In July 2021, the Victorian Government announced new Child Safe Standards (CSS) to further strengthen child safe environments and protect children from abuse. The new CSS come into effect on Friday 1 July 2022.

From 1 July 2022, 11 new Victorian Child Safe Standards will replace Victoria’s seven current Child Safe Standards and principles in place since 2016.

The revised Victorian CSS support greater national consistency, reflecting the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, developed following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The CSS include new requirements, including:

• the involvement of families and students in child safety efforts
• focus on the safety of Aboriginal children and young people
• management of the risk of child abuse in online environments
• governance, systems and processes to keep students safe

The CSS are underpinned by Ministerial Order No. 1359 (MO 1359), which was released by the Victorian Government on 10 February 2022. MO 1359 defines the actions schools and school boarding premises must take to meet the requirements associated with the new CSS.

What Does this mean for Padua College?

As Catholic educators, we have a moral, mission-driven and legal responsibility to uphold and actively promote the wellbeing and safety of every student entrusted to our care.

We are well-placed to respond to the changes because the extensive strategies and policies already in place for the wellbeing and safety of every child will help them be compliant with the new CSS.

Further to compliance, being a child safe organisation is an ongoing process of continual review and refinement which is significantly dependent upon strong leadership and culture, policies and procedures, staff education and training, and the active participation of children, young people and their families.

Where to from here?

Over next term we will be holding a number of parent consultation sessions to raise awareness and seek feedback and input into how the College has implemented the new Child Safe Standards but also how we can collectively work together from compliance to developing a strong culture of Child Safeguarding at Padua.