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Non-school providers - child safety in physical and online environments

Helping children have safer and more positive experiences online and in person.

About the Standard

This Standard ensures physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children to be harmed.

A non-school provider must identify and mitigate risks to children in in their online and physical environments. It is important to think about risks created by the non-school provider's:

  • structure
  • culture
  • activities
  • physical and online environments
  • third-party arrangements.

Non-school providers must identify and reduce risks, and address new risks as they arise, in both physical and online environments. They must do this without impacting a child's:

  • right to privacy
  • access to information
  • social connections
  • learning opportunities.

Child safety policies, procedures and practices must minimise the risk of harm.

How to comply

A non-school provider must:

  • develop a risk management plan or risk register that identifies and manages risks of harm in both physical and online environments
  • ensure that third-party procurement policies include child safety requirements
  • set expectations for how staff and students interact online by:
    • developing or endorsing a policy or statement on online conduct and safety
    • reviewing or revising an existing Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy or Child Safety Code of Conduct
    • reviewing its internet use policy for students and staff.

Examples of compliance

A non-school provider complying with this Standard may:

  • use a risk management plan or risk register to manage risk in physical spaces, for example:
    • blocked off or out of sight spaces
    • rooms with lockable doors
    • children learning alongside adults
    • offsite locations such as camps, sporting events, workplaces, excursions or home stays
  • promote a culture of online safety by:
    • monitoring online interactions
    • running information sessions on eSafety
    • installing filtering software on provider-based devices
    • publishing its internet use policy
  • undertake child safety due diligence when engaging third parties to:
    • make child safety a feature in written agreements
    • nominate a staff member responsible for collecting third-party compliance information
    • be clear about actions if suppliers fail to meet child safety requirements.

Updated