Child Protection
The Child Protection Act must be applied to all volunteers under the age of eighteen years. The purpose of the Act is to ensure children’s interests are always put first and that children are protected, to the best of our abilities, from verbal, physical and emotional harm or abuse, discrimination, racism, harassment, intimidation or bullying based on gender, culture, ethnicity, religion or impairment the child may have. See Hot Tips “Children & Young People” for information on how to access a copy of a sample Child Protection Policy and Procedure. Some adult volunteers responsible for supervising juniors are required to undergo full police security checks and carry an identifying card called a blue card that proves they are approved by and registered with the Children’s Commission as fit to supervise children. Details of the Act and consequences to the organisation and adult volunteers supervising junior volunteers or participants must be promoted both verbally and in writing to all relevant individuals in the organisation. See Hot Tips “Children & Young People” for details of how to access further supporting samples and documentation.
Some ‘common sense’ practical examples of effective supervisory techniques to make sure both children and adults are protected are as follows:
More Information
Go back to the Child Protection tab above to access more information in the Manual, handy templates for you to adapt for your club to ensure your success and information on Blue Cards.
The Child Protection Act must be applied to all volunteers under the age of eighteen years. The purpose of the Act is to ensure children’s interests are always put first and that children are protected, to the best of our abilities, from verbal, physical and emotional harm or abuse, discrimination, racism, harassment, intimidation or bullying based on gender, culture, ethnicity, religion or impairment the child may have. See Hot Tips “Children & Young People” for information on how to access a copy of a sample Child Protection Policy and Procedure. Some adult volunteers responsible for supervising juniors are required to undergo full police security checks and carry an identifying card called a blue card that proves they are approved by and registered with the Children’s Commission as fit to supervise children. Details of the Act and consequences to the organisation and adult volunteers supervising junior volunteers or participants must be promoted both verbally and in writing to all relevant individuals in the organisation. See Hot Tips “Children & Young People” for details of how to access further supporting samples and documentation.
Some ‘common sense’ practical examples of effective supervisory techniques to make sure both children and adults are protected are as follows:
- A child / junior should never be alone with one adult (unless it’s with their parent or guardian)
- Always ensure two adults are present when dealing with one child in an isolated situation
- When moving around a facility, a minimum of three juniors should go together (eg. visiting the toilet so if they are approached by somebody aiming to harm them, two children can attempt to fight them off while the third can run for help)
- Adults should be posted at points of the facility which have been identified as ‘vulnerable’ for the safety of children / juniors
- Adults should not be exposed to a situation where they are alone with one child / junior
- The organisation maintains vigilant supervision of all aspects of junior participation to educate, monitor and remove any adult who persists with behaviour harmful to children / juniors
- Should an incident occur, strict confidentiality according to the Child Protection Act and Privacy Act should apply to protect all parties concerned
More Information
Go back to the Child Protection tab above to access more information in the Manual, handy templates for you to adapt for your club to ensure your success and information on Blue Cards.