All early childhood services must create a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal children. This applies even if no children that identify as Aboriginal attend the service.
Cultural safety means creating a safe and respectful space for Aboriginal children. This is an environment where they can:
feel comfortable and safe being themselves
feel comfortable and safe expressing their culture, including their spiritual beliefs and knowledge systems
be supported by educators and those in leadership that respect and encourage their sense of self and identify.
Understanding identity and respecting Aboriginal culture
Identifying as Aboriginal is one part of a child’s identity. Like everyone, Aboriginal children have different experiences and traits. Each child is unique with their own strengths and challenges.
The term ‘Aboriginal’ includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Services should ask children and families their preference for how they are referred to.
Aboriginal children feel stronger and safer when they can express their culture. If children don't feel safe, they may be less likely to report abuse.
Australia’s colonial history has caused significant trauma and hurt. This pain is still felt today. Services should show respect for the deep resilience of Victorian Aboriginal communities.
Child Safe Standard 1
Read the full text of the Standard and its elements.
Early childhood services must comply with all the following elements of this Standard:
A child’s ability to express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights is encouraged and actively supported (1.1).
Strategies are embedded within the service which equip all members to acknowledge and appreciate the strengths of Aboriginal culture and understand its importance to the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children (1.2).
Measures are adopted by the service to ensure racism within the service is identified, confronted and not tolerated. Any instances of racism are addressed with appropriate consequences (1.3).
The service actively supports and facilitates participation and inclusion within it by Aboriginal children, young people and their families (1.4).
All of the organisation’s policies, procedures, systems and processes together create a culturally safe and inclusive environment and meet the needs of Aboriginal children, young people and their families (1.5).
Implement Standard 1
Creating a culturally safe environment is an ongoing effort. It is not a one-off change. Services leaders play an important role in driving cultural safety.
Consult families and the Aboriginal community when making decisions about policies.
Include a zero-tolerance statement for racism in your service’s Code of Conduct.
Make clear that staff and volunteers will act on incidents of racism.
Build service-wide knowledge of Aboriginal histories, cultures, perspectives, values, skills and attitudes.
Begin events and meetings with a Welcome to Country or an Acknowledgement of Country. Include a standing agenda item on cultural safety. Use this as an opportunity to pause and reflect or open a discussion.
Make Aboriginal voice part of decision making in matters that affect Aboriginal children. Be open to different ways of doing and expressing things.
Make a public commitment to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children.
Fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on service grounds. Display plaques and signs to Acknowledge Country and Traditional Owners.
Celebrate the local Aboriginal community in communications with children, staff, volunteers and families. Share information through service newsletters, service meetings, or parent information nights.
Service leaders should promote the importance of:
cultural safety, and
inclusion of all Aboriginal children and their families.
Learn more about Aboriginal histories and cultures, both locally and across Australia.
Speak with respect and confidence about Aboriginal culture, knowledge systems and people.
Acknowledge and draw on the existing knowledge of Aboriginal children and their families.
Ask Aboriginal children and their families for feedback about what the service does well, and what could be improved.
Download the Marrung Aboriginal Education Plan 2016–2026 at Marrung.
Include a zero-tolerance statement in your Child Safe Environment policy.
Address racism immediately and work to prevent future incidents.
Reflect on your service’s attitudes and practices in relation to cultural safety. Identify if there are any barriers you need to remove.
Put service leaders at the front of anti-racist action.
Discuss racism and address unconscious bias and racism in the service.
There are also additional resources, including the:
NQF Child Safe Culture – Self-assessment and risk assessment tool
NQF Online Safe Culture – Self-assessment and risk assessment tool
Child Safety incident response template – Responding to complaints, concerns, allegations and disclosures
Reporting and Responding Schemes tool.
Download all these resources at Child Safety, together with links to additional ACECQA resources about child safety.
Additional resources
The Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) have information for all types of organisations that must comply with the Child Safe Standards. This includes: