Child Safety Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this Policy is to set out VRFish’s commitment regarding the safety and wellbeing of children under 18 years of age.

Scope

This Child Safe Policy covers Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body and its Board of directors, employees and contract service providers including volunteers (“VRFish”, “we” or “us”).

Policy Statement

VRFish is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

VRFish has zero tolerance for inappropriate behaviour towards anybody as part of our work, on our properties, at our events and in our online environments. VRFish is committed to providing a child safe environment where children and young people are safe and feel safe.

Particular attention will be paid to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, children who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex, children unable to live at home, as well as the safety of children with a disability.

Every person at VRFish (including volunteers) working directly with children and young people has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role they play to ensure the wellbeing and safety of those children and young people.

To deliver on its commitment to child safety, VRFish;

• Takes a proactive approach to child safety

• VRFish will develop and annually review systems and processes that comply with Child Safe Standards

• Fosters a culture of openness that supports all persons to safely disclose risks of harm to children

• Respects diversity in cultures while keeping child safety paramount

• Provides staff and volunteers who work directly with children and young people with guidance on appropriate conduct and behaviour towards children and procedures for reporting

• Provides staff and volunteers who work directly with children and young people with relevant training on Aboriginal culture

• Engages only the most suitable people to work with children and ensures adequate staff and volunteer supervision and professional development

• Ensures children know who to talk with if they are feeling unsafe, and that they are comfortable and encouraged to access easy to understand information, support and complaints processes

• Reports suspected abuse, neglect or mistreatment promptly to the appropriate authorities

• Shares information appropriately and lawfully with other organisations where the safety and wellbeing of children is at risk.

Legislative responsibilities

VRFish takes our legal responsibilities seriously, including:

• Failure to disclose: Reporting child sexual abuse is a community-wide responsibility. All adults in Victoria who have a reasonable belief that an adult has committed a sexual offence against a child under 16 have an obligation to report that information to the police.

• Failure to protect: People of authority in our organisation will commit an offence if they know of a substantial risk of child sexual abuse and have the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, but negligently fail to do so.

• Any personnel who are mandatory reporters must comply with their duties.

• VRFish Staff, education program contractors and volunteers are required to report any general concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person as soon as possible.

Further information on the Standards can be found on the Victorian Department of Human Services website; Child Safe Standards