Child Safe Standards Code of Conduct

Application of this code

The City of Greater Geelong (City) is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children.

This Child Safe Standards Code of Conduct (Code) describes the minimum expectations of all City staff (including volunteers and contractors) who are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of all children who engage with the City.

For the purposes of this Code a “child” is a person under the age of 18 years.

All City staff are required to comply with this Code in their interactions (including online interactions) with children in the performance of their duties and obligations.

Requirements of this code

City staff must:

• comply with the City’s Child Safe Standards Management Policy, and other relevant City policies and procedures at all times
• behave respectfully, courteously and ethically towards children and their families and towards other staff
• listen and respond to the views and concerns of children, particularly if they communicate (whether verbally or non-verbally) they feel unsafe or unwell
• promote the human rights, safety and wellbeing of all children
• demonstrate appropriate personal and professional boundaries at all times
• consider and respect the diverse backgrounds and needs of children (with a particular emphasis on First Nations peoples and non-binary and gender diverse children)
• create an environment that promotes and enables children’s participation that is welcoming, culturally safe and inclusive for all children and their families
• involve children in making decisions about activities, policies and processes that concern them wherever possible
• contribute, where appropriate, to compliance with the City’s policies, discussions, learning and reviews about the safety and wellbeing of children
• identify and mitigate risks to the safety of children as required by the City’s policies and procedures
• respond to any concerns or complaints of child abuse or harm promptly and in line with the City’s policies and procedures for receiving and responding to complaints
• promptly report all suspected or disclosed child abuse or harm as required by the City’s Child Safe Standards Management Policy
• comply with the City’s protocols on communicating with children
• comply with the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005, the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, the Health Records Act 2001 and the City’s policies and procedures on record keeping and information sharing.

City staff must not:

• engage in any unlawful activity with or in relation to a child
• engage in any activity that is likely to be physically, sexually, emotionally or psychologically harmful a child
• unlawfully discriminate against any child or their family
• be alone with a child unnecessarily
• arrange personal contact, including online contact, with children City staff are working with for a purpose unrelated to the City’s activities
• disclose personal or sensitive information about a child, including images of a child, unless the child’s parent or legal guardian consents
• use inappropriate language in the presence of children or show or provide children with access to inappropriate images or material
• work with children while under the influence of alcohol or prohibited drugs
• ignore or disregard any suspected or disclosed child abuse or harm.

If City staff believe this Code has been breached by a person bound by it, City staff must:

• act to prioritise the best interests of the child (or children if more than one)
• take prompt actions to ensure that child (or children if more than one) are safe
• promptly disclose any alleged breach to the City’s Child Safety Advisor, the Chief Executive Officer, a manager or a people leader at the City
• follow the City’s policies and procedures for receiving and responding to complaints and concerns.