Suitable staff and volunteers

Early childhood services must comply with all the following elements of this Standard:

• Tell job applicants about the service's child safety practices. Give job applicants:
  • your Child Safe Environment policy (Child Safe Environment policy)
  • your Code of Conduct
  • links to your service’s child safety resources.
• Include clear statements in your job advertisements about:
  • the job’s requirements, duties and responsibilities for child safety and wellbeing
  • an outline of duties and responsibilities about child safety and wellbeing
  • essential or relevant qualifications, experience and attributes about child safety and wellbeing.
• Include selection criteria relevant to the role, such as:
  • experience working with children, including children with a disability or Aboriginal children
  • engaging with families
  • child safety experience
  • cultural safety in their work.

• Read and record the details of required documentation. Confirm that they are valid and current.
• Required documentation for staff and volunteers:
  • Working with Children clearance or equivalent background check. For example, Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration or police check proof of identity
  • qualifications, history of working with children and references as appropriate for the role.
• Seek referees for staff and volunteers as appropriate, including their last employer. If the applicant has worked overseas, seek overseas references.
• For staff roles, speak to at least two previous work references. Include the applicant's current supervisor.
  • Ask about the person’s character and experience in working directly with children.
  • Check if the previous service took disciplinary action against the applicant. Check if the service had any concerns about them. For example, not following the Code of Conduct or Child Safety and Wellbeing policy (Child Safe Environment policy).
  • Follow up on any concerns raised.
  • Keep records of your conversations and of job interviews.
• For volunteers, consider the child safety risks relevant to the volunteer’s role. Follow up if you have any concerns.
• Plan who will be on the interview panel. Make sure they have the right skills, experience and information.
• Include questions about child safety in job interviews.
• Ask applicants to declare any potential conflicts of interest. For example, family or business relationships or close friendships. Make sure the service has a process to manage it.

• Give all staff, volunteers and contractors a child safety induction.
• Include in the induction:
  • Code of Conduct
  • Child Safe Environment policy (Child Safe Environment policy)
  • how to raise any concerns, incidents or complaints
  • procedures for managing complaints and concerns related to child abuse.
• Make sure all staff and volunteers are aware of their responsibilities for:
  • children information sharing and reporting obligations
  • recordkeeping obligations.
• Make sure your policies include how you will manage the risks around contractors. This includes agency or casual staff, gardeners or trades on the premises. Policies should include:
  • sighting a valid Working with Children clearance before the person starts
  • providing a child safety induction.
• Train all staff and volunteers as appropriate to their roles.
• Deliver regular child safety briefings for all staff. For example, through staff meetings and newsletters.
• Provide refresher child safe training for staff and volunteers.
• Include child safety and wellbeing as a regular agenda item for staff meetings. This is at all levels of the organisation.
• Training content and ways to identify risk, respond and engage may include:
  • child safety (including family violence)
  • mandatory reporting
  • responding to inappropriate sexualised behaviour
  • human rights and the rights of children
  • diversity and inclusion
  • harassment and bullying
  • cultural safety
  • privacy and information sharing
  • information sharing and family violence reforms
  • risk factors and signs of harm, including intentional and unintentional harm, physical or emotional harm, bullying or cyberbullying, abuse and neglect
  • how to identify and respond to child safety risks, especially for vulnerable children
  • Introducing easy ways for children to express their views and raise concerns
  • engaging with families to support children’s safety and wellbeing
  • appropriate handling of sensitive information about a child’s safety, health or wellbeing.

• Make sure that all managers, staff and volunteers promote child safety and wellbeing in their roles.
  • Include standards for child safety performance in staff contracts. Explain how you will assess their performance.
  • Make sure all staff and volunteers are aware of the up-to-date processes for mandatory reporting.
  • Talk about the Child Safety and Wellbeing policy (Child Safe Environment policy) and Code of Conduct with staff and volunteers:
    • in supervision meetings
    • at staff meetings
    • in newsletters
    • staff updates.
  • Focus on child safety considerations in supervision and people management.
  • Include child safety and wellbeing goals in staff professional development plans.
• Train service leaders to:
  • look out for behaviours that compromise child safety
  • make sure they know how to correct these behaviours in other staff and volunteers.
• Show people managers how to manage staff whose behaviour raises child safety concerns. Ensure they know when to escalate concerns about staff behaviour.
• Read the free resources developed by Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA):
  • Employee Management & Development Resource – it also has online modules
  • Employee Management and Development - self paced modules

• Nominate a child safety champion at your service. Support them to promote the induction and training programs including:
  • service values and philosophy
  • procedures for managing complaints
  • privacy and reporting protocols.

The two NQF Child Safety Guides are the:

• NQF Child Safe Culture Guide
• NQF Online Safety Guide.

There are also additional resources:

• 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 these resources at Child Safety, together with links to additional ACECQA resources about child safety.

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:

• CCYP | Resources and support for the Child Safe Standards
• CCYP | Translated resources about the Child Safe Standards

Note: information isn't tailored for early childhood services.