Our Statement of Commitment of Safety & Child Wellbeing
Cuddly Bear Templestowe is committed to child safety.
- We want children to be safe, happy, and empowered.
- We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers.
- We are committed to the safety, participation, and empowerment of all children.
- We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.
- We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.
- Cuddly Bear Templestowe is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early and removing and reducing these risks.
Cuddly Bear Templestowe has robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers and is committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.
We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability and children and families part of LBGTQI+ community. We have specific policies, procedures and training in place that support our leadership team, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.
Stronger Standards, Safer children
Victoria’s Child Safe Standards are a set of mandatory requirements to protect children and young people from harm and abuse. The Child Safe Standards (the Standards) commenced in Victoria in January 2016. After six years, we have seen how the Standards improve safety for children and young people. Changes have been made to make our Standards even stronger. When your child is attending or being cared for by an organisation, you want to know that they will be safe. The Standards are designed to prevent child abuse and harm from occurring within organisations. Read Information-for-Parents-and-Carers-about-the-Child-Safe-Standards.pdf (ccyp.vic.gov.au) for resources and support services for parents and carers.
- Read more about the 11 Safe Standards at CCYP | New Child Safe Standards now apply
Reporting a Concern
- If you have immediate safety concerns about a child or young person, please call 000.
- If you have general safety concerns about a child or young person, please contact the Child Protection intake office where the child lives.
- For concerns about organisations that may not be complying with the Child Safe Standards, you can contact the Commission for Children and Young People: Report a Child Safe Standards safety concern to the Commission
Child Safe Standards
Cuddly Bear Templestowe ELC is committed to the child safe standards and provides strategies for a child safe environment for all children, their families & the community. We all have an obligation to do the best we can to keep children safe from harm and abuse. Victorian organisations that provide services or facilities for children are required by law to implement Child Safe Standards to protect children from harm.
Child Safe Standards aim to:
- promote the safety of children
- prevent child abuse
- ensure organisations and businesses have effective processes in place to respond to and report all allegations of child abuse.
Child Safe Standards work by:
- driving changes in organisational culture – embedding child safety in everyday thinking and practice
- providing a minimum standard of child safety across all organisations
- highlighting that we all have a role to keep children safe from abuse.
Although all children are vulnerable, some children face additional vulnerabilities. The standards provide three overarching principles for organisations to cover:
- the cultural safety of Aboriginal Children
- the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds
- the safety of children with a disability .
Please ask for a copy of our Providing a Child Safe Environment Policy by emailing us on office@cuddlybear.net.au or calling on 98464011