The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations promote the safety and wellbeing of children in Australia. Each state and territory is responsible for implementing the principles within their jurisdiction, with New South Wales and Victoria establishing legislation in the form of the Child Safe Standards in July 2022. Other states are yet to fully implement their standards.
Vikki Shaw, Jenna Rugg & Mel Fourtounas of St Luke's Preschool Dapto share how they integrate the Child Safe Standards into their daily practice
The landscape of child safety in early childhood education has evolved significantly since the Child Safe Standards were implemented as law in NSW in July 2022. These standards have proven to be an invaluable framework, ensuring that all those working with children are committed to protecting, advocating for, and empowering children in every aspect of their safety and well-being.
A shift in focus: From physical safety to digital vigilance
Over the years, physical safety has been a primary focus in relation to child protection. However, as technology evolves, online safety has become increasingly important, requiring our support and advocacy.
This extends beyond the devices we use to include considerations such as who has access to images once they are posted or shared, and the types of technology children are exposed to in preschool—whether it be games, apps, websites, or music. Now, more than ever, it's crucial that our programs and centres take proactive steps to advocate for and protect the children in our care.
Embedding the NSW Child Safe Standards into daily practice
We are dedicated to ensuring that the NSW Child Safe Standards is woven into our daily practice. In every staff meeting over the last few years, our team has explored a child protection scenario, covering a diverse range of issues and focal points. In small groups, staff discuss the concerns raised and the steps they would take to protect and support the child in each situation.
The integration of the Child Safe Standards into programming has become routine. Within programming floorbooks, a dedicated section links to the standards, ensuring that they are part of the daily program, evaluations, and future planning. This ongoing reflection on the standards, in documents such as policies, child safe codes of conduct, risk assessments, and risk minimisation plans, as well as in everyday practices, has fostered a strong culture of child safety within the preschool and our entire team.
A page from our 'Safe use of technology' floorbook
Day-to-day implementation: A child safe culture
We continue to prioritise strong recruitment practices to maintain our commitment to child safety. This process involves written references, specific child safe referee questions, and detailed phone calls.
During an applicant’s trial day in our preschool, the entire team provides feedback, ensuring that we select the best candidate to uphold and enhance our child safe culture. We also closely observe and value the children’s responses to each applicant, considering their comments and interactions. This approach helps us maintain a strong focus on creating a safe environment for every child.
We operate an indoor/outdoor program and are diligent about ensuring that staff are never alone with a child or in areas that are out of sight or earshot of others. We always have at least two children present in any space, which reinforces our accountability and commitment to keeping all children safe and protected.
At the start of each year, we dedicate the first five weeks to focusing on child safety, guided by the Safe Series program developed by the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG). This initiative embeds our child safe practices from day one, helping children identify their feelings, recognise safe adults, use appropriate language, and pinpoint safe places to play.
This early foundation allows our team to weave elements of the Child Safe Series into our daily practices throughout the year. The language and concepts from these books are integrated into our everyday conversations, with staff members rostered on each day to lead small group discussions on child safe practices relevant to the children’s lives and the current preschool program. It’s truly rewarding to see the children feel empowered to express who makes them feel safe, identify their safe spaces, and explain why.
As part of our daily routine, we have team members rostered to engage in Child Safe Series time. This includes revisiting the Child Safe Series that the children first explored at the beginning of the year, alongside ongoing discussions about identifying safe people they can approach if they feel scared, hurt, or worried, including those within the preschool setting.
A page from our 'Safe Series time' looking at areas of the preschool we feel safe in and why
Following our recent training with the OCG, the children have assessed the environment and identified areas where they feel safe or unsafe, expressing their reasons for these feelings. This approach empowers our children to have a voice, enabling them to advocate for themselves and their peers in a way that is both heard and respected. Our program and practice displays, along with the documentation of small group times and floorbooks, provide families with the opportunity to review and understand the Safe Series program at their leisure. This transparency ensures that the language and information we embed in our daily practice are clear and accessible to everyone.
Our recent staff training with the Office of the Children's Guardian
Mitigating vulnerabilities and enhancing safety
We've implemented specific practices to address areas where children might be more vulnerable, effectively reducing risks and ensuring their safety. For example, we strictly prohibit the use of any devices in the bathroom area, whether it's staff members or when parents are present with their children. Additionally, we ensure that no students or volunteers are ever in the bathrooms; only primary contact staff are responsible for supporting the children in these spaces.
To maintain a high standard of child safety, we complete child protection refresher training annually. This year, all permanent staff have undertaken the updated child protection certification CHCPRT025. We also prioritise regular in-person training with the OCG and extend this training to other early childhood centres and our church partners with whom we have significant relationships. These efforts help us stay current with best practices and ensure that the safety and well-being of our children remain at the forefront of everything we do.
