Child Safe Policy

Child Safe Policy

Background

Kyabram Youth Club recognises the wide range of age groups that access the league, as well as the differing developmental needs of individual children.  Behaviour support and management is approached by:

• applying appropriate measures (in keeping with community standards)
• using consistency and compassion
• having regard at all times to the respect and dignity and individual uniqueness of the child

Appropriate standards of discipline shall be maintained by giving children positive guidance towards acceptable behaviour.

 Kyabram Youth Club ensures that the dignity and rights of the child are maintained at all times

At the end of every session the coach will be available to report back to the parent/carer about the programming and how the child responded. The coach will also report back to the parent/carer of any behaviour issues and if any behaviour management strategies were implemented.

In the event of long term behavioural management issues, that is, after 3 or more warnings; the following process needs to be undertaken.

• Parent is issued with a statement identifying the incident
• Consequences are applied by  Kyabram Youth Club manager depending on circumstances
• If an issue is deemed a serious incident Kyabram Youth Club manager may 
• suspend the child on temporary basis 
• suspend the child from entering  Kyabram Youth Club  for a period of time
• withdraw  the child based upon a history of identified issues 

 Kyabram Youth Club regards as of utmost importance, its role in the protection of children in its care.  This includes the KYC’s moral and legal duties to care for children associated with  Kyabram Youth Club whilst not in the care of their parents or other primary carers.

 Kyabram Youth Club applies the following principles:

• Kyabram YC recognises the complexity and sensitivity surrounding the issue of suspicion of child abuse, and the decision-making process of whether or not to report it. 
• Whilst treating the interests of the child as paramount,  Kyabram YC must respect the reputation of all involved in suspected cases of child abuse. 
• Kyabram YC recognises that relying on any information that is false, exaggerated or unjust can in itself lead to a serious breach of the law.  
• The responsibility for deciding whether or not to report an incident of suspected child abuse shall rest with Kyabram YC manager. 

Staff should immediately clarify anything they do not fully understand with the Director.

All staff has a responsibility to ensure a safe environment for all children in their care.  If a child approaches you and begins to reveal stories of abuse, ensure you listen carefully and don’t react with bias or personal assumption.  Staff must report unusual findings to  Kyabram YC Director, ensuring confidentiality, and without bias or personal assumption.

All cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation will be documented and advised to  Kyabram YC manager who will then file the concern with the relevant authorities.

Child Safety Commitment

 Kyabram YC   believes that all children should have their athletic needs met in a safe, caring and supportive environment. Our aim is to provide this environment so that children evolve as well adjusted, caring, independent and responsible individuals.

The best interests of the child are the paramount concern in our League. We provide a service that protects our children from harm whilst respecting their dignity, individual needs and privacy. 

Our organisation 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. 

We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.

We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.

We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously. 

Our organisation is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks. 

Our organisation has robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.

Our organisations is committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks. 

We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are 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.

Accident and Illness

Kyabram YC proactively strives to minimise the impact of injuries and illnesses by responding appropriately and as quickly as possible, to all injuries and illnesses.  The rights and responsibilities of parents with respect to injuries to and illnesses of their children is acknowledged and will be taken into account in administering all procedures. 

 Kyabram Youth Club manager will inform staff as to the location of the First Aid Kit during employment orientation.  The First Aid Kit is regularly checked and restocked however, should staff notice that supplies are low they should relay this information to  Kyabram YC. manager.  

A record is kept on each child’s medical conditions and allergic reactions to any form of medication.  Staff must ensure confidentiality of information regarding the health and treatment of any person.

First Aid treatment can only be administered by a qualified person.  

Staff are to ensure - 

• Treatment is administered as per first aid manual.
• They are aware of child’s medical history before administering any treatment.
• Moist skin conditions and abrasions are kept covered unless directed otherwise by parent.
• All accidents and injuries are reported to  Kyabram YC immediately.
• A record of any injury and treatment is maintained by completing an Accident Report Form.
• They complete an Incident Report Form after administering any first aid.
• They wash their hands before and after administering First Aid treatment.
• Disposable gloves are worn at all times.
• All equipment used is sterilized before and after use, if it is not disposable.
• All used, disposable items are placed immediately in the rubbish bin.
• Waste bin is emptied daily.

