Child Safe Environments Policy

Banksia Assessments is a allied health practice dedicated to working with children and adolescents who need support to cope with challenges and develop their skills so they can reach their full potential. Our clinicians provide evidence-based, patient-centred, warm, and professional support to children, adolescents, and their families.

Banksia Assessments is committed to providing a safe space for children and young people. Children and young people are valued and respected, and the safety and protection of children and young people is always a priority. This includes providing a safe environment that celebrates diversity.

What are child safe environments?

Children and young people have a right to be safe and protected at all times, including when accessing services in the community. This policy complies with the child safe environments provisions of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

Child safe environments are safe and friendly settings where children and young people are protected and feel respected, valued and encouraged to reach their full potential. At Banksia Assessments, our clinicians provide a child safe environment and ensure that they:

  • Take a preventative, proactive and participatory approach on child wellbeing and safety issues

  • Value and embrace the opinions and views of children and young people

  • Assist children and young people to build skills that will assist them to participate in society

  • Is committed to the protection of children and preventing young people from harm or risk of harm.


Communication

How to access Banksia Assessment’s Child Safe Environments Policy?

Banksia Assessments have created this child safe environments policy through careful consultation and consideration, and with a child-centred focus.

This policy is communicated to clients and families through advertisement out of the clinic’s they consult with (e.g.,  Adelaide Child Psychology) or can be found online https://www.banksiaassessments.com.au/child-safe-environments-policy. Families are welcome to inspect the policy and discuss any aspects of the policy with your clinician at a mutually arranged time. 

This policy is updated regularly. At Banksia Assessments we strongly value all feedback about this policy, in order to give all clients and families the best possible service and create a safe and welcoming environment.

Feedback options

Children and young people are welcome to provide feedback about this policy or any other aspects of Banksia Assessment’s practice and services. Seeking feedback from child clients is a routine part of our service delivery model.  We need to know what our clients think about services in order to make them better.

Any feedback, complaint, or concern will be taken seriously and dealt with promptly, sensitively and fairly.

Banksia Assessments will:

  • Listen to the complaint/feedback and make a record of it;

  • Respond to the complainant with an outcome;

  • Clearly document and securely store decisions and actions taken in response to complaints and feedback; and

  • Make sure that procedural fairness is followed at all times.

 Any feedback or complaints about services can be raised directly with a child or young person’s consulting clinician or via email.


Code of Conduct

Caring for children and young people brings additional responsibilities for clinicians at Banksia Assessments. All clinicians are responsible for promoting and protecting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

Clinicians must:

  • Stick to the organisation’s child safe policy at all times and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and protection of children and young people;

  • Treat everyone including those of different race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes and religious beliefs with respect and honesty and ensure equity is upheld;

  • Be a positive role model to children and young people in all conduct with them;

  • Set clear boundaries and maintain appropriate behaviours with children and young people – boundaries help everyone to understand their roles;

  • Listen and respond appropriately to the views and concerns of children and young people;

  • Be alert to bullying behaviours and respond promptly and appropriately;

  • Ensure another adult is always present or in sight when conducting one to one consulting, coaching, instruction or other activity;

  • Be alert to children and young people who have been harmed, or may be at risk of harm and report this quickly to the Child Abuse Report Line (13 14 78);

  • Respond quickly, fairly and transparently to any complaints made by a child, young person or their parent/guardian; and

  • Encourage children and young people to ‘have a say’ on issues that are important to them.


Recruitment

To ensure we engage the most suitable people to work with children and young people we have the following recruitment practices in place:

  • Our commitment to child safety is included in all job advertisements

  • Clear position descriptions that include our commitment to child safety and wellbeing

  • Face-to-face interviews that use behavioural questions to determine the applicant’s knowledge of child safeguarding

  • At least 2 referee checks and qualification checks.

In accordance with the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016, our organisation is registered with the DHS Screening Unit and we link all Working with Children Checks (WWCC) to our registration.

All persons running the organisation are required to have a current, not prohibited WWCC. All clinicians in the organisation over the age of 14 years, who will be working or who have contact with children and young people must hold a current, not prohibited WWCC issued by the Screening Unit of the Department of Human Services, provide evidence of this prior to employment and renew this every 5 years. We will verify the accuracy of all WWCCs in the DHS Screening unit portal as required by law. A person will be taken to have contact with a child if:

  • The person has physical contact with the child; or

  • Is in close physical proximity to the child; or

  • Communicates with the child (whether orally or by written, electronic or other means).


Privacy Policy for Management of Personal Information

The Privacy Policy for Management of Personal Information at Banksia Assessments describes our obligations and procedures for the management of children and young clients and their families’ personal information. The psychological service provided, and personal information collected prior to, and during the course of, provision of psychological services is bound by the strict legal requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Clients are provided with a link to a copy of the Privacy Policy via email prior to their first appointment. They are offered the opportunity to discuss the content of the policy and raise any questions about Banksia Assessment’s collection, use and storage of their personal information at any time.

