Safeguarding Our Children
At Hippo’s Friends Education and Care Service, every child has the right to be safe and feel safe. We commit to the safety and well-being of every child in our care.
To keep children safe, we commit to:
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Implementing the 10 Child Safe Standards
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providing a safe and supportive environment for all children
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making sure that children are not exposed to any form of harmful conduct or abuse
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empowering children to participate in decisions that affect them and share any concerns they may have
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making sure children know whom to approach if they feel unsafe or have any child safety concerns.
As a child safe organisation, we commit to:
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educating everyone involved in our organisation about what it means to be a child safe organisation, so that we can prevent, detect and effectively respond to child abuse
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making sure everyone involved in our organisation knows how to appropriately respond to complaints, allegations, disclosures and breaches to our Child Safe Code of Conduct
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welcoming feedback to continuously improve our child safe policies, procedures and practices
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making sure that when family and community members interact with our organisation, they are aware that child safety is everyone’s responsibility, and their behaviour aligns with our child safe practices.
Together, we work to create a service where children can thrive, explore, and grow in a safe and supportive environment.
NSW Child Safe Standards
The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian released the NSW Child Safe Standards in mid-2020, with early learning services being required to implement the standards from February 2022. The NSW Child Safe Standards are aligned with the National Principles, and the OCG has confirmed that if an organisation is complying with the National Principles, it will be considered to be also complying with the NSW Child Safe Standards. The OCG oversees compliance with the NSW Child Safe Standards and administering the Reportable Conduct Scheme.
Child Safe Policies
At Hippos Friends Childcare Centre, we are committed to creating a safe and secure environment where every child feels protected and cared for. Our dedication goes beyond mere compliance obligations. We prioritise the empowerment and well-being of children by actively preventing, identifying, and responding to instances of child abuse, neglect, and harm.
Please read our relevant Statement of Commitment to Child Safety , Code of Conduct and Diversity and Inclusion Plan for Hippo's Friends Child Care Service here.
For more information, click the following link for the Statement of Commitment to Child Safety by the NSW Government, Communities and Justice
Or feel free to reach out to our service with any questions.
