CHILD SAFE - CODE OF CONDUCT

Purpose

The Youth Enterprise Trust (YET) developed their Child Safety and Wellbeing policy which demonstrates our organisation’s commitment to the safety and wellbeing of children by creating and maintaining a child safe and child-friendly organisation, where children are safe and feel safe. The Child Safety and Wellbeing policy outlines the responsibilities of all staff including the necessity to act in accordance with our Child Safety Code of Conduct.

YET’s Child Safe Code of Conduct outlines the child safe principles and appropriate standards of behaviour by all staff, including board members, executive and non-executive leaders, employees, volunteers, students and contractors. The following Code of Conduct aims to protect children and reduce opportunities for abuse or harm to occur. It helps staff by providing them with guidance on how to best support children and how to manage difficult situations.

 

Standards and Obligations

All staff of YET, including board members, executive and non-executive leaders, employees, volunteers, students, and contractors, are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of children who engage with YET. All paid and unpaid staff are expected to act in accordance with this Code of Conduct in their physical and online interactions with children under the age of 18 years. Staff will: 

  • Act in accordance with YET’s child safety and wellbeing 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 (verbally or non-verbally) that they do not feel safe or well

  • Promote the human rights, safety and wellbeing of all children in YET

  • Demonstrate appropriate personal and professional boundaries

  • Consider and respect the diverse backgrounds and needs of children

  • Create an environment that promotes and enables children’s participation and 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 YET’s policies, discussions, learning and reviews about child safety and wellbeing

  • Identify and mitigate risks to children’s safety and wellbeing as required by YET’s risk assessment and management policy or process

  • Respond to any concerns or complaints of child harm or abuse promptly and in line with YET’s policy and procedure for receiving and responding to complaints

  • Report all suspected or disclosed child harm or abuse as required by the Child Protection Act 1999 and by YET’s policy and procedure on internal and external reporting

  • Comply with YET’s protocols on communicating with children

  • Comply with Information Privacy Act 2009 and YET’s policies and procedures on record keeping and information sharing

Staff must not:

  • Engage in any unlawful activity with or in relation to a child

  • Engage in any activity that is likely to physically, sexually or emotionally harm a child

  • Unlawfully discriminate against any child or their family members

  • Be alone with a child unnecessarily

  • Arrange personal contact, including online contact, with children they are working with for a purpose unrelated to YET’s activities

  • Disclose personal or sensitive information about a child, including images of a child, unless the child and their parent or legal guardian consent or unless they are required to do so by YET’s policy and procedure on reporting

  • 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 harm or abuse

Breach of the Code of Conduct

All paid and unpaid staff are obliged to promptly report any concerns or breaches of this Code of Conduct to the Chief Executive Officer or another manager or leader in YET. In instances where an allegation has been made which is reportable, the matter will be managed in accordance with the YET External Reporting policies and procedures and may be subject to reporting to the Queensland Police Service or another law enforcement agency.

If a paid or unpaid staff member believe the Code of Conduct has been breached by another staff member, they will:

  • Act to prioritise the best interests of children

  • Take action promptly to ensure that the child is safe

  • Promptly report the matter

  • Abide by YET policies and procedures for receiving and responding to complaints

All paid and unpaid staff who breach this Code of Conduct may be subject to disciplinary procedures in accordance with YET Disciplinary Action and Termination policy and procedures.

Code of Conduct status and review

Version and date endorsed - V1, July, 2022

Approved by Board of Directors

Reviewed - Annually

Contact - CEO, Ian Frame