Child Safety
Commitment to Child Safety & Child Safety Principles
Mount Clear College is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. This will be the primary focus of our care and decision-making.
The school’s approach to creating and maintaining a child safe school environment is guided by our College’s Vision, Mission Statement and Values. At Mount Clear College our Vision is ‘to be widely recognised as providing outstanding opportunities and pathways that inspire individual excellence’. Our Mission is ‘to provide a caring and engaging community where every student and staff member is valued and supported to achieve individual excellence.’ We know children can struggle to achieve their individual excellence if they are not safe from abuse.
Mount Clear College’s values ‘affirm the values of society’ and guide the decisions and behaviours of all members of our school community, including in relation to child safety:
- Respect – ourselves, each other and our environment
- Responsibility – for the impact of our actions on ourselves and others
- Care – fostering positive caring relationships with our families, our community and globally.
- Commitment – show commitment to learning and the pursuit of individual growth
Mount Clear College has zero tolerance for child abuse.
We are committed to providing a child safe environment where children and young people are safe and feel safe, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives.
Our child safe policies, procedures, strategies and practices will be inclusive of the needs of all children, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with disabilities, children who are vulnerable, students in out of home care, LGBTQIA+ students and international students.
Every person involved in Mount Clear College has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role they play individually and collectively to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children and young people is at the forefront of all they do and every decision they make.
Child Safety principles
In its planning, decision-making and operations, Mount Clear College will:
- take a preventative, proactive and participatory approach to child safety;
- value and empower children to participate in decisions which affect their lives;
- foster a culture of openness that supports all persons to safely disclose risks of harm to children;
- respect diversity in cultures and child rearing practices while keeping child safety paramount;
- provide written guidance on appropriate conduct and behaviour towards children;
- engage only the most suitable people to work with children and have high quality staff and volunteer supervision and professional development;
- ensure children know who to talk with if they are worried or are feeling unsafe, and that they are comfortable and encouraged to raise such concerns;
- report suspected abuse, neglect or mistreatment promptly to the appropriate authorities;
- share information appropriately and lawfully with other organisations where the safety value the input of and communicate regularly with families and carers
For further information please see the Child Safe Policies and Procedures or contact our Child Safety Officer via the College reception.