The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a central and fundamental responsibility of Catholic education.
Monivae College is committed to strengthened practices for the protection of children in line with the Victorian Government child safety reforms.
Catholic school communities place the highest priority on the care, wellbeing and protection of children and young people. Founded in Christ and sustained by faith, Catholic schools seek to fulfil their mission of enabling each student to come into the fullness of their own humanity. This includes paying attention to the inherent dignity of children and young people, and their fundamental right to be respected, nurtured and safeguarded by all.
Catholic education has done much to strengthen its wellbeing and protection environment and remains committed to continuous improvement and review of its policies.
Supporting an absolute commitment to child safety, Monivae College has a dedicated Student Wellbeing Group and a dedicated Child Protection Officer. We continue to work closely with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), the Department of Education and Training (DET), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to improve child protection through the promotion and implementation of the Victorian compulsory minimum Child Safe Standards and other relevant legislative obligations emanating from recommendations associated with the:
- Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
- Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Organisations which culminated in the report titled Betrayal of Trust.
Mandatory reporting is a legal requirement under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic.) to protect children from harm relating to physical injury and sexual abuse and is non-negotiable in our schools.
There has been a review of school policies and procedures to reflect recent Victorian legislative amendments with respect to managing the risk of child abuse. The updates to these policies complement the introduction of new Victorian Child Safe Standards, which came into effect for all Victorian schools in 2016.
Catholic schools must comply with legal obligations related to mandatory reporting and managing the risk of child abuse to ensure that all school policies and procedures are continually reviewed and updated to reflect Victorian legislative requirements.
The Child Safe Standards (the Standards) commenced in Victoria in January 2016. After five years, we have seen how the Standards improve safety for children and young people.
Changes are being made to make our Standards even stronger with the introduction of the new Ministerial Order 1359 and our School needs to comply with new Standards by 1 July 2022.
The new Standards set out minimum requirements and outline the actions organisations must take to keep children and young people safe. They provide more clarity for organisations and are more consistent with Standards in the rest of Australia.
- Child Safe Standard 1 – Organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued
- Child Safe Standard 2 – Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture
- Child Safe Standard 3 – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously
- Child Safe Standard 4 – Families and communities are informed, and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing
- Child Safe Standard 5 – Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice
- Child Safe Standard 6 – People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice
- Child Safe Standard 7 – Processes for complaints and concerns are child focused
- Child Safe Standard 8 – Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training
- Child Safe Standard 9 – Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed
- Child Safe Standard 10 – Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved
- Child Safe Standard 11 – Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people
Monivae College maintains a culture of ‘zero tolerance’ to child abuse.
The School’s Child Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring that all members of the school community follow child safety standards. To contact the Child Safety Officer at Monivae College:
Mrs. Fiona Mulhall
Deputy Principal and Child Safety Officer
P. 03 5551 1200
mailto:fmulhall@monivae.vic.edu.au
The links below provide further information on Child Safety:
