New Victorian Child Safe Standards came into effect on 1 July 2022 in all Victorian schools. An important inclusion in the 11 standards is Standard 3: Child and student empowerment – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
Valuing young people and their rights is a fundamental aspect of this Standard, and aligns with Clonard’s vision for student participation which focuses on student voice, agency and leadership as the key elements which empower students.
To achieve this we commit to:
- informing students about their rights and responsibilities in an age-appropriate way
- recognising the importance of friendships and peer support
- enabling students to actively participate in creating a culture that is safe.
Empowering children and young people improves child safety. Student voice has been an important addition to the documents outlined below and the update 2023 Protect Poster, in the knowledge that policies and practices that are shaped by children’s and young people’s views can better prevent the risk of harm.
Student Safeguarding & Wellbeing Resources – see Child Safety and Protection Policy Student Version, and Child Safeguarding Complaints Management Student Version
