Child Safety

At St Peter Julian Eymard School we hold the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our school. Our commitment is drawn from and inherent in the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, with love, justice and the sanctity of each human person at the heart of the Gospel.

                                 

Safeguarding Children and Young People

Code of Conduct

St Peter Julian Eymard School

Rationale

Central to the mission of St Peter Julian Eymard School is the unequivocal commitment to fostering the dignity, self esteem and integrity of children and young people and providing them with a safe and supportive environment to develop spiritually, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially.

Purpose

This Code of Conduct has a specific focus on safeguarding children and young people at St Peter Julian Eymard School against sexual, physical, psychological and emotional abuse or neglect. It is intended to complement other professional and/or occupational codes.

All staff, volunteers, contractors, clergy and board/school council members at St Peter Julian Eymard School are expected to actively contribute to a school culture that respects the dignity of its members and affirms the Gospel values of love, care for others, compassion and justice.   They are required to observe child safe principles and expectations for appropriate behaviour towards and in the company of children, as noted below.

Acceptable behaviours

All staff, volunteers, contractors, clergy and board/school council members are responsible for supporting the safety of children by:

taking all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse

treating everyone in the school community with respect

listening and responding to the views and concerns of children, particularly if they are telling you that they or another child has been abused or that they are worried about their safety/the safety of another child.

promoting the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of all children and young people.    

understanding and complying with all reporting obligations as they relate to mandatory reporting and reporting under the Crimes Act 1958.

reporting any child safety concerns to the school’s leadership.

if an allegation of child abuse is made, ensuring as quickly as possible that the child(ren) are safe

reporting to the Victorian Institute of Teaching any charges, committals for trial or convictions in relation to a sexual offence by a registered teacher, or certain allegations or concerns about a registered teacher.

Unacceptable behaviours

Staff, volunteers, contractors, clergy and board/school council members must not:

ignore or disregard any suspected or disclosed child abuse.

develop any relationships with children that could be seen as ‘grooming’.

exhibit behaviours with children which may be construed as unnecessarily physical.

put children at risk of any form of abuse.

initiate unnecessary physical contact which children or do things of a personal nature that a child can do for themselves, such as toileting or changing clothes

engage in open discussions of a mature or adult nature in the presence of children (for example, personal social activities)

use inappropriate language in the presence of children

express personal views on cultures, race or sexuality in the presence of children,

discriminate against any child because of age, gender, race, culture, vulnerability, sexuality, ethnicity or disability

have unnecessary contact with a child outside of school without the school leadership’s knowledge (for example, unauthorised after hours tutoring, private instrumental/other lessons or sport coaching).

have any unwarranted online contact with a child, (academic reasons or matters related to school excepted.)

use any personal communication channels/devices such as a personal email account to contact a child

exchange personal contact details such as phone number, social networking sites or email addresses with a child.

photograph or video a child on personal devices without the consent of the parent or guardian.

work with children whilst under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.

consume alcohol or drugs at school or at school events when responsible for an activity involving children.

 

Please see our Child Safety Policy (under Policies) for more information.