Trust Is a Must

Committing to providing child friendly and child safe environments for children and young people is a requirement under international conventions that are embedded in State Legislation. This means organisations in South Australia that deliver services to children and young people must develop child safe policies and procedures that staff in their organisations are required to implement on a daily basis. A key focus of being more child safe is to ensure that the interests of children...
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Committing to providing child friendly and child safe environments for children and young people is a requirement under international conventions that are embedded in State Legislation. This means organisations in South Australia that deliver services to children and young people must develop child safe policies and procedures that staff in their organisations are required to implement on a daily basis. A key focus of being more child safe is to ensure that the interests of children and young people are placed front and centre in organisational culture. This involves encouraging decision-makers to actively engage children and young people as stakeholders in their decision-making activities, facilitating opportunities for them to have greater input into issues and matters that affect them thereby ensuring they have a voice. Safe environments are found in those organisations that demonstrate values such as confidentiality, transparency, open-mindedness, integrity, respect, as well as feedback that is acted upon in a timely way. Creating friendlier and safer environments in which children and young people interact with adults will make a difference to how children and young people see themselves and how adults see children. Our collective goal must be to actively engage children and young people as citizens and to uphold their rights, supporting opportunities for their input into the design and delivery of policies and procedures aimed directly at them. When we do this we will be helping to build their trust in the adults in their lives.