We are working to embed child safety in everything we do because every child has a right to feel safe; children are our legacy and our future, and we play an important role in helping them to reach their full potential in environments free from harm.
In line with the NSW Child Safe Standards we’re progressing work that enables us to become a child safe organisation, an organisation that “creates a culture, adopts strategies and takes action to promote child wellbeing and prevent harm to children and young people”.
We are enhancing our commitment to keeping children and young people safe by publicly stating that AlburyCity:
- upholds the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
- will actively seek to listen to and empower children and young people
- has a ZERO tolerance to child abuse, harm and neglect and actively works to eliminate them
- is improving systems and processes to protect the physical, emotional, cultural and social wellbeing of children
- takes child safety concerns very seriously and responds to them professionally, with care and empathy
- will promote safe environments for all children and embraces diversity and leverages inclusion
We will demonstrate our commitment by:
- working together, with children, young people and their families, to create safe and accessible environments
- listening to and respecting children's and young peoples’ views
- providing ways for them to share ideas and give feedback on our services, especially the ones they use
- actively involving children and young people in decision making, especially in decisions that directly affect them
- creating safe spaces and providing platforms for their voices to be heard
- making sure the people who work for us are suitable, knowledgeable and well trained
We will also be improving ways in which our community and our children can raise and/or report concerns, how we share and seek information about child safety and how we better embed child safety in our organisational leadership, governance and culture.
AlburyCity plays a critical role in keeping our children safe but protecting children is everyone’s responsibility.
Why we have Child Safe Standards
The NSW Child Safe Standards are an outcome of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse. They provide a framework for creating child safe organisations and are designed to drive cultural change to create, maintain and improve child safe practices.
The Standards are based on extensive research and consultation undertaken by the Royal Commission and when organisations apply the Standards they build a culture where abuse of children is prevented, responded to and reported.
The 10 Child Safe Standards provide clear guidance for organisations to create cultures, adopt strategies and act to put the interests of children first to keep them safe from harm.
-
What are the Standards designed to do? keyboard_arrow_right
The Standards have been designed to:
- help drive cultural change in organisations
- be principle-based and outcome-focused
- be flexible enough that they can be adapted by organisations of varying sizes and characteristics
- avoid placing undue burden on organisations
- help organisations address multiple risks
- balance caution and caring
- be a benchmark against which organisations can assess their child safe capability and set performance targets
- be of equal importance and interrelated
-
What is a Child Safe Organisation? keyboard_arrow_right
A Child Safe Organisation:
- Puts the best interests of children and young people first.
- Creates an environment where children’s safety and wellbeing is at the centre of thought, values and actions.
- Places emphasis on genuine engagement with and valuing of children and young people.
- Creates conditions that reduce the likelihood of harm to children and young people.
- Creates conditions that increase the likelihood of identifying any harm.
- Responds to any concerns, disclosures, allegations or suspicions of harm.
-
How do I report child safe/protection concerns? keyboard_arrow_right
-
How do I report a child safe/protection concern that involves an AlburyCity Councillor, employee, contractor or volunteer? keyboard_arrow_right
Phone Call 02 6023 8111 between 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday and ask to speak with AlburyCity's Designated Child Complaints Officer. Email TBC Mail Write to our team:
Child Safe Delegate
553 Kiewa St
Albury, NSW 2640In person Organise a meeting with our Designated Child Complaints Officer by contacting us using one of the methods listed above to request a meeting. -
How do I make a complaint about an AlburyCity service involving my child? keyboard_arrow_right
Albury City Council takes complaints and allegations involving children and young people seriously. Where appropriate, complaints and concerns can be made directly to the service that your child/ren is involved in or contact Council.
-
What is a Child Protection Allegation? keyboard_arrow_right
A child protection allegation is a suspected or confirmed concern or complaint involving a Council staff member or Council representative and a child/ren or young people (under 18 years of age). This is where the child or young person’s care, safety or protection may have been compromised as a result.
For more information visit: Office of the Children's Guardian, Reportable Conduct Scheme.
-
Where can I find information about online safety for children? keyboard_arrow_right
The following online safety tools and resources are available for parents, caregivers, children and young people.
- ThinkUKnow – a national program providing online child safety information in schools and organisations to parents, carers, teachers and students from the first year of school to Year 12.
- The eSafety Commissioner’s eSafety guide - learn about the latest games, apps and social media, including how to protect your information and report inappropriate content.
- Online safety basics – three key strategies to help your children safely navigate their digital world and avoid harmful online experiences.
- Office of the Children’s Guardian’s Online Safety guide - tips on how to keep children and young people safe online.
- Online safety picture book and song – encourages young children to ask for help when they are using digital devices, to keep them safer online.
- The Raising Children Network is an Australian parenting website and includes parenting guides and tools on:
-
Which services support children and young people? keyboard_arrow_right
Confidential counselling is available for people of all ages by telephone or online.
Children or young people services
- Kids Helpline: for children and young people aged 5 to 25 years. All issues are confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Headspace: for 12 to 25 year-olds for all issues. Phone counselling is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Phone 1800 650 890
All ages services
- Lifeline: All ages, all issues. Phone counselling is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Phone 13 11 14
- Online chat service is available 7pm to midnight.
- Lifeline text service is available 12pm to midnight, SMS 0477 131 114.
- Beyond Blue: All ages, all issues. Phone counselling is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Phone 1300 22 4636
- Online chat service is available 1pm – midnight, 7 days a week
-
Is there more information about child safety at AlburyCity? keyboard_arrow_right
We’ll be updating our Child Safe webpage regularly as well as seeking input from children, young people and their families about safe and empowering environments.