Reflecting on the National Model Code
We take the approach that keeping our children safe is far greater than just removing personal devices from teaching, it is also about ensuring the culture of the preschool is of such a high standard that staff intentionally promote the protection of all children in every aspect of our daily work.
Our approach to child safety goes beyond simply removing personal devices from teaching; it’s about fostering a culture within our preschool where the protection of all children is ingrained in every aspect of our daily work. We’ve embedded practices that actively promote and respect children’s rights. For instance, whenever a staff member enters the bathroom—whether to assist a child, change a nappy, or clean—we make it a point to inform other team members and show them where our electronic devices are stored. This practice ensures accountability and maintains awareness of everyone’s whereabouts, further safeguarding the children in our care.
In our indoor/outdoor program, we’ve implemented measures to ensure that staff are never alone with children. We always have at least two children in a room at any given time, with doors open and windows kept as clear as possible. This proactive approach significantly reduces the opportunity for inappropriate behaviour or unauthorised photography that could violate the Child Safe Standards.
As we continue to refine our approach to device management. We’re exploring options like family sharing for all our devices. This would ensure that any images taken on one device are visible to others, adding another layer of transparency. Additionally, we remain committed to engaging in critical reflection discussions at all levels of preschool operations, continuously seeking ways to improve our practices and uphold our commitment to child safety.
Talking about wellbeing and a sense of belonging
A call to action for early childhood professionals
Working in early childhood education is a significant responsibility, but it also presents a wonderful opportunity to empower children to know their rights and gain confidence in using their voice. It’s essential for educators and teachers to stay up to date with training from the OCG and child protection, as it equips us to ensure child safety in all aspects of our work.
For NSW services that haven’t yet completed or haven’t recently revisited the training modules from the Office of the Children's Guardian, we strongly encourage you to do so as a team. Collaborative training provides diverse perspectives and helps us hold each other accountable in advocating for and protecting the children in our care.
As educators, it’s important to continuously reflect on the experiences we provide, the learning environments we create, and the language we use with children. By adopting a child safety lens, we can ensure that children feel safe, seen, and heard, and have the confidence to raise their concerns, knowing they will be responded to with care and respect.
About the authors:
Vikki has dedicated 19 years to St Luke's, serving both as an educator and teacher, and for the past 3.5 years, she has been the Director and Nominated Supervisor of the preschool. She is a passionate advocate for child protection, ensuring that the entire team is trained in child protection and the Child Safe Standards. Vikki is committed to regular refresher training and the ongoing revision of documents and practices to uphold the highest standards of child safety.
Jenna brings 23 years of teaching experience, with the last 3.5 years spent at St Luke’s Preschool. As the 2IC, she plays a key role in the policy review team, ensuring that all policies, especially those related to child safety, child protection, and the Child Safe Standards, are current and deeply embedded in daily practices.
Educational Leader Mel is instrumental in ensuring that all staff understand how the service's program and practices support children’s safety and wellbeing. She has thoughtfully designed the service's floorbooks format to reflect the impact of the Child Safe Standards on the program, further integrating these crucial elements into our educational framework.
About the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the Child Safe Standards
The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations sets out a nationally consistent approach to promoting a culture of child safety and wellbeing within organisations. The principles give effect to the child safe standards that were recommended by the Royal Commission and bring attention to general child safety and wellbeing issues.
Source: https://www.childsafety.gov.au/resources/national-principles-child-safe-organisations
The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (National Principles) are high-level principles that set out a national approach to creating organisational cultures and practices that promote the safety and wellbeing of children in Australia. Each state and territory is responsible for implementing the National Principles or equivalent standards within their jurisdiction.
Source: https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/child-safe-standards/being-a-child-safe-organisation/
The Child Safe Standards recommended by the Royal Commission provide a framework for making organisations safer for children. They have been accepted by the NSW Government and the Child Safe Scheme requires certain child-related organisations to apply them.
Source: Page 6: https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-12/g_CSS_GuidetotheStandards.pdf
Further reading
Australian Human Rights Commission: National Principle for Child Safe Organisations
ACECQA: Embedding the National Child Safe Principles
Office of the Children’s Guardian: A Guide to the Child Safe Standards
Amplify! How St Lukes Dapto first implemented the standards back in 2022
Amplify!: How we can put children first in early education and care
CELA child protection training
Live webinars: Body Safety - Exploring Protection and Consent with Young Children
Self paced: NSW Child Protection Refresher
Self/pace or webinar option: CHCPRT025 - Identify and Report Children and Young People at Risk