Child Safety

FVREE Commitment to Child Safety

FVREE is committed to creating and maintaining a child safe organisation where protecting children and preventing and responding to child abuse is embedded in the everyday thinking and practice of its workforce.

FVREE is committed to child safety. We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers.
FVREE is committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.
FVREE has zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.
FVREE has legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which are followed rigorously.
FVREE is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks.
FVREE has robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.
FVREE is committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.
FVREE is committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.
FVREE will abide by specific procedures and will have trainings in place to support the leadership team, staff and volunteers to achieve these policy commitments.

Everyone working at FVREE is responsible for the care and protection of children and reporting information about child abuse. Our Child Safety-Code of Conduct outlines how staff, students and volunteers will behave when working with and around children and must be agreed and signed by everyone.

We have risk management strategies in place to identify, assess and take steps to minimise child safety risks and concerns. We ensure that our systems protect children from abuse, and will take all allegations and concerns very seriously and respond to them consistently in line with the organisation’s policies and procedures. We also have staff appointed to support employees and to oversee, monitor and review all practices and policies around child safety.

Safe and Secure Framework

Commissioned and funded by RFVP and developed by the Australian Childhood Foundation, Safe and Secure is a trauma-informed practice guide for professionals working with children and young people affected by family violence.

Child Safe Standards and reporting obligations

Under Failure to Disclose Legislation introduced in Victoria in 2014, all adults are required to report to police:

any reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed:
by another adult (over 18),
against a child under the age of 16;
exceptions do apply

The simple rule is:if you have a reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed by an adult against a child in Victoria, you must report that belief to Victoria Police.

The Failure to Disclose Legislation does not change Mandatory Reporting Obligations for organisations.

What do Mandatory Reporting Obligations mean in the context of family violence at FVREE

When a client has disclosed a crime against a child, FVREE has a legal obligation to report to Victoria Police or Child Protection. The intent of this report is to protect children, not to further victimise or impact the safety of the woman experiencing family violence. All clients will be advised of their own obligation to report, as well as that of the organisation. The suspected crime must be reported, even if parents are acting protectively. FVREE will work with the woman, Child Protection and Victoria Police to ensure the rights of the child are paramount, whilst also not impacting the safety of the woman experiencing family violence.

Under the Child Safe Standards, all organisations providing services to children are required to have a child safe policy, or a statement of commitment to child safety.

FVREE is committed to being a child-safe, child focussed organisation.

If you have any concerns regarding Child Safety at FVREE, please contact our Child Safety Officer by email.

For more information on Child Safe Standards, visit the Commission for Children and Young People website.

FVREE Child Safety Brochure

FVREE Child Safe Policy

FVREE Child safety reporting process

FVREE Child Safety Code of Conduct