Keeping children safe must be everyone’s priority: sector responds to child abuse

Ensuring the health and safety of all children attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) services is always of paramount concern, however recent incidents have shown the importance of every staff member in a service having a strong understanding of child protection. 

 

As Australia struggles to comprehend how two men could have been left in situations where they had the opportunity to harm children in their care, questions are being asked about what more can be done in ECEC, over and above checks and meeting minimum requirements, to safeguard children. 

 

Creating a service  that is child-centred, where safety and well-being are the number one priority, is the core way to keep children safe while in the care of ECEC services. To learn more about what this looks like in practice, we connected with early childhood consultant Nicole Talarico, author of Asserting a Culture of Child Safety – Offering children the protection and care that they deserve. 

 

The National Child Safe Principles and Standards

 

The National Child Safe Principles and Standards are important safeguards that warrant more support including implementation support and professional learning for educators, she began. 

 

Alongside the standards is a need to increase awareness and information and improve cross-jurisdictional systems of reporting and information sharing, and for all Australians, in every setting, to step up and be responsible, navigating their days with “eyes and minds wide open” to child protection. 

 

“I only hope that every state and territory will see a need to advance their thinking about enforcing standards, reportable conduct and accountability to child safety (as a result of these incidents),” Ms Talarico said. 

 

Action on Child Safety strategies

 

To be responsive and responsible, she recommends the following child safety strategies specific to ECEC services: 

 

• Make sure you include your commitment to child safety in job advertisements, websites and other marketing material

 

• Child safety must be included in job interviews and inductions

 

• Ensure to follow up on reference checks – even if desperate to fill a position with a sector short of staff

 

• Risk assess for the likelihood of abuse occurring when on excursions and when visitors attend your service (a guide to risk template criteria is included in Ms Talarico’s book)

 

• Train all staff and volunteers in child abuse indicators, mandatory reporting and reportable conduct as well as child safe organisations/standards

 

• Include body safety in curriculum for children of all ages.

 

Access to underpinning policy 

 

In addition to the actions above, she recommends that all stakeholders have access to child safe safety governance documentation including: 

 

• Commitment to child safety

 

• Code of conduct (must include non-acceptable behaviours and consequences)

 

• Child safety (and wellbeing) policy

 

• Ways to raise a concern/complaint.

 

Parents should be informed of:

 

• How the service respects children’s right to privacy

 

• If the service team have undertaken child safety training

 

• If body safety is a valued part of the education program

 

• How children can raise their concerns when at the service.

 

ECA statement – can more be done to protect children? 

 

In addition to Ms Talarico’s comments, Early Childhood Australia (ECA) released a statement about the incidents, in which the peak body expressed solidarity with those in the sector who are feeling angry and betrayed. 

 

“The vast majority of people who work in early childhood services are there because they want children to thrive and learn as active citizens with the right to safety, choice and respect,” the statement noted. 

 

“To have a sexual predator working in an early childhood service is abhorrent and a strong reminder that we all need to be diligent about the risk of abuse against children. The question raised is can more be done to protect children? Our answer is a resounding yes, more must be done – one child harmed is too many.” 

 

“We must work harder to create a culture of child safety both within early childhood services and across our community. We need a whole of system response that enables children, families, teachers and educators to raise their concerns and that is equipped to listen and respond. In particular, we all need to listen – really listen – to children and encourage them to speak up if they feel unsafe or at risk.”

 

What happens next, the statement continued, “is critical – and this needs to incorporate a balance of transparency and action.” 

 

“Responses need to support greater awareness of grooming behaviours coupled with national systems that support the collection and sharing of information relating to concerns with consistent thresholds across jurisdictions.” 

 

The National Child Safe Principles and Standards are important safeguards that warrant more support including implementation support and professional learning for educators, the statement notes.

 

To read ECA’s statement, please see here. Copies of Ms Talarico’s book are available through the ECA Bookshop and other stockists.