1. Volunteers and Volunteering Organisations:
Your responsibility in safeguarding children
© Child Matters
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2. Roadshow Outline Bullets here
Introduction to Better Public Service targets
Child Abuse in NZ - Setting the Scene
Introduction to Vulnerable Children Act (2014)
The importance of having a Child Protection Policy
Contents of Child Protection Policy
Your responsibility in safe guarding children
Where to obtain reference material
© Child Matters
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3. Setting the Scene in NZ Bullets here NZ Statistics 2016
142,249 Reports of Concerns
58,021 Police Family Violence referrals
44,689 Required further action
16,394 Substantiated findings
© Child Matters 2017
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4. The Children’s Action Plan
Background
The Green Paper
The White Paper
The Children’s Action Plan
Almost 10,000 submissions received on the Green Paper for Vulnerable Children -
The White Paper for Vulnerable Children is based on these submissions . It contains Government’s decisions on what changes are needed to protect children from harm.
The Children’s Action Plan was developed to implement the decisions made in the White Paper.
© Child Matters 2017

5. Vulnerable Children Act (2014)
Signals major change in the way vulnerable children are protected and nurtured
Vulnerable Children’s Board
Child protection policies
Safety checking requirement
for government funded or contracted children services
Introduces clear accountabilities and strong direction for the children’s workforce
© Child Matters 2017

6. Vulnerable Children Act (2014)
Sections 16, 17 & 18
Organisations, DHB and School boards to adopt and required to:
Have a child protection policy
Ensure this policy is available online and in hard copy
Ensure anyone they have a contract with has a child protection policy
Review their policy within 3 years of its first adoption
“Ensure this policy is available online and in hard copy”
It is important that there is transparency for families and whanau to be able to read the policy, and trust the school’s commitment to keeping children safe.
“Ensure anyone that have a contract with has a child protection policy”
This applies to anyone the school may contract who provides a service to children. For example if they have people come in and provide music or drama lessons, or health and dental services. It does not currently apply to the builder or plumber, but it is expected that those people would not be left unsupervised where they may have contact with children. It must be recognised that children consider school a safe place, and therefore anyone who works in that school (whether employed or contracted) is considered safe by association.
It is not the school’s responsibility to write or check their child protection policy, but they should receive confirmation that the agency has a policy. It should be included as an expectation as part of the contract agreement the school has with the provider
© Child Matters 2017

7. Vulnerable Children Act (2014)
Section 21: Requiring people employed or engaged in work that involves regular or overnight contact with children to be safety checked.
Sections 25 and 26: Safety checks on new and existing employees.
Section 31: Safety checks, these must include:
Confirmation of identity and risk assessment regarding safety to work with children.
Core Children’s Worker – Paid or funded by state sector agencies and work alone with, or have primary responsibility or authority over, children
Non-Core Children’s Worker – Paid or funded by state sector agencies have regular, but limited, child contact
1 July 2015 – All new government funded core workers needs to be safety checked
1 July 2016 – All new government funded non-core workers need to be safety checked
1 July 2018 – All existing government funded core workers need to be safety checked
1 July 2019 – All existing government funded non-core workers need to be safety checked
At this time these regulations do not cover volunteers. Only unpaid people who are part of training i.e. on student placement. Parents helpers, therefore are not required to be safety checked, however they also should not have unsupervised responsibility for children. If there are parents helpers who are on school camp and expected to sleep in dorms with children then best practice would dictate that those parents would be safety checked. These are the regulations at this time
Risk assessment – there are best practice guidelines available to outline what this risk assessment looks like “safer recruitment safer children”.
© Child Matters 2017

8. Why Child Protection Policies are Important
3 minute video
© Child Matters 2014

9. Contents of a Child Protection Policy
Statement of Intent: A statement that demonstrates a commitment to safe guarding children
Scope: Who does this Policy apply to? Does it include Volunteers?
Principles: Values that inform staff decision making and help promote a culture of child protection
Definitions: What is meant by Physical, Emotional, Sexual Abuse and Neglect
Child Protection Procedures: How to respond to and report suspicions or concerns of abuse
Safe Working Practices: Recruitment and Employment, Allegations against staff, Training. Guidelines on implementing Safe Work Practices within your organisation.
© Child Matters 2017

10. Safe Working Practices
This short clip highlights areas of a good SWP Guidance that participants should consider when writing or reviewing their guidance to staff. This information may be included in a separate Code of Conduct, or Code of Behaviours
1 minute
© Child Matters 2017

11. Your Role and Responsibility
Be informed
Identify when children are at risk or being harmed
Follow your organisation’s Child Protection Policy
If your organisation doesn’t have a policy then advocate for one
Report your concerns
© Child Matters 2017

12. Child Abuse and Neglect
“…the harming (whether physically, emotionally, sexually), ill treatment, abuse, neglect or deprivation of any child or young person.”
Section 2, Children, Young Persons and their Families Act 1989
Types of abuse
Physical abuse
Emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
Neglect
© Child Matters 2017

13. If you believe the child to be in danger or immediate risk
Reporting Abuse
If you believe the child to be in danger or immediate risk
ACT NOW
0508 FAMILY
111 POLICE C.P.T. TEAM
© Child Matters 2017

14. Resources and useful links
© Child Matters 2017