National Child Safe Principles: A Guide for NFPs & Charities

Introduction

Following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations were established as a key national reform. These principles provide a consistent framework for all organisations, including charities and faith-based groups, to create and maintain a culture where child safety is a paramount consideration.

For any not-for-profit or charity working with children, understanding and implementing these child safe standards is a fundamental aspect of governance and leadership. This guide offers essential information and practical guidance to help your organisation apply each principle, thereby fulfilling its legal and moral obligations to protect the children and safeguard the vulnerable in your charity.

Understanding the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations

The Royal Commission & the Call for a National Framework

The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations emerged as a critical national reform following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Commission uncovered widespread and shocking failures within Australian institutions to protect children from harm, highlighting that such abuse was not just a problem of the past but a continuing issue.

In its final report, the Commission recommended the implementation of Child Safe Standards to create a framework for making organisations safer for children. In response, the Australian government, in collaboration with states and territories, developed the National Principles. This collaborative initiative established a nationally consistent approach to embedding a child safe culture within any organisation that engages with children, effectively giving effect to the Royal Commission’s recommendations.

Why These Principles Are Crucial for Your NFP or Charity

For not-for-profit and charity organisations, adopting the National Principles is essential due to a combination of legal duties, moral responsibilities, and community expectations. These principles provide a clear framework for protecting children while simultaneously safeguarding your organisation’s mission and reputation.

Board members of a not-for-profit organisation have a legal duty to act with care and diligence, a responsibility that directly extends to ensuring child safety. This is not a lesser duty for volunteers; in fact, the law holds board members of not-for-profits to substantially the same standards as for-profit directors. A failure to take reasonable precautions to prevent child abuse can constitute a breach of these duties and, in some cases, expose board members to criminal prosecution.

Adherence to these standards is driven by several key factors:

Factor	Rationale / Description
Legal & Regulatory Compliance	In many jurisdictions (e.g., NSW, ACT), compliance with child safe standards aligned with the National Principles is a mandatory legal requirement for charities and not-for-profits.
Governance & Director’s Duties	Ensuring child safety is a core governance responsibility. Boards must oversee systems and culture to protect children, thereby safeguarding the organisation from legal and reputational damage.
Community Trust & Expectations	Families and the community expect organisations working with children to uphold the highest safety standards, making adherence vital for maintaining public confidence.
Moral Imperative	Beyond legal duties, there is a fundamental moral obligation for organisations, especially faith-based groups and charities, to protect vulnerable children.

Embedding Child Safety in Your NFP’s Leadership Governance & Culture

The Board’s Responsibility & Leading with Care

Board members of a not-for-profit organisation have a fundamental duty to act with care and diligence and in the best interests of the organisation. This responsibility directly extends to ensuring child safety, which is a critical governance issue, not just an operational one.

Prioritising the wellbeing of children serves two essential purposes:

• It protects children from harm
• It safeguards the organisation from significant legal and reputational damage

Exercising care and diligence requires boards to maintain ongoing oversight of the systems, practices, and culture designed to keep children safe. Board members cannot simply adopt policies; they must ensure they are effectively implemented and regularly reviewed.

Under “failure to protect” laws, a board member who negligently fails to act despite knowing of a substantial risk to a child can face criminal prosecution.

Creating a Public Commitment & a Child Safe Culture

A child safe culture is actively championed and modelled from the highest levels of an organisation. Leaders, including the board, must drive this cultural change by embedding child safety into the core of their governance and daily operations. This begins with a clear and public declaration of the organisation’s dedication to protecting children.

Practical steps for leaders and board members to foster a child safe culture include:

Action	Implementation Step
Develop a public statement	Create and display a Statement of Commitment to Child Safety that is easily understood by children, families, staff, and the community.
Champion child safety	Leaders should regularly communicate the organisation’s collective responsibility for child safety in newsletters, annual reports, and at community events.
Embed in governance	Make child safety a standing agenda item in all board and management meetings to ensure it remains a consistent priority.
Define responsibilities	Ensure duty statements and performance agreements for all roles, from board members to volunteers, clearly outline their responsibilities for child safety.