Assistance is required if  Kyabram Youth Club manager assesses the situation to be beyond the capabilities and experience of staff present. They will seek the assistance of a doctor, registered nurse or ambulance officer.  In the following situations it is crucial that medical aid be sought -  

• Breathing disorders
• Disorders of consciousness
• Heart and circulation disorders
• Poisoning
• Serious bites or stings
• Over-exposure to heat or cold
• Traffic accident injuries
• Uncontrollable external bleeding
• Internal bleeding
• Amputated parts
• Extensive burns or burns that involve the airway, hands, face or genitals
• Limb injuries such as dislocations and fractures
• Head, neck and spinal injuries
• Serious facial injuries
• Chest injuries
• Abdominal and pelvic injuries

It is important when working with school-age children to be able to recognise symptoms and/or signs of a sick child, as they do not always let you know.  In response, always ensure that the child is kept comfortable and act in a caring and compassionate manner. Parents/carers and staff should always advise each other in the event of a child becoming sick or having an illness.

Recognising symptoms of illness -

• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Headache – stiff neck
• Sore throat or having trouble swallowing
• Frequent scratching of scalp or skin 
• Diarrhoea – increase in frequency, runniness or volume of faeces
• Mucus discharge from the nose 
• Severe, persistent or prolonged coughing
• Breathing trouble
• Yellowish skin or whites of eyes
• Conjunctivitis – tears, redness of eyelid lining, irritation
• Unusual spots or rashes
• Infected skin patches
• Feverish appearance
• Unusual behaviour – child is cranky or less active than usual, feels discomfort or just seems unwell

Procedures if symptoms show -

• Report to manager.
• Separate the child from the other children if possible.
• If the child is coughing or sneezing, remind them to cover their mouth and wash their hands.
• Call the parent/carer if not with the child attending the Stadium.
• After touching a sick child, wash your hands before touching another child.

Accident and Incident Reports

Staff are required to complete an Accident report after delivering First Aid. These reports should be detailed and explain the child’s condition, including accident particulars or symptoms and steps taken.

When completing any report staff are asked to be thorough, concise and honest.

Staff should include reference to time. Once an accident report has been written it should be presented to  Kyabram  Youth Club manager. The report must then be shown to parents who must sign it. Accident Reports are then stored in the children’s file.

Communication With Children

The children, and their athletic progress is the main focus of  Kyabram Youth Club,  however, other areas of wellbeing, health and safety are also monitored.  Children are to be treated by staff at all times as unique and valued individuals and with respect and dignity. 

Acceptable standards of behaviour need to be maintained to ensure the physical and emotional health of all children and staff in the program.   Staff need to be conscious of any physical contact and be aware of the possible implications of their actions. THERE SHOULD NOT ONE PERSON  WITH ONE CHILD IN A CLOSED ROOM.

The quality of staff interactions with children has a significant impact on children's development and growth, and on their feelings of confidence and self-worth.

Communication With Parents

Kyabram Youth Club encourages communication with the parents/carers because it enhances the service we provide.  

Staff should only inform parents of behaviour difficulties after consultation with  Kyabram Youth Club manager.  Kyabram Youth Club manager may impose the consequences as deemed appropriate. If a parent verbally or physically abuses a staff member they may have appropriate consequences applied to them thorough  Kyabram  Youth Club manager. It is extremely important that  Kyabram Youth Club manager is aware of information given to parents so they are appropriately equipped for any further communication with the family. If a staff member releases information to a parent/carer that is deemed to be inhibiting the good management of  Kyabram Youth Club  by Kyabram Youth Club manager, then the contract of the staff member will be reviewed.

Parents/carers should be shown kindness, support and respect.  Staff should always acknowledge parents/carers with a welcoming smile and make themselves available when needed.

Communication With Outside Government Agencies

Staff are reminded of the confidentiality agreement when discussing students who participate in the competition.  Where called upon  Kyabram Youth Club manager and its staff will work cooperatively with outside government agencies.

Emergencies

Kyabram Youth Club adopts a proactive approach to ensuring that staff and children are aware of, and understand, evacuation and other emergency procedures.

Personal safety and security of children, staff and volunteers (all persons on the premises) are of prime importance.   Kyabram Youth Club therefore takes a proactive approach to managing emergencies, developing emergency procedures and equipping staff and children with sound knowledge of them. 

