Council’s commitment to child safety is publicly accessible on the Greater Dandenong website on the Greater Dandenong Council Child Safety Commitment webpage.
Watch video message from CEO Jacqui Weatherill on Child Safety
Council also has a Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Child Safe Staff Code of Conduct that is publicly accessible on the website.
The purpose of the Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy is to provide key elements of Council’s approach to being a child safe organisation. It is designed to assist Council to prevent and respond to any alleged child abuse or child safety concerns that may occur within Council or any alleged child abuse or child safety concerns which is reported to Council. The Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy outlines:
- Council's commitment to child safety
- Actions required to meet this commitment
- Provides foundation for procedures and decision-making on wide range of child protection matters
- Sets out requirements Council will impose on providers of services to Council and relevant community groups
- Reporting obligations where suspected or discovered child abuse
- Processes for managing concerns/incidents/breaches
- Covers privacy and data protection issues
The Child Safe Code of Conduct is an important part of Council’s Child Safe approach and applies to all Council employees, volunteers, contractors, representatives, and Councillors.
The Child Safe Code of Conduct can be found in the Staff Code of Conduct and its’ purpose is to:
- establish a clear set of rules and expectations for behaviour towards and in the presence of children that is in line with Council’s culture, values and the requirements of the Victorian Child Safe Standards
- provide guidance to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviours
- outline process if there is a breach or suspected breach of the code