Implementing Practical Child Safety Policies & Procedures in Your Charity

Ensuring Suitable & Supported Staff & Volunteers

A charity’s commitment to child safety begins with ensuring that every person working with children is suitable and well-supported. This requires robust human resource management practices that prioritise the wellbeing of children at every stage, from recruitment to ongoing supervision.

The recruitment process itself must clearly communicate the organisation’s dedication to creating a child-safe culture. Thorough screening and selection procedures are fundamental to this process.

Key steps in the recruitment and screening process include:

Recruitment Step	Description
Advertising with a child safety focus	Job advertisements and recruitment packages should include the organisation’s public commitment to child safety and reference its Code of Conduct to set clear expectations.
Comprehensive screening	Procedures must involve verifying identity and qualifications, conducting structured interviews assessing attitudes towards child safety, and performing stringent referee checks.
Mandatory background checks	All relevant staff and volunteers must have a valid Working With Children Check or an equivalent background check as required by law.

Beyond recruitment, providing proper support and supervision is essential for maintaining a safe environment. All new staff and volunteers must receive a thorough induction that covers the organisation’s child safety policies, Code of Conduct, and their specific reporting obligations.

Furthermore, ongoing people management, including robust volunteer management, screening & training, should always maintain a child safety focus to reinforce accountability and support continuous improvement.

Developing a Child-Focused Complaint Handling Policy

An effective and accessible complaints process is a cornerstone of a child-safe organisation. Charities must develop a child-focused complaint handling policy that empowers children, families, staff, and volunteers to raise concerns without fear of retribution.

The process should be designed to be easily understood and used by children themselves. To ensure the complaints process is genuinely child-friendly, organisations should take several practical steps.

These include:

Action	Method / Description
Make information accessible	Communicate the complaints process in various ways (e.g., posters, videos) using age-appropriate language that children can easily understand.
Offer multiple reporting channels	Provide various options for making a complaint, including verbal and written pathways, so children can choose the method that feels safest for them.
Ensure clarity & transparency	The policy must clearly outline roles, responsibilities, what to expect after a report is made, and the steps the organisation will take to address the complaint.

It is crucial that all complaints are taken seriously and responded to promptly and thoroughly. The policy must also ensure that the organisation meets all legal and reporting obligations, which includes reporting complaints and concerns to relevant authorities like the police when required.

A well-implemented, child-focused policy demonstrates a genuine commitment to listening to children and acting to protect them.

Managing Risks in Physical & Online Environments

Charities have a responsibility to ensure that both their physical and online environments are designed to promote safety and minimise opportunities for harm. This involves proactively identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks in all settings where interactions with children occur.

A comprehensive risk management plan, often formalised in an ACNC risk register, is essential for creating a secure environment. In physical spaces, the principle of “situational prevention” should be applied to make activities observable and interruptible. This reduces the risk of a child being isolated with an adult.

Strategies for managing physical risks include:

Strategy	Implementation Example
Design safe spaces	Ensure rooms have large, unobstructed windows or open doors where possible. Lock unused or secluded spaces to prevent unauthorised access.
Maintain adequate supervision	All activities involving children should be supervised by at least two appropriately screened adults, especially for offsite events, camps, and transportation.
Conduct regular safety audits	Regularly review risk management plans to consider specific risks posed by different settings, activities, and the physical environment itself.

The online environment presents unique challenges, and understanding a charity’s guide to cyber safety & legal duties is essential to address them through clear policies and education.” An organisation’s Code of Conduct must extend to all online interactions, setting clear boundaries for communication between staff, volunteers, and children.

Furthermore, the charity should educate children, families, and staff about online risks, such as grooming and cyberbullying, to build awareness and promote safe online behaviour.

The Role of Empowerment & Education in Child Safety

Informing Children of Their Rights & Encouraging Participation

A core principle for child safe organisations involves empowering children by ensuring they are informed about their rights and are active participants in their own safety. Not-for-profits and charities must educate children in an age-appropriate manner about their right to be safe, to be heard, and to be taken seriously. This creates a culture where children feel comfortable and confident to speak up.

