Our commitment to safeguarding children

At Goodstart, we take any action necessary to ensure all children feel safe, are safe and are heard. This means we are dedicated to safeguarding children from abuse, neglect and harm, and fostering an environment of cultural safety where every child, family, and staff member feels valued, respected, and included. We recognise and celebrate the rich diversity of cultures, languages, and traditions within our community including First Nations People, those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTIQA+, and those with diverse abilities. We are committed to keeping all children safe and protected, ensuring they gain a strong sense of wellbeing, optimism and confidence so they have the learning, development and wellbeing outcomes they need for school and life. This is more than just meeting compliance responsibilities. Underpinned by the ‘Look, Do, Tell’ approach, we amplify and promote the voice and rights of children through the prevention, identification and response to child abuse, neglect and harm. 

The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations reflect ten child safe standards recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, with a broader scope that goes beyond sexual abuse to cover all forms of child abuse, neglect and harm.   

While the National Principles aren't currently mandatory in every state and territory, Goodstart is implementing the National Principles in every centre.   

Being a child safe organisation means doing more than the minimum regulatory requirements.  At Goodstart, children, families and communities can feel confident that we strive to provide safe environments where children’s rights, needs and interests are met.  

We know that ensuring children feel safe and are safe is our most important obligation.  

Our five-year Safeguarding Children Strategy is part of our enhanced approach to safeguarding children and aligns with the 10 National Principles for Child Safe Organisations which were endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments in February 2019. All our safeguarding children initiatives are intended to integrate seamlessly with the organisation’s operational processes, rather than be stand-alone activities.  

Governance Arrangements  

Goodstart has a national expert leading our approach to safeguarding children, overseen by a Safety, Health and Wellbeing Board Committee and a Safeguarding Children Steering Committee, both of which help ensure we stay on track with the delivery of our safeguarding plans and processes.

Our safeguarding children framework was developed as a simple way to build a shared understanding about safeguarding children - together we "Look, Do and Tell" and prevent, identify and respond to child abuse, neglect and harm. 

Child safe recruitment practices, including candidate screening processes, are a key part of being a child safe organisation. Our child safe recruitment processes ensure that the people working in our centres with children are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice. This means: 

• Thorough pre-employment screening, including a minimum of two referees are required (with at least one being a direct supervisor of the candidate in last 18 months) and current Working with Children Checks, and prohibited persons checks before commencement.  
• Our recruitment team ask targeted screening questions and are trained to look for potential warning signs and probe further if a response raises concerns, if there is hesitation, or there are gaps in employment history.
• We emphasise our commitment to child safety and wellbeing when advertising for, recruiting and screening staff and volunteers. 
• Our position descriptions, selection criteria, interview questions and referee checks demonstrate we are a child safe organisation. 

Goodstart has also engaged the Australian Childhood Foundation to deliver child safe recruitment training for hiring managers.  

Safeguarding Children Mandatory Training

Every year all Goodstarters must complete training ‘Safeguarding children: Together we prevent, identify, and respond to child abuse, neglect and harm’. 

The training also provides supplementary materials, such as a storybook, learning and reflection journal and an extensive resource library on each topic including staff meeting activity packs and information sheets. Staff members also create a personalised learning plan utilising these additional resources to enhance their knowledge and capabilities.  

In 2024, this initiative won Goodstart the prestigious Queensland Child Protection Week Award and finalist in the AITD Training Awards. 

Safeguarding Responsibilities for Nominated Supervisors 

One of our most important priorities is ensuring Nominated Supervisors (usually a Centre Director or another senior member of the centre team) clearly understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Our ‘Safeguarding Responsibilities for Nominated Supervisors' program provides a single reference point for centre leaders and includes helpful resources and practical examples.  

With a 100% completion rate achieved for in December 2022, we’ve now embedded the knowledge in our induction program to ensure new Centre Directors are aware of these serious responsibilities when they start with Goodstart 

This initiative won Goodstart the prestigious Queensland Child Protection Week Award in 2023  

Goodstart continues to take up opportunities to provide feedback to governments around the nation on their child protection strategies and legislation including reportable conduct schemes, state-based child safe frameworks and state based early childhood regulatory working groups.  

A child safe organisation is one that puts the best interests of children first and:  

• Creates an environment where children’s safety and wellbeing is at the centre of thoughts, values and actions. 
• Places emphasis on genuine engagement with and valuing of children and young people. 
• Creates conditions that reduce the likelihood of harm to children and young people. 
• Creates conditions that increase the likelihood of identifying any harm. 
• Responds to any concerns, disclosures, allegations or suspicions of harm.

The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian has developed this video to help parents and carers choose organisations or individuals to work with their child.