Kingston's commitment to child safety is being further strengthened through the implementation of a new Child Safe Strategy and Action Plan.
The strategy responds to the 11 new standards (up from seven previously) introduced by the Victorian Government on 1 July this year and was designed in consultation with Victoria's peak body for child and family services, the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, industry professionals, and children (86 aged between three and 11).
The changes in the standards laid out by the Victorian Government include:
- better involving families and communities in organisations' efforts to keep children and young people safe
- a greater focus on safety for Aboriginal children and young people
- managing the risk of child abuse in online environments.
Kingston Mayor Hadi Saab said protecting and caring for our most vulnerable is central to our service delivery.
"We are extremely proud of the children's services we offer, with our Parkdale, Carrum and Edithvale Family and Children's Centres only recently being recognised as among the best in Australia, but there is always room for improvement," Cr Saab said.
"Through the implementation of our Child Safe Strategy 2023-26, we will importantly further bolster how we safeguard children.
"Our strategy reiterates our commitment to child safety, that is championed within the organisation from the top down, and it will ensure our staff members, volunteers and students continue to put child safety and wellness first.
"Importantly the new standards put a renewed focus on the active support for and inclusion of children with diverse needs and from different cultures, will empower children and young people to participate in decisions affecting them, aim to engage families and the wider community in decisions that affect their children, will improve the handling of complaints and reports, and place a renewed emphasis on identifying and preventing risks to child safety in both online and physical environments."
