Oonah’s Commitment to the Safety of Children Statement

 

We are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for children when we provide services at all of our Oonah sites and when we provide services in the Community and online.

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Oonah Health and Community Services Aboriginal Corporation is committed to:

- Promoting the safety of children with zero tolerance for any form of child abuse or exploitation. We will act quickly and strongly to respond to and report allegations of child abuse or threats of harm through appropriate channels.

- Providing services in a way that empowers children and encourages their participation in their healthcare, including a safe environment to make complaints and raise concerns.

- Ensuring the cultural safety of Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander children and ensuring that decision-making is made or informed by Aboriginal people wherever possible.

- Providing a safe and welcoming environment for all children, including Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander children, children from multicultural and multifaith backgrounds, children with disability and LGBTIQIASB+ children.

- Taking all reasonable steps to ensure we employ skilled, ethical and responsible people through various human resource checks and processes. Working with Children Checks and Police Record Checks are mandatory for all staff, contractors, volunteers and Directors.

-  Providing training, ongoing learning and professional development for staff and volunteers in current child safe practices and standards.

- Preventing harm to children by identifying risks and taking steps to reduce or remove those risks.

- Requiring all Oonah employees to uphold the 11 Child Safe Standards. Our Child Safety and Protection Policy and our Code of Ethical Conduct outline our commitment to child safety and the expectations we have for staff, consultants, contractors, volunteers and Directors when working with children and young people.

- Promoting child safety and wellbeing by adopting and complying with the Child Safe Standards, produced by the Commission for Children and Young People along with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations contained in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child.