Child Safe Policy
Creative Music for Schools (CMS) is an organisation committed to the safety and wellbeing of children. This policy has been written to demonstrate the commitment of management, staff and teachers to child safety and to zero tolerance of child abuse. It is intended to provide an outline of the policies and practices that have been developed to keep children safe. Supplementary and supporting documentation will be cited when required.
All children under the care and tutelage of CMS have a right to feel safe and be safe. Our primary concern is to ensure our students are safe, happy and empowered. Every person involved in our organisation has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role he or she plays individually and collectively to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all children. Furthermore, we value diversity and do not tolerate discriminatory practices. We acknowledge and take in to consideration in our policies and practices the increased vulnerability of Aboriginal children, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and children with disabilities.
CMS management, staff and teachers encourage students to express their views. We listen to their views and respect what they have to say. We involve them when making decisions, especially about matters that directly affect them.
CMS have implemented human resources practices that reduce the risk of child abuse occurring within the organisation. We have selection criteria and advertisements for personnel which clearly demonstrate our commitment to child safety. All applicants are provided with copies of the organisation’s Child Safety Code of Conduct and Child Safety Policy. When recruiting and selecting people involved in child-connected work, we make all reasonable efforts to:
- confirm the applicant’s Working with Children Check and National Police Check status and/or professional registration (as relevant)
- obtain proof of personal identity and any professional or other qualifications
- verify the applicant’s history of work involving children
- obtain references that address the applicant’s suitability for the job and working with children
- ensure the applicant is questioned about their commitment to child safety and is given a full understanding of this organisation’s commitment during the interview process Furthermore, training for all successful applicants is committed to demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to embedding a culture that makes child safety paramount.
CMS provides support and supervision so that people feel valued, respected and fairly treated. We seek to attract and retain the best staff and teachers. This policy as well as our Child Safe Code of Conduct guides staff and teachers as to how to behave when working with children. All staff and teachers must agree to the Child Safe Code of Conduct which specifies the standard of conduct required.
CMS provides clear lines of reporting to all staff and teachers with regards to a reasonable belief that child abuse has occurred. Staff and teachers are made aware of their duty of care to children and their legal responsibilities. Lines of reporting include reporting any allegations of child abuse to the relevant school officer and ensure any allegation be reported to the police or child protection. If an allegation of child abuse is made they are instructed to ensure as quickly as possible that the child(ren) are safe.
CMS recognise that we have a duty of care to protect the children we are involved with. We recognise the importance of a risk management approach to minimising the potential for child abuse or harm to occur. We have risk management strategies in place to identify, assess and take steps to minimise child abuse risks and risks posed by physical environments.
CMS is committed to continuous improvement of our child safety policy and practices. This policy and associated practice and procedures will be reviewed every two years at which time we undertake to seek suggestions, view and comments from children, parents, staff, teachers and the leadership of our host schools.