is fully dedicated to upholding the safety and well-being of children and young individuals accessing our services. We comply with the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016, and align with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. Our commitment extends to creating a secure environment, respecting diversity, and promoting a culture of care and respect for all.

Scope of Commitment:


We ensure that all staff, volunteers, students, and contractors are aligned with our Child Safe Environments Policy. They are required to agree in writing to uphold and implement the principles outlined in this policy.

Communication:

Our Child Safe Policy and related documents are made available during the client induction process and provided in the welcome pack at the initial visit.

All workers, volunteers, and students receive these documents during their induction after recruitment.

We value and encourage the perspectives of children and young people, involving them in decision-making processes and offering clear, age-appropriate explanations of their rights to safety, being heard, and providing feedback or complaints if needed.

Communication:

Our workers are committed to:

  • Adhering to the Child Safe Policy at all times.

  • Treating everyone with respect and ensuring equity in all interactions.

  • Being positive role models and maintaining clear boundaries with children and young individuals.

  • Listening and responding appropriately to their views and concerns, while promptly addressing bullying behaviours or signs of harm.

  • Reporting any instances of harm or risk of harm to the appropriate authorities and responding transparently to complaints.

Recruitment:

Our commitment to child safety is integrated into job advertisements and detailed in position descriptions.

Robust recruitment processes including written applications, face-to-face interviews with behavioural questions focusing on child safeguarding, and referee checks are in place.

All workers engaged in roles involving children and young people must hold a current Working with Children Check (WWCC), verified through the DHS Screening Unit.

Training, Supervision, and Support:

Regular training, including Safe Environments and Responding to Risk of Harm, is conducted.

Supervision sessions and induction processes ensure workers understand their responsibilities towards creating a child-safe environment.

Performance appraisals include discussions on child safeguarding.

Reporting and Responding:

Mandated notifiers are obligated to report concerns of harm or risk of harm to the Child Abuse Report Line or South Australia Police.

All workers have a legal obligation to report child sexual abuse to the authorities.

Internal reporting to management follows external reporting to authorities.

Support is provided to affected children, young individuals, or their families and documented securely.

Complaints and Feedback:

We encourage and handle complaints and feedback sensitively and promptly.

Clear procedures for complaint resolution are outlined, ensuring procedural fairness.

Risk Management:

Identified risks are addressed through specific actions, ensuring a child-safe culture, proper recruitment processes, worker training, appropriate physical contact, online communication guidelines, transport protocols, image capturing consent, environmental maintenance, and privacy protection.

Policy Review:

Regular policy reviews are conducted, not only as mandated by legislation but also in response to identified risks, incidents, concerns, or changes in legislation.

Policy Date: July 20th 2024
Review Date: July 20th 2026.

This statement serves as an affirmation of Mind Co.’s dedication to providing a secure, respectful, and supportive environment for children and young people accessing our services.

Child Safe Environments Policy

Version 1.0

At Mind Co SA PTY LTD as trustee for Mind Co Family Trust T/A Mind Co. we are committed to creating and maintaining a safe and supportive environment for children and young people accessing our services. This policy outlines our commitment to protecting children from harm, promoting their well-being, and establishing guidelines for all staff, students, contractors, and volunteers to maintain a child-safe environment.

Commitment to the safety of children and young people

We committed to providing a safe environment to all children and young people. Our policy complies with the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 and aligns with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

We value and respect children and young people and welcome them regardless of their abilities, sex, gender, or social economic or cultural background. Bullying and harassment won’t be tolerated.

Scope of policy

This policy applies to all employees, volunteers, students and contractors referred to throughout the policy collectively as workers.

All workers are required to agree in writing to accept and act in accordance with the policy.

Communication

This child safe policy and related documents are available as part of the client induction process and are provided as part of a welcome pack at the first visit.

This child safe policy and related documents are provided to all workers, students and volunteers as part of their induction following recruitment.

We encourage and respect the views of children and young people and involve them in decision making as appropriate. We provide clear age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate explanations to children and young people including their right to safety, their right to be listened to and that they can provide feedback or make a complaint if they have a concern, to any worker or ask their parent/guardian to do this on their behalf. We will listen to and act upon any complaints or concerns that a child or young person raises with us.

Code of Conduct

Caring for children and young people brings additional responsibilities for workers . All workers are responsible for promoting and protecting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people by:

  • Adhering to the organisation’s child safe policy at all times and taking all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and protection of children and young people.

  • Treating everyone including those of different race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes and religious beliefs with respect and honesty and ensure equity is upheld.