Organisations should create practical and meaningful opportunities for children to contribute to decisions that affect them. This can be achieved through several methods:

Method	Description / Example
Develop child-friendly materials	Involve children in creating accessible versions of key documents like the Statement of Commitment or Code of Conduct to ensure the language is understandable.
Seek their input	Use platforms like forums, surveys, and interviews to ask for children’s views on safety and what could be improved in the organisation’s programs.
Establish formal participation channels	Consider creating a youth advisory group or appointing a Children’s Advocate to ensure their perspectives are consistently represented at a governance level.

Beyond formal processes, it is vital to foster a welcoming and friendly environment where children can identify trusted adults they can approach with concerns. Additionally, the importance of friendships and peer support should be recognised, as these relationships help children feel safe and less isolated within the organisation.

Equipping Staff & Volunteers with Knowledge through Continuous Training

Empowering children is most effective when staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge and skills to protect them. A commitment to continuous learning is a fundamental aspect of the national principles for child safe organisations, ensuring that all personnel have a contemporary understanding of child safety.

Ongoing education and training should be provided to all staff and volunteers to ensure they can effectively implement the organisation’s child safety and wellbeing policy. This training must cover several critical areas:

Training Area	Key Learning Objectives
Recognising indicators of harm	Train personnel to identify the signs of all forms of abuse (physical, sexual, psychological), as well as neglect and grooming.
Responding to disclosures	Provide clear guidance on how to respond effectively and supportively to a child who discloses harm, ensuring the situation is handled with sensitivity.
Understanding policies & obligations	Ensure all personnel are aware of the organisation’s Code of Conduct, child safety policies, and their specific legal reporting obligations.
Building culturally safe environments	Focus training on how to create and maintain environments that are culturally safe and responsive to the diverse backgrounds of children served by the organisation.

By investing in comprehensive and regular training, a not-for-profit or faith-based organisation gives its team the confidence and competence to uphold child safe standards, thereby fostering a culture of vigilance and accountability.

Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement & Review

Regularly Reviewing Your Child Safe Policies & Practices

Maintaining a child-safe environment is an ongoing process that requires a commitment to continuous improvement. Not-for-profit and faith-based organisations must regularly review their child safe policies and practices to ensure they remain effective and compliant with the national principles for child safe organisations.

This involves establishing quality improvement practices to track progress and identify areas for enhancement. To effectively review and improve your child safe standards, your organisation should:

Action	Description / Method
Conduct regular reviews	Nominate a responsible individual to ensure all child safe policies, procedures, and practices are reviewed at least annually and after any critical incidents.
Use self-assessment tools	Utilise resources like the Child Safe Self-Assessment to check progress, with the resulting action report used to plan and drive improvements.
Seek external audits	Consider having the implementation of child safe standards audited, either internally or by an independent specialist, to ensure objectivity and thoroughness.

Learning from Complaints & Incidents

Complaints and incidents provide critical learning opportunities for any organisation. Rather than viewing them as isolated events, they should be analysed to identify root causes, systemic failures, and potential improvements to institutional policies and practices.

This process helps strengthen child safety measures across the entire not-for-profit or charity. A thorough review should be undertaken as soon as a complaint is made and again once it is finalised.

By conducting this analysis, your organisation can uncover any systemic issues or failures that may have contributed to the incident. These valuable insights enable necessary changes to policies and practices, thereby fostering a culture of child safety and preventing future harm.

Conclusion

Implementing the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations is a fundamental aspect of governance for not-for-profits and charities, providing a clear framework to protect children from harm. This requires a comprehensive approach, from embedding child safety in leadership and culture to implementing practical policies, empowering children, and fostering a commitment to continuous improvement.

In light of these responsibilities, ensuring your organisation’s compliance and fostering a true culture of safety is paramount. For trusted expertise in navigating the legal duties and governance requirements of the child safe standards, contact our not-for-profit lawyers at LawBridge today to ensure your organisation is meeting its obligations with integrity.

Frequently Asked Questions