Kyabram  Youth Club manager will demonstrate the emergency exit route to staff during employment orientation and advise the location of fire extinguishers and fire escape emergency exits & keys.  Exit plans are displayed, staff should remind themselves regularly.

It is the staffs’ responsibility to:

• Memorise the exit plan 
• Ensure fire escape routes remain clear and free of any obstructions
• Be aware of fire fighting equipment and its correct use

Staff are to ensure - 

• At the first sign of danger they do not leave children unattended.  Coordinator will sound alarm and/or ring warning bell continuously and notify fire brigade, police and ambulance if time permits.
• Children are directed and assisted to move quickly and quietly to the allocated safe area.

Children are kept confined to the area until Centre manager has checked role and established that all persons are accounted for.

Harassment

Kyabram Youth Club  seeks to protect children and staff from harassment by all persons.  If a staff member is deemed harassing or discriminating against another staff member than this needs to be reported to  Kyabram Youth Club. If, after counselling etc, the problem still persists then the staff member will have their service terminated. 

If a staff member is deemed to be harassing a student then the Director will dismiss the staff member from  Kyabram Youth Club  and notify the appropriate authorities.

Infectious Disease

Kyabram Youth Club  strives to remove immediate and/or serious risks to the health of the children, from possible cross-infections, by adopting appropriate procedures for dealing with infectious diseases, whilst respecting the rights of individual privacy.  Accordingly, all people, including children, staff and parents, with infectious diseases will be excluded from attending  Kyabram Youth Club to prevent the diseases spreading to others.  Staff are required to immediately inform  Kyabram Youth Club manager of any infectious disease that their family may be suffering from.  They will then be released from work to seek medical attention; staff will only be able to return to work with doctor's permission.

When  Kyabram Youth Club manager is made aware of an infectious disease, families are notified and directed to staff if they require further information.   Kyabram  Youth Club manager will provide relevant articles and fact sheets; it is then the responsibility of staff to keep up to date with professional reading.

Lost Property

Staff should encourage children to be responsible for their own belongings.  Any lost property should be returned to the family directly. 

Medication

In the interests of health and wellbeing of the children, parents are to ensure all medications are administered prior to participating in matches. 

Parents/caregivers must undertake the following in relation to the management of the health of the child.

• Notify  Kyabram Youth Club in writing of a health condition requiring medication. 
• Ensure such medications are administered at home prior to attending matches.
• Notify Kyabram Youth Club in writing of any guidelines from medical practitioners 

            including potential side effects or adverse reactions.

Preventative Health

For the ongoing and general health and wellbeing of the children,  Kyabram Youth Club strives to ensure for its children and staff a standard of general preventative health and wellbeing which complies, as a minimum, with legal requirements and, as far as reasonably possible, with the standards expected in the wider community.

Health and safety policies are essential in any service to ensure children, staff and any person entering, is safe from danger.  

As part of the duty of care requirement, to the clients and to other staff the service remains a hazard free workplace.

Staff are to ensure - 

• They visually inspect all equipment before use and isolate hazards from people.  
• Faulty equipment is reported immediately to  Kyabram Youth Club manager
• Stairs and walkways are clear of furniture, equipment and clutter
• Wear the appropriate clothing
• Be aware of first aid requirements and if becoming ill while using chemicals, STOP and seek medical attention

The responsibilities of children’s services workers under Occupational Health and Safety Legislation are to -

• Provide and/or maintain equipment and systems that are safe
• Ensure equipment and substances are used and stored safely
• Use equipment only for specific purpose
• Maintain a safe work environment
• Ensure the health and safety of any persons who visit the workplace
• Ensure the safety and care of all co-workers
• Undertake the necessary training to be familiar with all safety requirements

Staff are to ensure they - 

• Wear appropriate clothing equipment if necessary
• Follow correct procedures and obey reasonable instructions
• Identify hazards and do not put fellow workers or children at risk
• Report accidents and incidents to KYC manager immediately - a record of any workplace accident/incident will be maintained
• Ensure that lifting and handling techniques are safe for the physical well-being of all

The correct method to lift a child -

• Place feet in a stride position
• Bend knees and brace stomach muscles
• Hold child close to your centre of gravity
• Move your feet, not your spine
• Move in a forward facing direction
• Ask for assistance if required

