Building safer services: Understanding and developing a Child Safe Code of Conduct

The Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) NSW has a practical guide to support organisations in writing and implementing a Child Safe Code of Conduct.

A Code of Conduct is a cornerstone of any child safe organisation, outlining expected behaviours of adults when interacting with children and young people. It serves both as a protective measure and a cultural foundation, helping organisations embed the Child Safe Standards recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

For early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, a Child Safe Code of Conduct is more than a compliance requirement. It can:

• Provide clarity to staff, volunteers, and families about safe and appropriate behaviour.
• Support children’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to safety and protection.
• Align with National Quality Standard (NQS) Quality Area 2, which requires services to ensure children’s health, safety, and wellbeing.
• Strengthen trust with families and the community by demonstrating a commitment to safeguarding.

The OCG resource, provides information on what a robust Code of Conduct should include:

• Be clear, accessible and practical, outlining both acceptable and unacceptable behaviours.
• Be developed with input from staff, families, and where appropriate, children and young people.
• Be regularly reviewed to ensure relevance and alignment with evolving child safe practices.
• Be communicated and reinforced through induction, training, and day-to-day practice.

The OCG’s Understanding and Developing a Child Safe Code of Conduct resource provides templates and examples to help services draft or refine their own codes.

By embedding these practices, ECEC services can go beyond compliance to foster a culture of safety, accountability, and respect, ensuring that children are not only protected, but also empowered to thrive.