Commitment to child safety

Information on the Department of Education’s Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Child Safety Code of Conduct.

Department of Education Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

The department is committed to providing an environment where children and young people are safe and feel safe.

This policy aims to ensure that protecting children and young people from harm and abuse is part of the department’s everyday culture, thinking and practice.

We commit to:

ensuring that Aboriginal children and young people are culturally safe and are involved in decisions that affect them
ensuring children, young people, families, communities and staff feel safe to speak up about child safety
listening to and supporting children and young people to understand their rights and have a say in decisions about them
listening to and learning from children and young people who have contact with the department’s staff and services
providing a safe and welcoming environment for all children and young people, including Aboriginal children, children from multicultural and multifaith backgrounds, children with disability, children who are unable to live at home or living in out-of-home care, international students and LGBTIQA+ children.
hiring suitable people to work with children and young people and ensuring that those people are properly screened
training and supporting our staff to provide a child safe environment
treating allegations, suspicions, disclosures and incidents of child abuse (including grooming) seriously and notifying authorities where required by law and department policy
providing support to victim survivors of historical abuse in education settings
aligning responses to children and young people at risk of family violence with Victoria’s legislated Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (the MARAM Framework)
preventing harm to children and young people by identifying risks and taking steps to reduce or remove risks in physical and online environments that children and young people use. We do this in consideration of a child’s right to privacy, access to information, social connections and learning opportunities.

View the full Department of Education Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy.

Department of Education Child Safety Code of Conduct

The Child Safety Code of Conduct sets out expected behaviours when engaging with children and young people through the department’s policies, programs and operations.

Acceptable behaviours

Through the department’s policies, programs and operations, staff must:

promote the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and young people by supporting and encouraging their connection to culture, kin, community, cultural practices and Aboriginal identity
provide a welcoming, inclusive, culturally responsive and safe environment for children and young people
take reasonable steps to protect children and young people from harm and abuse including by identifying child safety risks and taking steps to remove or reduce those risks
ensure, as far as practicable, that adults are not alone with a child or young person – one-to-one interactions between an adult and a child or young person are to be in an open space or in line of sight of other staff
treat allegations, disclosures, incidents and suspicions of child abuse and harm seriously and if child abuse is suspected ensuring as quickly as possible that children and young people are safe and protected from harm
report alleged or suspected child abuse or other child safety concerns in accordance with the law and department policy
manage the behaviour of children and young people in ways that are reasonable, lawful and follow department policy
treat children and young people with respect and value their opinions
communicate with children and young people in a way that helps them understand information, ask questions and express their preferences
provide access to tools and services that children and young people need to communicate (for example interpreter and translation, Auslan, content in child friendly language)
listen and respond to children and young people’s concerns, particularly about their or others’ safety
encourage children and young people to ‘have a say’ and participate in decisions that affect them
ensure children and young people know who to approach if they feel unsafe or want to raise concerns
promote the cultural safety, inclusion, participation and empowerment of all children and young people including Aboriginal children, children from multicultural and multifaith backgrounds, children with disability and LGBTIQA+ children
take a no tolerance approach to racism and respond appropriately to any incidents.
manage personal information in line with the department’s Privacy Policy and Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme
personal information should be handled in the interests of child and young person safety
tell the department if you are charged with a criminal offence.

Unacceptable behaviours

Through the department’s policies, programs and operations, staff must not:

condone or participate in illegal, unsafe, abusive or harmful behaviour towards children or young people. This includes, but is not limited to:

participating in sexual abuse or misconduct
possessing child abuse material
grooming a child (predatory conduct undertaken to prepare a child for sexual activity later)
engaging in discussions, including online, of a sexualised nature in the presence of a child
discussing or showing audio or video or images of sexual acts
perpetrating physical or family violence
humiliating, belittling, rejecting or threatening a child, or behaving in a way that may cause emotional or psychological harm.

develop inappropriate relationships and or display behaviours or engage with children or young people in ways that are not justified by educational or professional context, for example, preferential treatment, giving inappropriate gifts, or inappropriate social media communication
have contact with any child or young person outside of activity/program except when needed to deliver curriculum or professional guidance and where parent or carer consent has been provided
communicate directly with a child or young person through department, personal or private contact channels (including by social media, email, instant messaging, texting etc) except where that communication is reasonable in all the circumstances, related to department activities or where there is a safety concern or other urgent matter
initiate unnecessary physical contact with a child, or do things of a personal nature for them that they can do themselves
ignore or disregard concerns, suspicions or disclosures of child abuse, harm and family violence
wait until there is proof before acting on and reporting an allegation or suspicion of child abuse, harm or family violence
ignore or disregard an adult’s overly familiar behaviour, that is not justified by an educational or professional context, towards a child or young person
condone or participate in racist behaviour, or use inappropriate or discriminatory language when speaking with, or in the presence of children or young people
treat any child unfairly or criticise how they identify or express themselves. This includes their age, gender, race, culture, religion, sexuality, disability or other protected attributes
disregard or fail to consider the views of children or young people, especially about their physical and emotional safety, cultural safety, or issues or decisions that are important to them
use department data about children and young people for purposes other than policy or program development or delivery
photograph or distribute images of children or young people without the consent of the parent or carer or the minor. Further detail about this requirement is available in the Privacy and Photographs Information.

View the full Department of Education Child Safety Code of Conduct.

Further information

For more information about the operation of the Child Safe Standards at the Department of Education contact child.safe.schools@education.vic.gov.au

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Updated 27 March 2026

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Commitment to child safety

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Commitment to child safety

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Department of Education Child Safety Code of Conduct

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