Child Safe Framework

1. We are committed to the Biblical principles for child safety and wellbeing that are outlined in section 2 of our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy. These principles are central to our child safe culture.
2. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of all students who come to Rehoboth. We are committed to providing a child safe and child friendly environment, where students are safe, feel safe, and are able to actively participate in decisions that affect their lives. We expect all persons and organisations who partner with us – including staff, parents, volunteers, students, visitors, and contractors – to espouse this approach.
3. We have zero tolerance for child abuse, grooming, and other harm. We are committed to acting in the best interests of students and keeping them safe from harm.
4. Because we believe that children are created by God, we understand that they are precious in His sight and loved and valued by Him. From that, it follows that their voice will not be ignored; on the contrary, their expression, whether positive or negative, will be listened to. This is particularly so in any matter affecting their safety and welfare.
5. The College regards its child safe responsibilities with the utmost importance and is committed to providing the necessary resources to ensure compliance with all relevant child protection laws and regulations and maintaining a child safe culture. The safety and wellbeing of students is central to our planning and decision-making processes.
6. Each member of the College community has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role that they play individually, and collectively, to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all students is at the forefront of all that they do, and every decision that they make. We expect all persons and organisations who partner with us – including staff, parents, volunteers, students, visitors, and contractors – to uphold this statement of commitment.
7. The College’s Statement of Commitment to Child Safety has been designed to reflect the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

These policies also form part of our Child Safe Framework:

• Bullying and Countering Bullying Policy
• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
• Child Safety (Online Learning Environments) Policy
• Child Safe Complaints Management Policy
• Complaints and Grievances (International Students) Policy
• Complaints and Grievances (Parents) Policy
• Complaints and Grievances (Contractors and Public) Policy
• Contractors Policy
• Discipline (Foundational Understandings) Policy
• Discipline Policy
• ICT Usage and Social Media Policy
• Mandatory Reporting (of Sexual Abuse) to CPFS
• Non-Mandatory Reporting (of Child Protection Concerns) to CPFS

We have developed three codes of conduct to help the College community meet its child safe responsibilities and set expectations for behaviour. Taken together, these three codes are consistent with Australian Human Rights Commission example code of conduct.

• Child Safe Code of Conduct
• Staff and Students Professional Boundaries
• Student Code of Conduct

We are committed to building an educational and organisational culture based on mutual trust and respect, with procedures to resolve issues in a manner that is honouring to our Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.

We acknowledge that students and parents may sometimes have a complaint about a decision, behaviour, act, or omission that they feel is unacceptable. Whilst most issues can be resolved through direct discussion with the parties, there may be instances in which this is not possible. We are committed to the fair resolution of any such complaints or grievances.

All formal complaints processes within the College follow the Biblical model outlined in Matthew 18. A link to the complete policy is available from the Child Safe Policy Suite above.

In brief, the underlying principles for the management of complaints are:

• any matter arising that contains an allegation or indication that harm has been caused to a child will be escalated under the Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting protocols (these are expected to result in a far quicker response than that achieved for complaints generally)
• complaints will be investigated in a fair and impartial manner
• resolution directly between the affected parties is preferred, wherever it is appropriate to do so
• a person facing a complaint is entitled to know detailed information about the substance of the complaint and to have the opportunity to respond
• procedural fairness is afforded to all parties
• confidentiality will be observed
• the complaints management process will be conducted in a manner that is respectful of all parties
• complaints are monitored and their management evaluated in order to reduce the occurrence of systemic problems
• in all matters, the education, safety and wellbeing of students is the priority
• persons making a complaint will not be victimised
• it is expected that complaints are made in good faith and are not vexations or malicious
• complaints will be addressed in a timely manner and complainants will be advised if the matter cannot be finalised within one month
• all persons in the College community, including students, parents, administrators, teachers, and support staff, have a right to be treated with respect and courtesy
• complaints are to be referred where required to an external authority such as the Department for Community Development or the Western Australian Police Service for advice or immediate action – all referrals of this nature are to be done through the relevant School Principal or the CEO of the Association. The CEO is to be informed of all referrals made to external authorities.

The child-friendly Protective Behaviours curriculum we use is called Holding Hands (edited by Justine O’Malley). It was developed by Protective Behaviours WA in conjunction with the WA Department of Education.

The Holding Hands program is based upon excellent research and is continually reviewed. We realise that parents may have questions about the age appropriateness of this program. Parents are encouraged to contact their Principal for further discussion if required.

We are acutely aware that young people today face a myriad of challenges. These include not only expectations about their academic progress, but also the need to belong within friendship groups, sport teams, churches, families, and other relationships. As a growing school, the leadership and board have given considerable thought to the best ways to ensure that our students are appropriately supported during their time at Rehoboth.

Facilitating communications with students is seen as critical in building a culture in which students can be cared for appropriately. At Rehoboth, we do this in four main ways:

• Students are assigned to Pastoral Care groups. These groups are smaller than class or form groups, allowing for trust relationships to develop between students and teacher, mentor or Chaplain.
• The Consent2Go family communication platform has been in use for some time. This allows quick communication between parents and staff and is often used as a real time communication tool. The platform also allows parents to provide immediate updates about things like medical conditions, treatment providers, allergies, excursion permissions, and other general consents.
• The College uses the SEQTA Learning Management System, which provides a further communication and repository platform. Through this, parents have access to teacher correspondence, assignments, reports, and any pastoral care issues that staff may have raised. This is an invaluable tool in the arsenal of methods that improve care and safety for students.
• The College also employs dedicated Chaplains, one of whom also acts as Child Safety Officer. These team members hold relevant qualifications in social and youth work and are well equipped to provide guidance and mentoring, making referrals to external agencies where appropriate.

The Director General of the Department of Education is responsible for ensuring that the College observes the registration standards, including the standard about our complaints handling system.

Any student, parent, or community member is entitled to contact the Director General with concerns about how the College has dealt with a complaint. Information is available from the Department of Education.

While the Director General may consider whether the College has breached the registration standards, she does not have power to intervene in a complaint or override the school’s decision.