Child Safe Policy
Drive Smart Driving School Child Safe Policy.
Drive Smart Driving School recognise that Driving Instructors often work with children and young people under the age of 18 years.
Drive Smart Instructors all maintain current child related criminal history checks and working with children checks.
Drive Smart Driving School Child Safe Policy is set out below:
Child Safe Environments Policy.
Drive Smart Driving School recognise that Motor Driving Instructors often work with children and young people under the age of 18 years.
This policy demonstrates the strong commitment of Drive Smart Driving School to child safety and establishing and maintaining child safe and child friendly environments.
This policy reflects our commitment to provide a safe environment where every person has the right to be treated with respect and is safe and protected from harm.
It complies with our obligations under the Children’s Protection Act 1993, including:
- Section 8B – 8D – child safe environments and criminal history assessments for people working with children; and
- Section 11 – Mandatory reporting.
It also complies with the Child safe environments: Principles of good practice and Child safe environments: Standards for dealing with information obtained about the criminal history of employees and volunteers who work with children issued by the Chief Executive. (Section 8A, Children’s Protection Act 1993).
This policy applies to all Drive Smart Instructors working with children and young people.
All children who use the services of Drive Smart Driving School have a right to feel and be safe. We are committed to the safety and well-being of all children and young people accessing our services and the welfare of the children in our care will always be first priority. We aim to create a child safe and child friendly environment where all children are valued and feel safe.
Drive Smart Driving School encourage and respect the views of children and young people who access their services. We listen to and act upon any concerns that children, young people or their families raise with us. We teach children what they can do if they feel unsafe.
We ensure that children, young people and their families know their rights and how to access the complaints procedures available to them.
We value diversity and do not tolerate any discriminatory practices.
Operating as a driving instructor in South Australia is conditional upon holding a Motor Driving Instructors licence.
As a requirement to holding a Motor Driving Instructors Licence, driving instructors are subject to Criminal History Assessments and Working With Children Checks (WWCC).
Drive Smart instructors working with children and young people have a current National Police Clearance (obtained within the last three years) and WWCC.
All Drive Smart Driving School instructors who work with children and young people are aware of and at all times abide by the Child Safe Code of Conduct.
8. Reporting and responding to suspected child abuse and neglect
Drive Smart Instructors will not tolerate incidents of child abuse.
Drive Smart Instructors understand their obligations to notify the Child Abuse Report Line by calling 13 14 78 as soon as practicable if they have a reasonable suspicion that a child has been, or is being, abused or neglected.
We also understand how to access relevant information resources such as:
- Child safe environment: Guidelines for mandated notifiers and information for organisations (available to view or download from families.sa.gov.au/childsafe)
- Families SA reporting child abuse website: families.sa.gov.au/pages/protectingchildren/HowToNotify
- Free online SMART (Strategies for Managing Abuse Related Trauma) Learning package, developed by the Australian Childhood Foundation: childhood.org.au/for-professionals/smart-online-training)
Supporting children, young people and their families
Child Protection is everyone’s responsibility. Drive Smart Driving School recognise that even where a report is made, they may still have a role in supporting the child or young person. This support may include:
- Referring the child, young person or their family to other appropriate services
- Having information available on this website about services that can assist children and their families (such as the Kids Helpline and Youth Healthline) for children (and their families) they work with.
Drive Smart Driving School oppose all forms of harassment, discrimination and bullying. We take this issue seriously and encourage anyone who believes that they, or another person, has been harassed, discriminated against or bullied to raise this issue with Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Licence Standards.
Drive Smart Driving School will ensure that everyone to whom this policy applies is aware of and has had an opportunity to read the policy.
- Related policies and procedures
- Child Safe Environments Code of Conduct including Standards of appropriate behaviour for motor driving instructors.
DEFINITIONS
Child (Young person) – A child means a person under 18 years of age (The Children’s Protection Act 1993).
Child Abuse – Children can be abused in different ways and child abuse includes a wide range of acts of omission and commission. The following is based on definitions in “Guidelines for Mandated Notifiers”, produced by Government of South Australia – Department for Families and Communities.
Physical Abuse – is commonly characterized by physical injury resulting from practices such as hitting, punching, kicking (marks from belt buckles, fingers); shaking (particularly young babies); burning (irons, cigarettes), biting, pulling out hair; alcohol or other drug administration.
Sexual Abuse – occurs when someone in a position of power to the child uses his/her power to involve the child in sexual activity. Behaviour can include sexual suggestion; exhibitionism, mutual masturbation, oral sex; showing pornographic material e.g. DVDs, internet; using children in the production of pornographic material; penile or other penetration of the genital or anal region; child prostitution.
Emotional Abuse – tends to be a chronic behavioural pattern directed at a child whereby a child’s self esteem and social competence are undermined or eroded over time. Behaviours may include devaluing, ignoring, rejecting, corrupting, isolating, terrorising, chronic or extreme domestic violence in the children’s presence.
Neglect – is characterized by the failure to provide for the child’s basic needs. Behaviours may include inadequate supervision of young children for long periods of time; failure to provide adequate nutrition, clothing or personal hygiene; failure to provide needed or appropriate health care/medical treatment; disregard for potential hazards in the home; forcing the child to leave home early; allowing children to engage in chronic truancy.
Criminal history assessment: a decision about whether a person is suitable to work with children based on the person’s criminal history (if any) and the assessed risk of harm to children who receive the service..
Young person – term used instead of the word child to describe a person under the age of 18.