Our Commitment to Child Safety

Child safety in action

Let us show you a little about what child safety looks like in action at Interrelate.

Our practitioners

All Interrelate practitioners, staff and volunteers who work with children hold a Working with Children’s Check (WWCC) and undergo a national police check to ensure they are fit for working with children. Additionally, all staff complete mandatory child protection and child safe standards training on top of their relevant skills and qualifications so they have the most up to date knowledge of how to keep your child safe.

Where we work

We aim to make all Interrelate spaces a safe and welcoming space for children and young people. All Children’s Contact Centres and their adjoining offices are child-friendly spaces equipped with child-friendly information, toys and resources to make children feel welcome. Children and families also have the flexibility to meet in the community for visits giving you the option to engage with activities like you would outside of these circumstances with the support of our experienced and friendly Children’s Contact Service workers.

Inclusive services for everyone

We want all children who come to Interrelate to feel welcome and safe. We support children and families from all communities including First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTQA+ and people living with disability. If there is anything we can do to make your experience with our service more accessible and enjoyable, please let us know. You can read more about our commitment to delivering inclusive services here. 

We ask because we care: Child and adolescent feedback

When using our services it is likely your practitioner will ask you some questions about how you are feeling before you start and check in with you along the way to find out how you are going with your sessions. We do this to make sure you are getting value out of using our service and to ensure we can improve the experience for you when it has not been satisfactory. Click here to view the form.

Listening to the child: Child and adolescent complaints

We want children and young people to speak up and provide feedback about our services. This is why we have made sure there is a way to tell us including how things could be done differently to make their experience a worthwhile one. We have developed our child-friendly complaints process so children and young people have a safe and confidential way to share their experience. This can be accessed by our online complaints form or alternatively they can speak to a staff member they trust.

At the heart of the Child Safe Standards is a fundamental belief that the best interests of children and their protection from harm is paramount. Our commitment to child safety is informed by the following standards laid out by the Australian Government:

• Standard 1: Child safety is embedded in institutional leadership, governance and culture.
• Standard 2: Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
• Standard 3: Families and communities are informed and involved.
• Standard 4: Equity is upheld and diverse needs are taken into account.
• Standard 5: People working with children are suitable and supported.
• Standard 6: Processes to respond to complaints of child sexual abuse are child focused.
• Standard 7: Staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training.
• Standard 8: Physical and online environments minimise the opportunity for abuse to occur.
• Standard 9: Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is continuously reviewed and improved.
• Standard 10: Policies and procedures document how the institution is child safe.
• Standard 11: Organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of First Nation’s children and young people are respected and valued
  

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s safety at Interrelate please contact us.