A joint statement from the co-regulators of the Child Safe Standards in Victoria on regulation of Child Safe Standard 1.
Information for organisations required to comply with the Child Safe Standards.
The Child Safe Standards
The Victorian Child Safe Standards are a set of mandatory requirements that ensure organisations have systems, policies and practices in place to keep children safe from abuse in organisational settings. The 11 Child Safe Standards and minimum requirements are legal obligations and organisations must meet the requirements for them all.
A regulator is an organisation that checks and enforces compliance with the Child Safe Standards. There are six regulators for the Standards in Victoria. Your regulator depends on the type of work, service or facility you provide. You may have more than one regulator if your work falls in more than one of the categories.
Child Safe Standard 1
Child Safe Standard 1 requires organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued. It also requires organisations to address racism.
Ensuring our capability to assess Child Safe Standard 1
Over 60,000 organisations in Victoria are required to comply with the Child Safe Standards. There is vast diversity in the organisations in terms of size, purpose, structure and function. Similarly, each regulator of the Child Safe Standards is unique in their own structures and scope.
As regulators of Child Safe Standard 1, we jointly commit to ensuring our organisations are:
- addressing systemic racism in our own organisations
- creating organisational cultures that attract, support and are culturally safe for Aboriginal staff at all levels
- ensuring staff have awareness of cultural safety and regulate in a way which recognises the strengths and resilience of Aboriginal people and responds to issues which impact the Victorian Aboriginal community and organisations.
- working together for the regulation of cultural safety, especially where more than one regulator is involved in regulating an organisation.
Assessing compliance with Child Safe Standard 1
In regulating compliance with Child Safe Standard 1, regulators are looking for evidence that an organisation’s environment makes Aboriginal children and young people, and their families feel culturally safe, respected, and valued.
In doing so, we are informed by guidance and advice about cultural safety from Aboriginal communities and organisations.
Experiences of Aboriginal children and young people, and their families, about whether they feel culturally safe within an organisation is an indicator of cultural safety.
In regulating compliance with Child Safe Standard 1, regulators will assess the actions organisations have taken and policies and procedures they have in place to provide a culturally safe environment.
As our focus is on cultural safety, regulators will not assess Aboriginal culture or cultural practices within an organisation.
Principles for assessing compliance with Child Safe Standard 1
All regulators commit to the following principles that underpin our assessment of compliance for Child Safe Standard 1:
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We respect the Traditional Owners of the lands and their Elders where organisations are based and where we carry out our work.
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We engage respectfully with any Aboriginal people within the organisation we are assessing.
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We will work with Aboriginal communities and organisations and prioritise the voices of Aboriginal children and young people.
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We engage with and handle with respect, any evidence that may involve cultural knowledge and be culturally sensitive.
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Where appropriate, we speak directly with any Aboriginal children, young people and their families who are accessing an organisation to understand their views and experiences.
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We recognise that we are undertaking this work in the context of ongoing discussions between the Aboriginal community and the Victorian Government regarding self-determination for Aboriginal people throughout Victoria.
Where to find out more
To find out more about regulators of the Child Safe Standards visit their website:
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health services: Department of Health is the regulator for hospitals, community health services, mental health services, drug and alcohol treatment services, and maternal and child health services.
- social and human services: The Social Services Regulator is the regulator for providers of a range of social services including disability, homelessness, family violence, sexual assault, community based child and family services, supported residential, child protection, secure welfare and out of home care services.
- schools and education providers: Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority the regulator for registered schools, school boarding premises, school-sector organisations providing courses to overseas students, student exchange organisations, non-school senior secondary providers and some registered training organisations.
- early childhood education and care: Department of Education, through its Quality Assessment and Regulation Division, is the regulator for early childhood services. This includes long day care, family day care, outside school hours care and vacation care services, as well as limited hours and occasional care services.
- employers of children: Wage Inspectorate Victoria is the regulator for organisations that employ children and hold a permit under the Child Employment Act 2003 (Vic).
- other Victorian organisations: the Commission for Children and Young People is the regulator for the Standards for a range of other types of organisations providing services for children, such as a charity, a religious body, not for profit organisations, sporting organisations, coaching and tuition services, counselling and other support services for children.
Download a copy of the joint statement (PDF 231kb).
Released on behalf of:
- Commission for Children and Young People
- Department of Education (Quality Assessment and Regulation Division)
- Department of Health
- Social Services Regulator
- Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority
- Wage Inspectorate Victoria
