Safety and wellbeing of children and young people at the department - information for young people

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Code of Conduct

The DJCS Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and DJCS Child Safe Code of Conduct state our commitment to your safety and wellbeing.

They also say how we will make you safer, look after your wellbeing and help you to feel more empowered at DJCS.

The Child Safe Code of Conduct tells our staff and volunteers how to behave when they are working with you. It also lets you know what type of behaviour you can expect from us.

The Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and the Child Safe Code of Conduct apply to all of our staff members and volunteers.

You can view the full:

• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
• Child Safe Code of Conduct

Our commitment to you

We are committed to your safety and wellbeing.

We will:

• treat you with respect and behave appropriately towards you
• protect you from harm or abuse
• respect you, welcome you and not make assumptions about you.

We will:

• support you to speak up and talk about what is important to you, and listen when you do
• always listen, take you seriously and follow up if you speak up about harm or abuse (there are times when we must report harm or abuse to the Police or Child Protection)
• look out for risks to your safety and wellbeing and do what we can to reduce any risks.

We will:

• learn about, respect and support your culture and cultural background
• support your connection with your family and community
• talk with and work together with you and your family.

We will:

• understand the challenges you face and support you to participate in ways that work for you
• communicate with you in ways that help you to understand and to join in
• keep learning and improving how we work with you and help us do our best for you.

Reporting harm, abuse and other child safety and wellbeing concerns

We encourage you to tell us about any concerns you have about your safety and wellbeing, including any harm or abuse by our staff members or volunteers.

There are laws in Victoria to keep you safe. One of those laws is called the Reportable Conduct Scheme. It tells us what we need to do if we are told that a staff member has harmed or abused a child who is under 18 years old.

You can view the full DJCS Reportable Conduct Scheme Policy.

What can be reported?

The Reportable Conduct Scheme covers different types of harm and abuse that may have happened to you. You only need to tell us about what happened in your own words.

Please contact us if:

• you do not feel safe with our staff or volunteers
• one or more of our staff members has harmed or abused you
• you have seen someone else be harmed or abused by our staff
• you know about any other kind of poor behaviour by our staff.

Under the Reportable Conduct Scheme, there are different types of harm and abuse including:

• a sexual offence committed against, with or in the presence of a child (under 18 years)
• sexual misconduct, committed against, with or in the presence of a child (under 18 years)
• physical violence, committed against, with or in the presence of a child (under 18 years)
• any behaviour that causes significant emotional or psychological harm to a child (under 18 years)
• significant neglect of a child (under 18 years).

Who can be reported?

The Reportable Conduct Scheme applies to adults 18 years of age and older who work or volunteer with DJCS.

We have other ways of managing staff behaviour if it does not fit into the Reportable Conduct Scheme. The important thing is that you tell us when there is something wrong so we can help you.

Reportable Conduct can be about:

• something our staff members or volunteers did that happened at their work
• something our staff members or volunteers did outside of their work — at home, in the community or in a different workplace
• something that happened before they worked for DJCS.

How do I report my concerns?

Please contact our Child Safety Officer via phone, email or by post.

Child Safety Officer 
Department of Justice and Community Safety
GPO Box 4356
MELBOURNE   VIC  3000

Phone: 03 9136 3666

Email: reportable.conduct@justice.vic.gov.au (External link)

We will listen to everything you tell us. We will take you seriously and take appropriate action.

You can also tell the Commission for Children and Young People about your concerns directly, via phone, email, post or visiting its website:

Commission for Children and Young People
Level 18,
570 Bourke Street
Melbourne Victoria 3000

Phone: 03 8601 5281

Website: www.ccyp.vic.gov.au (External link)