The correct method to lift an object -

• Assess load
• Place feet close to object in a balanced position with arms bent
• Get a secure grip
• Keep back straight
• Keep head up, chin tucked in, and arms close to your body
• Use your legs, not your back

Precautions to avoid straining your back -

• Lift with balanced and comfortable posture
• Don’t reach above shoulder level
• Avoid learning/reaching forward, that is, don’t stretch over and lift
• Rearrange surroundings if required to get into the best position
• Don’t twist when lifting
• Get assistance if require

Teamwork

For the children to feel that  Kyabram Youth Club  is a supportive place to be in, it is imperative that staff are able to communicate and work together.  Everyone should contribute to create an open, friendly environment for all to enjoy.

What is reportable conduct?

Under the scheme, reportable conduct will include allegations against workers or volunteers of child abuse and misconduct involving children. For example, reportable conduct would include sexual misconduct or offences, grooming, ‘sexting’, inappropriate physical contact with a child or other conduct that crosses professional boundaries concerning children. 

Our organisation takes our legal responsibilities seriously, including:

• Failure to disclose: Reporting child sexual abuse is a community-wide responsibility. All adults in Victoria who have a reasonable belief that an adult has committed a sexual offence against a child under 16 have an obligation to report that information to the police. 
• Failure to protect: People of authority in our organisation will commit an offence if they know of a substantial risk of child sexual abuse and have the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, but negligently fail to do so.
• Any personnel who are mandatory reporters must comply with their duties.

What to do when an allegation of child abuse is made 

The child safe standards require organisations that provide services for children to have processes for responding to and reporting suspected child abuse. This resource is designed to provide guidance on what to do if a child discloses an incident of abuse, or if a parent/carer raises a concern or allegation of abuse which may have taken place in Kyabram Youth Club.

If a child discloses an incident of abuse to you

Try and separate them from the other children discreetly and listen to them carefully.

• Let the child use their own words to explain what has occurred.
• Reassure the child that you take what they are saying seriously, and it is not their fault and that they are doing the right thing.
• Explain to them that this information may need to be shared others, such as with their parent/carer, specific people in your organisation, or the police.
• Do not make promises to the child such as promising not to tell anyone about the incident, except that you will do your best to keep them safe.
• Do not leave the child in a distressed state. If they seem at ease in your company, stay with them.
• Provide them with an incident report form to complete, or complete it together, if you think the child is able to do this.
• As soon as possible after the disclosure, record the information using the child’s words and report the disclosure to your manager or your organisation’s child safety officer/champion, police or child protection.
• Ensure the disclosure is recorded accurately, and that the record is stored securely. 

If a parent/carer says their child has been abused in Kyabram YC or raises a concern

• Explain that KYC has processes to ensure all abuse allegations are taken very seriously.
• Ask about the wellbeing of the child. 
• Allow the parent/carer to talk through the incident in their own words.
• Advise the parent/carer that you will take notes during the discussion to capture all details.
• Explain to them the information may need to be repeated to authorities or others, such as the organisation’s management or Child Safety Officer, the police or child protection. 
• Do not make promises at this early stage, except that you will do your best to keep the child safe. 
• Provide them with an incident report form to complete, or complete it together.
• Ask them what action they would like to take and advise them of what the immediate next steps will be.
• Ensure the report is recorded accurately, and that the record is stored securely. 

You need to be aware that some people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds may face barriers in reporting allegations of abuse. For example, people from some cultures may experience anxiety when talking with police, and communicating in English may be a barrier for some. You need to be sensitive to these issues and meet people’s needs where possible, such as having an interpreter present (who could be a friend or family member). 

If an allegation of abuse involves an Aboriginal child, you will need to ensure a culturally appropriate response. A way to help ensure this could include engaging with parents of Aboriginal children, local Aboriginal communities or an Aboriginal community controlled organisations to review policies and procedures.

Some children with a disability may experience barriers disclosing an incident. For example, children with hearing or cognitive impairments may need support to help them explain the incident, including through sign language interpreters. 

Advice on communicating with people with a disability can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services website (www.dhs.vic.gov.au/for-business-and-community/community-involvement/people-with-a-disability-in-the-community/communicate-and-consult-with-people-with-a-disability/communication-with-people-with-disabilities).

If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000