Concerns or complaints about the collection, use or disclosure of personal information may be raised with the clinician, or the Director of Banksia Assessments, Dr Hannah Whittall via email. 

Alternatively, complaints or concerns can be raised with the:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by phone on 1300 363 992, online at http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-aprivacy-complaint or by post to:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

GPO Box 5218

Sydney, NSW 2001.


Training, supervision, and support for clinicians

All of our clinicians have undertaken the mandatory child safe environment training courses. They regularly undertake relevant professional development opportunities to build knowledge and skills regarding the wellbeing and development of children and young people. It is a registration requirement via AHPRA that all clinicians complete continuing professional development (CPD).

We have strategies in place to supervise, train and support clinicians to understand our organisation’s child safe policy, their mandatory reporting obligations, how to build culturally safe environments and their responsibilities to create a child safe and friendly environment. Our strategies include:

Training:

Supervision:

  • Regular supervision sessions that include a focus on child safety and wellbeing.

Support:

  • An induction process for all new workers including a copy of this policy document

  • Regular performance appraisals that discuss child safeguarding 


Reporting and responding to harm or risk of harm

We aim to ensure that children and young people are safe from harm and risk of harm. Section 17 of the Safety Act defines ‘harm’ to mean physical or psychological harm (whether caused by an act or omission), including harm caused by sexual, physical, mental or emotional abuse or neglect.

Mandated notifiers have a legal obligation to notify CARL as soon as practicable if they suspect on reasonable grounds that a child is or may be at risk of harm. All clinicians are mandated notifiers under the Child and Young People (Safety) Act 2017.

All clinicians at Banksia Assessments have responsibility for reporting a reasonable belief that a child or young person has been harmed or is at risk of harm. At Banksia Assessments, children and young people are listened to and believed.

Mandated Notifiers have statutory obligations to:

  • Notify the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 13 14 78 if they suspect, on reasonable grounds, that a child has been harmed or at risk of harm, or if at immediate risk, report to South Australia Police (SAPOL) on 000;

  • Ensure they are aware of the obligations and the consequences of the obligations and the consequences of failure to comply;

  • Ensure they are able to identify report and respond to children and young people at risk of harm; and

  • Support activities that embed the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

It is important to note that it is the individual who identifies the harm or risk of harm that is the person who will make a report to CARL or to SAPOL.

Banksia Assessment’s will support staff, children, young people and their families after a report to CARL/SAPOL has been made. Banksia Assessments will continue to provide services to the child or young person and their family. In some circumstances, this may also include referring the child, young person, or their family to other appropriate services. Banksia Assessment’s acknowledge that child protection is everyone’s responsibility.

Banksia Assessments is committed to acting thoroughly and quickly where a child or young person is or may be at risk of harm, with top importance placed on ensuring the safety and protection of children and young people.

Banksia Assessments also provides information about services that can assist children, young people and their families (such as the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 and Youth Helpline on 1300 13 17 19 and Mental Health Triage 13 14 65 and emergency services on 000), where necessary.


Risk management

To help maintain a safe environment for children and young people, Banksia Assessments reviews its risks regularly and implement strategies to minimise and manage these risks. Banksia Assessments will identify, assess and monitor all potential and actual sources of harm and take steps to minimise the risk to children and young people who use our services.

Strategies to minimise risks to children and young people occur as part of Banksia Assessments ongoing risk management process. We have taken the following steps in order to minimise any risk of harm to children and young people, including:

  • Banksia Assessments meets the requirements of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 (which mandates child safe environments) and the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 (which mandates Working with Children Checks).

  • All staff working with children and young people with disability must hold a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) and as applicable, must hold appropriate registration with AHPRA and all other mandated professional registrations and screenings.

  • All staff are required to read this Child Safe Environments Policy, the Code of Conduct, and the Child Safe Environments Mandatory Notification Information Booklet.

  • The organisation uses inclusive, developmentally-appropriate language and resources to help children/young people to feel valued, respected and included.

  • Children, young people and their families are encouraged to participate in our organisation by providing feedback directly to their treating clinician, or the Director, or via email.

  • This child safe environments policy is reviewed at least once every 5 years. When this happens Banksia Assessments will lodge a new child safe environments compliance statement with the Department of Human Services.


Policy review

Section 115 of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 requires organisations to review their child safe environments policies and procedures at least once every 5 years. Banksia Assessments will review this policy within 5 years, but will also review the policy when:

  • New or added risks are identified for children or young people, which may require a change in the policy or procedures; or

  • A critical incident where a child or young person has experienced harm through involvement in the organisation; or

  • Concerns are raised by anyone involved in your organisation about child safety or welfare in the organisation; or

 

Banksia Assessments has lodged a child safe environments compliance statement with the Department of Human Services. We will lodge a new child safe environments compliance statement with Department of Human Services each time we review and update our policy.

 

Date modified: 26/05/2025