It is important to be aware that in the ChildSafe context 'child' means 'under 18' and that this safety management system is also valuable for those working with people of all ages, in whatever context.

The rationale behind the development of ChildSafe is perhaps best captured by considering the diagram below.

What causes harm to children (or young people) when they are in the care of an organisation? At the immediate level, harm is caused by the Abuse of children, or by a variety of events that might be broadly categorised as Unsafe acts or Unsafe environments. There is a further category here of Misfortune: all those things that will happen no matter how good the organisation's safety and care. We'll leave this category out of our analysis, as these are beyond any efforts on our part to control.

The second circle shows a range of underlying causes for harm. Lack of supervision can be understood at several levels: supervision of the children, supervision of the people working with children, or supervision of those with overall leadership roles. Likewise Lack of forethought or Lack of control/accountability can occur at a number of levels within an organisation.

The majority of the causes of harm relate to issues other than child abuse. Child Protection is of the utmost importance, but it is not the totality of creating a safe organisation.

The issues identified in the second circle might be collectively termed Systemic Safety Shortcomings. They are issues for the organisation as a whole, and require addressing at a number of different levels of responsibility.

Key Principles

ChildSafe has been developed according to a set of principles, built upon our ethos regarding children's safety and care:

Concern for Children and Young People

We have an obligation to do our utmost to protect and value children within our care. It is a legal and a moral obligation. The ChildSafe system is built on the premise that its users are motivated to provide excellent care to children.

Sound Practice

To determine what standards to use within ChildSafe, a number of different principles have been applied. We have sought to pursue 'Sound Practice' in areas such as Child Protection and Risk Management. There is always more that can be done, and always a stricter standard that may be applied. We view a 'Sound Practice' standard as one that is achievable and realistic. There are guidelines and policies within the Risk Management sphere that are impractical and overly burdensome. We have endeavoured to find a balance involving high standards that are reasonable in nature.

Ongoing Learning and Improvement

We understand that standards in safety and care are not static. Legislation changes impact on standards, and community expectations change over time. The ChildSafe system is subject to review, feedback and ongoing improvement.

Usability Test

A key test of a Safety Management system like ChildSafe is that it works in practice, for the people in an organisation who work with children, and not only administrators. ChildSafe is structured around this principle.

The Right Information for the Right People

People need the information relevant to them, in a form that is digestible and takes account of the level of responsibility they hold.

Plain English

Policy written in legal language is appropriate in some contexts, but often ends up looking like gobbledygook to the people actually working with children. ChildSafe is written in a straightforward, readable manner.

To find out more, contact us.