As part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Betrayal of Trust report, there is a new regulatory landscape surrounding child safety, underpinned by Child Safe Standards.
William Ruthven Secondary College is committed to the safety of all its students. To this end, the school is developing a culture of child safety and has and will implement policies and procedures to ensure that there is zero tolerance of child abuse in our school.
The school’s policies and procedures provide the foundation for and commitment to child safety by ensuring:
All school staff and volunteers comply with a code of conduct which addresses child safety. William Ruthven Secondary College recognises and considers existing professional codes of conduct when developing child safety codes of conduct such as Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and the Victorian Institute of Teaching Profession Code of Conduct.
Recruitment processes are in place to manage and reduce the risk of child abuse. In addition, processes shall be in place to ensure that there are appropriate staff induction programs, staff professional development and staff supervision arrangements to ensure a child-safe environment.
Policies and procedure for reporting and responding to suspected child abuse shall enable individuals to take the appropriate course of action to protect the safety of all students.
The development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of risk management strategies to ensure child safety in the school environment. Children feel safe to report abuse and have processes in place to ensure that students are empowered to raise any child safety concerns.
William Ruthven Secondary College will support students to develop appropriate knowledge and skills so that children can identify and communicate when they don’t feel safe.
The Code of Conduct, Child Safety Policy and any further information, policies and procedures will be made available to the school community as they are developed.