  • Being a positive role model to children and young people in all conduct with them.

  • Setting clear boundaries about appropriate behaviour between yourself and children and young people – boundaries help everyone to understand their roles.

  • Listening and responding appropriately to the views and concerns of children and young people.

  • Being alert to bullying behaviours and responding promptly and appropriately.

  • Being alert to children and young people who have been harmed, or may be at risk of harm and reporting this quickly to the Child Abuse Report Line (13 14 78).

  • Responding quickly, fairly and transparently to any complaints made by a child, young person or their parent/guardian.

Recruitment

To ensure we engage the most suitable people to work with children and young people we have the following recruitment practices in place:

  • Our commitment to child safety is included in all job advertisements.

  • Clear position descriptions that include our commitment to child safety and wellbeing.

  • Written applications from applicants.

  • Face-to-face interviews that use behavioural questions to determine the applicant’s knowledge of child safeguarding.

  • At least 2 referee checks and qualification checks.

In accordance with the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016, our organisation is registered with the DHS Screening Unit and we link all Working with Children Checks (WWCC). All workers who will be working in a role with children and young people must hold a current, not prohibited WWCC issued by the Screening Unit of the Department of Human Services, provide evidence of this prior to employment and renew this every 5 years. We will verify the accuracy of all WWCCs in the DHS Screening Unit portal as required by law.

We will immediately contact the Department of Human Services Screening Unit when we become aware of certain information regarding any person involved with our organisation, including any serious criminal offence, child protection information, or disciplinary or misconduct information.

Training, supervision and support for workers

We have strategies in place to supervise, train and support workers to understand our organisation’s child safe policy, their mandatory reporting obligations, how to build culturally safe environments and their responsibilities to create a child safe and friendly environment. Our strategies include:

  • Training:

  • Supervision:

    • Regular supervision sessions that include a focus on child safety and wellbeing.

  • Support:

    • An induction process for all new workers including a copy of this policy document.

    • Regular performance appraisals that discuss child safeguarding.

Reporting and responding to risk of harm

We aim to ensure that children and young people are safe from harm and risk of harm. Section 17 of the Safety Act defines ‘harm’ to mean physical or psychological harm (whether caused by an act or omission), including harm caused by sexual, physical, mental or emotional abuse or neglect.

Mandated notifiers in our organisation are workers who:

We aim to ensure that children and young people are safe from harm and risk of harm. Section 17 of the Safety Act defines ‘harm’ to mean physical or psychological harm (whether caused by an act or omission), including harm caused by sexual, physical, mental or emotional abuse or neglect.

Mandated notifiers in our organisation are workers who:

  • provide services to children and young people

  • hold a management position in the organisation the duties of which include direct responsibility for, or direct supervision of, the provision of those services to children and young people.

Mandated notifiers have a legal obligation to notify the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 13 14 78 as soon as practicable if they have a reasonable belief that a child or young person is or may be at risk of harm. If the child or young person is at immediate risk, report to South Australia Police (SAPOL) on 000. In cases involving Aboriginal children and young people, support is provided by Yaitya Tirramangkotti - an Aboriginal team, via the CARL number.

Even if not a mandated reporter, any person can report harm or risk of harm to a child or young person. The individual who identifies the harm or risk of harm is encouraged to make the report to authorities and can request the support from another worker to do so if required.

Information about making appropriate reports of harm or risk of harm is available from the South Australian Department of Child Protection website: https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/reporting-child-abuse.

All adult workers (even if not a mandated notifier) have a legal obligation to report child sexual abuse to the police and to protect a child from sexual abuse. Failure to meet these obligations may be considered a criminal offence.

Following a report being made to CARL or SAPOL workers must make an internal report to management.

We will be guided by the Department for Child Protection and/or SAPOL after a report has been made as to whether we can conduct an internal investigation.

If a worker is reported to CARL or SAPOL for causing harm or risk of harm to a child or young person, they will be removed from any role that involves working with any child or young person until authorities have concluded their investigation.

Following a report to CARL or SAPOL we will support the child or young person by:

  • referring the child, young person or their family to other appropriate services

  • continuing to provide a service to the child, young person and their family and monitor their circumstances.

We will document all information received regarding the report and store this securely in a separate file.

Reporting and responding to general complaints or feedback

Providing opportunities for complaints and feedback ensures that children, young people and their families feel valued and respected and enables us to improve the quality of our service. Children, young people and their families are informed that they can provide feedback or make a complaint at their first appointment, as part of their welcome pack, when they join the organisation.

