A message from the ACT Children and Young People Commissioner
Making the ACT safer for our children and young people
The ACT Human Rights Commission is committed to making organisations safer for children and young people. All children and young people have the right to feel safe, be safe, and be respected for who they are, no matter what.
On 1 August 2024, amendments to the Human Rights Commission Act 2005 came into effect, making it mandatory for all organisations providing services for children and young people to commence implementing the ACT Child Safe Standards Scheme (the Scheme).
The ACT Child Safe Standards (the Standards) centre on promoting and protecting the rights, safety, and wellbeing of children and young people.
The Standards will help to address known gaps in the current child safety framework by supporting organisations working with children and young people to develop more holistic and child-friendly approaches to rights, safety, and wellbeing. Together, the ten Standards seek to bring together the conditions that will help make children and young people feel safe, while establishing safeguards that will increase the likelihood that they are safe.
As the ACT Children and Young People Commissioner (CYPC), I will support implementation of the Scheme across the ACT by providing information and resources to enable organisations and sectors to enhance their capability and demonstrate continuous improvement over time.
Organisations must apply the Standards in a manner that is culturally safe and inclusive for all children and young people, including by respecting and valuing the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, and their families.
Implementing the Standards will require the involvement of all staff and volunteers providing services for children and young people, including those not required to hold a Working with Vulnerable People registration for their job.
I urge all organisations to develop a clear vision of what a child safe organisation looks like in their context, start thinking about how the Standards will change current practices, and to begin actioning these changes in ways that are visible to children, young people, parents/carers, and the broader community.
More information about the ACT Child Safe Standards Scheme and how organisations can promote and protect the rights, safety, and wellbeing of children and young people can be found on the dedicated ACTChildSafe pages on the Commission’s website.
The information available on our website will continue to evolve with time and we encourage you to contact us should you have any questions or if you would like to discuss information or resources that might be of value to you. To do so, please email ACTChildSafe@act.gov.au.
Warm regards,
Jodie Griffiths-Cook
Public Advocate and Children and Young People Commissioner
Pronouns: she/her/hers – #diversitygoeswith... everything I do