Our principles of child safe, child friendly practice are aligned with the UnitingCare values of compassion, respect, justice, working together and leading through learning.
Our Child Safe, Child Friendly Risk Management Framework guides practices across our services, which means we:
- Provide welcoming, safe and nurturing services for children
- Implement measures to prevent child abuse and neglect within our services
- Appropriately and immediately address child abuse and neglect if it does occur
The framework addresses:
- Our culture – embedding an approach of individual and collective responsibility for the safety of children across our organisation and that standards of behaviour are clear and upheld
- Our people – ensuring our people are suitable for working with children and are supported to make good decisions in the interests of children
- Our risk environment – assessing and mitigating risk of harm to children
- Our response – ensuring that if there are concerns about the safety of a child, we respond quickly and appropriately to hold people and systems to account and to protect any child at risk
Revised framework
UnitingCare has revised the Child Safe, Child Friendly Risk Management Framework to ensure contemporary best practice is reflected in our child safety policy. The updated framework reflects recommendations of an external review undertaken by child safety experts Professor Stephen Smallbone and Dimity Adams of Griffith University and addresses the work of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, including the Child Safe Standards identified by the Royal Commission. It also aligns with the Uniting Church in Australia National Child Safe Policy Framework.
Through our continuous improvement processes we will ensure our framework and practice continue to evolve and reflect best practice.
Read the full UnitingCare Queensland Child Safe Child Friendly, Child Safety Risk Management Framework, and Child Safe, Child Friendly Factsheet below.