Compliments, complaints or feedback can be provided verbally or in writing to any worker or direct to management either by telephone on 0412 448 032 or via email at [email protected]

We will deal with all complaints and feedback received from children, young people or their families promptly, sensitively and fairly. We will:

  • listen to the complaint/feedback

  • the person receiving the complaint will make a record of it if received verbally

  • advise of the time expected for an outcome

  • if a worker receives a complaint, they must forward it to management as soon as possible

  • management will respond to the complainant with an outcome within 48 business hours.

  • clearly document and securely store decisions and actions taken in response to complaints and feedback

  • make sure that procedural fairness is followed at all times.

If the child, young person or their family is not happy with the outcome from the complaints process they can contact:

  • Australian Association of Social Worker 03 9320 1000

  • Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner 8226 8666 or Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency 1300 419 495

  • Australian Human Rights Commission Online: www.humanrights.gov.au Tel: 1300 656 419

  • South Australian Equal Opportunities Commission (for complaints relating to discrimination) Online: www.eoc.sa.gov.au Tel: 08 8207 1977.

  • NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544 or visit www.ndiscommission.gov.au/about/complaints.

Risk Management

Identified risk

Actions to minimise risk

Culture of organisation is not child-safe focussed

  • Child focused Code of Conduct is in place that sets the behavioural standards expected including what happens when a breach occurs

  • Culture of management reflects our strong commitment to the safety of children and young people

  • The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations are embedded in policies and procedures

  • We meet the requirements of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 (which mandates child safe environments) and the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 (which mandates Working with Children Checks)

Organisational workers harm children/young people

  • Recruitment processes including undertaking referee checks to ensure the suitability of persons before they are employed/volunteer with our organisation

  • Interview questions (no prior preparation) should gauge an applicant’s understanding of child safe principles and actions that would be taken to prevent harm to children and young people

  • All workers have WWCC with ‘not prohibited’ result prior to working with children and young people

  • WWCCs updated every 5 years and status remains as not prohibited

  • Children and young people and their families are given a copy of our Child Safe Environments policy and complaints and feedback process

Organisational workers don’t understand their obligations to report harm and risk of harm to the Child Abuse Report Line (or SA Police if child/young person is at immediate risk)

  • All workers trained in Safe Environments – Through their Eyes on commencement and refresher training every 3 years after

  • All workers trained in Responding to Risk of Harm and Neglect – Education and Care on commencement and refresher training every 3 years after

  • All workers must abide by the child safe environments policy and Code of Conduct (latter is signed on commencement with organisation)

Physical contact

  • Any physical contact must be appropriate to the delivery of services being provided

  • Where physical contact is required, this is undertaken in a safe way by explaining why contact is required and what will happen, and asking the child/young person for their permission (or their family if this is more appropriate) before proceeding

  • Unnecessary physical contact is not allowed

Online communications

  • Cyber safety and social media guidelines are in place and provided to all workers

  • Appropriate supervision is provided for all online activities

  • Workers must not communicate with children or young people via social media

Transport of children and young people

  • Workers must not transport a child or young person unless specifically approved

  • Parents/guardians must provide consent before transporting a child or young person

  • The worker must have a valid, unrestricted driver’s licence

  • The vehicle must be registered, insured and in roadworthy condition

Taking images of children and young people

  • Consent of child young person and their parent/guardian required

  • Disclosure will be made as to how the image is to be used and consent must be provided by the child, young person and parent/guardian

  • Images must be presented in a way that de-identifies the child or young person

Privacy and confidentiality

  • All documents containing confidential information will be stored privately in a locked filing cabinet (or similar place with restricted access)

  • Digital files containing confidential information shall be protected electronically by restricting the access to only those requiring it to perform their duties

  • Workers must not disclose information regarding any child or young person without consent of the child, young person and their parent/guardian

Policy Review

We will, at a minimum, review this policy and the related procedures once every 5 years as required by the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017. We will also review this policy when:

  • new or added risks are identified for children or young people, which may require a change in the policy or procedures

  • a critical incident where a child or young person has experienced harm through involvement in the organisation

  • concerns are raised by anyone involved in your organisation about child safety or welfare in the organisation

  • awareness or compliance to the child safe policy and/or procedures is low

  • legislative changes/requirements.

We will lodge a new child safe environments compliance statement with the Department of Human Services each time I/we review and update this policy.

Policy Date: July 20th 2024

Review Date: July 20th 2026

View our Privacy Policy, Feedback & Complaints Policy, Child Safe Environments Compliance Statement & Policy and Terms and Conditions here.

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