Victoria’s new Child Safe Standards (new CSS), which commence on 1 July 2022, mark a significant development in child safety reform in Victoria. The new CSS will replace the current 7 Child Safe Standards with 11 Standards. Although similar to Victoria’s current Child Safe Standards, the new CSS are more prescriptive and introduce additional obligations to:
- involve families and communities in an organisation’s efforts to keep children and young people safe,
- empower children by providing more information about their rights,
- ensure staff and volunteers are equipped to understand signs and risks of harm, and receive training / information about their reporting obligations, record-keeping and information sharing,
- create a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal children (irrespective of whether there are any known Aboriginal children at the organisation),
- mitigate the risk of child abuse in physical and online environments; and
- uphold equity by considering the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, and children who cannot live at home.
Organisations covered by the new CSS will need to implement strategies and make changes to governance, policies, procedures and practice to comply with the new CSS by 1 July 2022.
You’re invited to join Moores for a complimentary webinar on the key changes under the new CSS, and what you can do to prepare for the changes in practice.
For more information on training, audits, and how Moores can support your organisation to implement the new CSS, please contact Practice Leader Skye Rose or Special Counsel Patrice Fitzgerald on (03) 9843 0418.