STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT TO CHILD SAFETY
- We are committed to the safety, participation, empowerment and protection of all children/ students in our care. We are committed to providing a child-safe and child-friendly environment, where children and young people are safe and feel safe and are able to actively participate in decisions that affect their lives.
- We have zero tolerance for child abuse and are committed to the protection of children from all forms of child abuse. All allegations and safety concerns will be treated seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures. Our policies and procedures will provide the name and contact details of staff who have specific responsibilities in relation to child safety and who may receive reports of suspicion of child abuse. Child abuse includes sexual offences, grooming, physical violence, serious emotional or psychological harm, serious neglect and a child’s exposure to family violence.
- We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.
- We are committed to proactively preventing child abuse, identifying risks early and removing and reducing these risks. When child safety concerns are raised or identified, we treat these seriously and respond promptly and thoroughly.
- We have robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.
- We are committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.
- We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are committed to the emotional, physical and cultural safety of all children and to providing a safe environment for their learning.
- We support and respect all students and welcome and promote diversity and tolerance in the School. We do this by acknowledging and celebrating people from all cultural backgrounds and support their ability to express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights. In particular, the School promotes the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families
- International students
- Children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and their families
- Children who express a full range of sexual orientation and gender identity and their families
- Neurodiverse children, children with disabilities, and children who are vulnerable, including their families.
- Inappropriate or harmful behaviour targeting students based on these or other characteristics, such as racism or homophobia, are not tolerated at our school, and any instances identified will be addressed with appropriate consequences.
- Child safety is a shared responsibility. Every person involved in our school has an important role in promoting child safety and wellbeing and promptly raising any issues or concerns about a child’s safety.
- We are committed to regularly reviewing our child safe practices, and seeking input from our students, families, staff, and volunteers to inform our ongoing strategies.
- We are committed to take action to ensure a child safe culture is championed and modelled across the school.
- We have specific policies, procedures and training in place that support our community to achieve these commitments.
At Fintona Girls’ School we celebrate our diverse community and commit to supporting the achievement and participation of all students, staff and parents. Inclusion means that all members of our school community are valued and supported to fully participate, learn, develop and succeed – doing what they do well – AGE QUOD AGIS. Examples below of inclusion at Fintona.
