Child Safety & Wellbeing

What are the Child Safe Standards?

The 10 Child Safe Standards provide a framework that helps clubs and sport organisations keep children safe from harm.  They help to embed child safety in the attitudes, behaviours and practices of organisations and the people who work and volunteer in them.

The 10 Standards

1. Child safety is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture
2. Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously
3. Families and communities are informed and involved
4. Equity is upheld and diverse needs are taken into account
5. People working with children are suitable and supported
6. Processes to respond to complaints of child abuse are child-focused
7. Staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training
8. Physical and online environments minimise the opportunity for abuse to occur
9. Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is continuously reviewed and improved
10. Policies and procedures document how the organisation is child safe.

Video: Click here to view the 10 Standards video series

Video:  Watch the video below for an Introduction to the Child Safe Standards and the Child Safe Scheme 

Compliance with the Child Safe Standards is compulsory for all clubs..

Assess if your club meets the Standards - Child Safe Standards – Self Assessment

Getting your club started:

• Child Safe Standards – Getting started in your Organisation
• Child Safe Scheme – A Guide for Board and Committee Members

The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian regularly monitors and audits sport club for compliance with the NSW Child Safe Standards and the NSW Working with Children Check.  Therefore it is important that your club has everything in place to meet compliance and to help keep children safe in athletics.

For further information:

• NSW OCG Compliance and Monitoring
• NSW OCG Monitoring and Enforcement

Mandatory Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse

All adults in NSW are required to report information to Police if they:

• know, believe or reasonably ought to know that a child has been abused, or
• know, believe, or reasonably ought to know that they have information that might materially assist in securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of the offender.

This offence covers sexual abuse, serious physical abuse and extreme neglect of a child.

Additionally, an adult working in an organisation that engages workers in child-related work commits an offence if:

• they know that an adult worker engaged by the organisation in child related work poses a serious risk of abusing a child, and
• they have the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, and
• they negligently fail to reduce or remove that risk.

The offence covers failures to protect against sexual or serious physical abuse.

Contacts

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 000. Otherwise, to make a report to police, call 131 444.

To report suspected child abuse or neglect, call the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111.

The National Integrity Framework (NIF) and specifically the Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy mandates that all compels individuals, organisations, committees and Boards, to take steps to be familiar with the relevant legislative requirements and moreover – comply with it. 

If you don't know - ask questions. Find out what your Working With Child Check obligations are in NSW.

For Volunteers and Staff

Anyone working or volunteering in a “child-related role” at a Club, is legally required to hold a current Working with Children Check (WWCC). A “child-related role” is any role in which you provide services for children (such as delivering a course) and have direct contact with children.

There are two types of WWCC: volunteer and employee.

1.  A volunteer check is free and allows you to work as a volunteer only.
2. An employee check has a fee, but allows you to work as a volunteer, employee or self-employed.

You must have the correct type of WWCC.

For more information about obtaining a WWCC, contact your Club, the Development Officer in your region, NSW Athletics or the Office of the Children’s Guardian.

For Clubs

If you run any programs for children, anyone from your organisation who has direct contact with children must have a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) of the correct type. The Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) has published a guide to help you determine whether someone needs a WWCC; click here to access it.

As an organisation that has employees or volunteers providing services to children, you are legally required to:

• Register with the OCG as an employer, which lets you verify WWCCs and be notified if a WWCC is cancelled;
• Determine which of your staff and volunteers need a WWCC;
• Verify the WWCC number of anyone who needs a WWCC (this is done online; see here for instructions); and
• For everyone who needs a WWCC, record the name, date of birth, WWCC number and expiry date, and the date and status of the verification check; and maintain these records for at least 7 years.

For Border Communities

Regardless of the State in which they reside, staff and volunteers must have a valid WWCC for each State in which they engage in child-related work. This may mean that two WWCCs are required. Note that there is no requirement to live in NSW  to obtain a NSW WWCC.

• Child Safe Sport E-Learning Courses
• Child Safe Webinars & Events
• Child Safe Videos