Child Safety
St George's abides by a set of school policies to ensure it is a child-safe school - and the Anglican Schools Commission (ASC) has set policies that apply to all its schools.
Child Protection Curriculum
The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum is a child-safety program for children and young people which has been implemented from Year 7 to Year 12 at St George's.
The aim of The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum is to teach all children from a young age, in an age appropriate way, to:
- Recognise abuse and tell a trusted adult about it
- Understand what is appropriate and inappropriate touching
- Understand ways of keeping themselves safe.
The themes are:
- We all have the right to be safe
- We can help ourselves to be safe by talking to people we trust
The focus areas are:
- The right to be safe
- Relationships
- Recognising and reporting abuse
- Protective strategies
Elements within this framework include:
- Child safety is embedded in institutional leadership, governance and culture
- Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously
- Families and communities are informed and involved
- Equity is promoted and diversity respected
- People working with children are suitable and supported
- Processes to respond to complaints of child sexual abuse are child focused
- Staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training
- Physical and online environments minimise the opportunity for abuse to occur
- Implementation of child safe standards is continuously reviewed and improved, and
- Policies and procedures document how the institution is child safe.
This translates to a zero tolerance policy for bullying. Staff are trained and resources available to address common (and uncommon) issues that students may face during their teenage years – particularly when it comes to mental health issues.
Our community is committed to being a safe, inclusive space for all and we expect everybody – from teaching and support staff to students and parents - to work together to keep our students safe, upholding their personal development and wellbeing at all times.