Who do the Standards apply to?
All providers of services for children and young people (even if these services are not solely for children and young people) will need to start implementing the Child Safe Standards from 1 August 2024. The list of services is extensive and covers all facets of a child or young person’s life.
All staff and volunteers working in these organisations will have responsibilities under the Child Safe Standards Scheme and will need to understand their role in helping their organisation put the Standards into action. This includes staff and volunteers whose role does not require them to hold a Working with Vulnerable People registration.
If an organisation provides any of the following services for children and young people, the Standards will apply:
- Emergency services
- Out of home care, detention, and residential care
- Schools and early childhood education and care centres
- School crossings
- Child minding
- Bus and other transport services
- Before school, after school, and vacation care
- Hospitals, health services, and all health care providers
- Courts and law enforcement
- Employment, apprenticeships, and work experience
- Faith based institutions, youth groups, and Sunday School
- Talent shows and auditions
- Children’s entertainment and commercial venues
- Museums, libraries, and cultural facilities
- Arts and craft activities
- Clubs and associations
- Dance classes, music lessons, and tutoring
- Sport-coaches, team managers, referees, and umpires
If a service or organisation (including staff and/or volunteers within the service/organisation) are not sure if they will be required to implement the Standards, they can contact the CYPC to seek advice.
FAQs
Yes. If your organisation provides services to or for children and young people, you are required to take actions to implement the Child Safe Standards (the Standards).
Yes. If your organisation provides any services to or for children and young people, you are required to
take actions to implement the Child Safe Standards (the Standards).
Organisations that provide
services primarily to adults are required to be child safe, child friendly, and
child aware. Together, these three elements seek to ensure that children and young people are
valued and visible within social systems supporting their families. Children
and young people should be empowered to know their rights and are better protected from harm when staff
and volunteers keep them in mind when supporting their parents/carers.
For small organisations, implementing the Standards may appear daunting. However, they are designed to empower children and young people, and keep them safe from harm, not to add to an organisation’s administrative burden.
The Standards are flexible, allowing you to tailor them to your organisation’s specific circumstances, and to be applied in accordance with your risk profile.
Building a culture of child safety in your organisation will take time, which is the case even for large organisations. As the goal is to uphold the rights, safety, and wellbeing of children and young people, this will happen at your organisation’s pace, through progressive and continuous improvement.
If you are unsure where to start, please contact us – we are here to help.
The Office of the Children and Young People Commissioner (CYPC) can help answer any questions you have about the Standards and provide advice on how they may apply to your organisational context. You may wish to request an online or in-person information session where you can talk specifically about your organisation’s needs.
The CYPC can also connect you to other services that have developed their policies and procedures so we can all share knowledge to make the ACT safer for children and young people.
You can contact us for more information.
No. In the ACT, the focus of implementing the Standards is on education and capability building rather
than compliance and enforcement. The Children and Young People Commissioner (CYPC) will expect all
organisations to consider what actions they need to undertake now, and their plan for achieving
continuous
improvement. A key consideration for organisations is to understand how they will know if children and
young people they provide services to feel safe and are safe.
The CYPC has developed guidance materials, tools, and templates that may assist you to consider the
steps your organisation needs to take.
Yes. Your organisation’s Code of Conduct Policy should include all adults engaged with your service, whether or not they provide services directly to children and young people. This includes volunteers, contractors, and suppliers when they are present at your site.
No. A WWVP Registration is only one mechanism that organisations should have in place to increase the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. A WWVP check is an essential screening tool when selecting potential staff to positions that involve working with children and young people. It is used to show any relevant background and criminal history that may indicate if a person seeking to work or volunteer with children and young people poses a risk.
As the WWVP registration can only provide known information, while addressing the personal qualities, skills, or experience required to perform a role, organisations will need to put a range of recruitment and selection processes in place to show how they will meet the Standards.
Yes. All organisations, including employers, are required to implement the Standards to uphold the rights, safety, and wellbeing of children and young people. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse highlighted the vulnerability of young people in workplaces, and young people are afforded additional protections under the ACT Children and Young People (Employment) Standards 2009.
An employers guide to employing young workers is available on the Australian Government Fair Work Ombudsman website.
The Young Workers Strategy and Young Workers Portal are available on the Worksafe ACT website.
Implementing the Standards
Read more about How to Implement the Standards.