Working with the Child Safe Standards in Victoria
Victoria has introduced Child Safe Standards that require all schools to be compliant with 11 standards under Ministerial Order 1359. The Order supports schools to create and maintain child-safe organisations that protect students from abuse.
Child safety is everyone’s responsibility
Child safety is not just the responsibility of leaders within a school environment, it’s the responsibility of all members of the school community. Ensuring everyone feels part of this shared responsibility is crucial in helping to create child-safe cultures. Schools should consider how they can go beyond compliance, and encourage the school community to get involved with the Child Safe Standards in Victoria.
Leading the way
Children learn best when they feel safe and valued. The Victorian Child Safe Standards provide a minimum duty of care that all schools in Victoria need to provide. Child safety, of course, shouldn’t need to stop there. Victorian schools must consider how they can continue to build on child safety strategies, policies and practices to protect children and young people from abuse.>
Child Safety Learning Modules
Quality professional learning builds capacity to embed best practice and identifies strengths and opportunities to improve child safety in a school. The MacKillop Institute has developed two self-paced online courses drawing on our knowledge and experience in schools and family services – a course for school leaders and all school staff, and a course for school governing bodies. These modules aim to deepen knowledge of the Child Safe Standards in Victoria and foster cultures that prioritise child safety. Training content is mapped to the Victorian Department of Education’s Child Safe Standards under Ministerial Order 1359. Our Child Safe Standards training will help your school ensure policies, procedures and practices are compliant and strengthen your school’s culture of safety. Each course contains several self-paced online learning modules with videos, interactive content, scenarios and quizzes. Modules cover each of the Child Safe Standards and the evidence that schools must be able to demonstrate in order to be compliant.
Learning outcomes include:
Learning Modules for School Leaders and Staff
These eight online learning modules support school leaders and staff to create, strengthen and maintain a child-safe environment, emphasising prevention of child harm and promoting children’s safety and wellbeing in a school setting. Average completion time is one hour. It is expected professionals will engage in further reflection and discussion with an anticipated total of three hours of professional learning. Participants are provided with a downloadable Child Safe Standards certificate on completion.
Learning Modules for Governing Bodies
This training supports school governing bodies to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children in educational settings and fulfil their duty of care and annual regulatory requirements. Participants are provided with a downloadable Child Safe Standards certificate on completion.
About the MacKillop Institute
The MacKillop Institute provides a suite of evidence-informed programs that promote school and organisational wellbeing and strengthen child safety practices. We’ve drawn on MacKillop Family Service’s expertise to create award-winning child safety programs, including Power to Kids in Schools. We’re led by CEO Dr Robyn Miller, an expert consultant during the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Abuse with over thirty years' experience in the child and welfare sector.