CheckUP is committed to the continued safety and wellbeing of children and young people across the organisation and in our operations.

The Statement of Commitment to Child Safety and Wellbeing is the overarching statement that outlines the key values and principles of CheckUP’s approach to protecting children and young people from abuse and neglect.

CheckUP’s Statement of Commitment

CheckUP is committed to the continued safety and wellbeing of children and young people across the organisation and in our operations. All children and young people have a right to feel safe and to be safe. This will be a primary focus of the care we provide and the decisions we make.

CheckUP is a recipient of State and Commonwealth funding and will work towards embedding the requirements of the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework (CCSF) by:

• implementing the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations;
• undertaking annual child safety risk assessments; and
• establishing and maintaining a system of training and compliance.

CheckUP will take a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse and will not tolerate any abuse or neglect of children or young people involved in CheckUP programs, projects, and services.

CheckUP is committed to providing a safe environment, where children, young people, families, and communities feel safe and are confident that children and young people’s rights, needs and interests are met, with particular attention paid to the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, as well as the safety of children with a disability.

Child Safety Principles

The following child safety principles guide CheckUP’s commitment to child safety and form the basis for the organisation’s operations.

CheckUP will:

1. Create physical and online environments that are child safe and child friendly.
2. Maintain a culture of openness and transparency.
3. Recognise and accept the moral and legal responsibility to safeguard children from child abuse both inside and outside of CheckUP’s physical and online environments.
4. Take a preventative, proactive and early-intervention approach to child safety.
5. Ensure relevant organisational policies, procedures, activities, and expectations will be implemented and communicated across the organisation and its operations.
6. Value and empower children to participate in decisions that affect their lives and take their input seriously.
7. Conduct ongoing risk assessments, management and improvement of all interactions CheckUP Board Directors, senior management, staff, representatives, contracted health professionals, contractors, consultants, students, visitors, and volunteers have with children.
8. Foster a culture that is child and culturally safe that also respects diversity and disability in children and young people.
9. Report suspected abuse, neglect, or mistreatment promptly to the appropriate authorities.
10. Value the input of, and communicate regularly with, families and communities.

Responsibilities

CheckUP acknowledges that child protection is everyone’s responsibility. At CheckUP, all Board Directors, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), senior management, staff, representatives, contracted health professionals, contractors, consultants, students, visitors, and volunteers have a shared responsibility for contributing to the safety and protection of children. These responsibilities are outlined in CheckUP’s Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy to ensure the wellbeing and safety of children and young people is at the forefront of what we do and the decisions we make.

This Statement of Commitment to Child Safety and Wellbeing will be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it remains relevant to CheckUP and our operations.