Being a safe organisation includes ensuring that you have thorough policy and procedures in the areas of duty of care and people protection.
The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations include two principles related to policy and procedures:
Principle NINE: Implementation of the national child safe principles is regularly reviewed and improved.
Principle TEN: Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.
Current and regularly reviewed policy and procedures, particularly in the area of child protection, are increasingly becoming a requirement for insurers and regulators.
Keeping up to date with changes in good practice and legislation is an ongoing task. At SMR we regularly review our sample Safe Ministry Policy & Procedures to ensure our clients remain up to date and compliant.
Below are our General Sample Safe Ministry Policy & Procedures which are free to download.
SMR can also be contracted to assist in customising your current policy and procedures.
PLEASE NOTE: The policy/procedure documents below are now under review. The documents were last reviewed in 2020 and therefore do not reflect the many legislative changes during this time period. It is advised that you check your state requirements before use.
SAFE MINISTRY POLICY
This is an overarching policy that contains mandates and responsibilities for Safe Ministry.
PROCEDURES
The policy is ‘actioned’ through the implementation of procedures for the establishment and provision of safe environments and interactions including:
Safe Ministry Framework Implementation
Participation and inclusion of children and their caregivers (child safety specific)
Recruitment and appointment of workers
Training and resourcing of workers
Supervision of workers
Safe environments
Responding to child protection concerns (child safety specific)
Responding to Safe Ministry concerns about an adult
Responding to incidents and emergencies
Record-keeping
Responding to misunderstandings and conflicts
Misconduct investigation procedure (including reportable conduct)
CODES OF CONDUCT
Codes of Conduct provide clear standards of ethical behaviour.
SAFE MINISTRY FRAMEWORK APPENDIX
Definitions and related legislation.
Disclaimer: These publications are not legal advice. The ideas and procedures herein are based on nationally recognised good practice advice and have been written with due regard to Australian legislation March 2020. Legal advice may need to be sought when responding to individual incidents.