Children are at the heart of everything we do at Goodstart and this Child Protection Week (5 September – 11 September) provided an opportunity to reaffirm the responsibility of each Goodstarter to prevent, identify and respond to child abuse, neglect and harm.
Goodstart officially launched its Safeguarding Children Framework this week, which is underpinned by the 10 National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
Sara Evans, Goodstart’s National Lead for Safeguarding Children and Chair of Queensland’s Child Protection Week Committee said, “Ensuring children feel safe and are safe is our first and most important obligation at Goodstart”.
“Our approach to safeguarding children is grounded in who we are as an organisation – for children to have the best possible start in life.
“Importantly, our commitment must be more than words. To safeguard children and be a child safe organisation we have to prevent, identify and respond to child abuse neglect and harm and it starts with an understanding that child protection is everyone’s business.”
A core component of Goodstart’s strengthened child safeguarding framework is about instilling a shared understanding of everyone’s role and responsibilities across every Goodstart community.
“We’ve used simple language to bring shared understanding of what child safeguarding is and ensure that all children are empowered to feel safe and be safe at Goodstart, in their families and in their community.
“We’ll be continuing to advocate our "look, do and tell" model which plays a key role in ongoing education not just for Goodstarters – but children, families and the wider community.”
Sara said while the framework was informed by the Child Safe Standards and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, many Goodstarters were part of its development.
“Over the past 18 months, we have involved the voices, experiences and aspirations of hundreds of Goodstarters and incorporated the perspectives of children and families through working with our network of 70 Child Protection Advocates across the nation.”
Across Goodstart, a range of other Child Protection Week activities were promoted to involve families, centre teams, child protection advocates and the wider community to promote and support the implementation of the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
This week many Goodstart centres also made pledges with the National Association for the Prevention of Child abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) to help ensure all children are empowered to feel safe and be safe at Goodstart, in their families and in their community.
Learn more about Child Protection Week and this year’s theme ‘Every child, in every community, needs a fair go’.
Goodstart officially launched its Safeguarding Children Framework this week, which is underpinned by the 10 National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
Sara Evans, Goodstart’s National Lead for Safeguarding Children and Chair of Queensland’s Child Protection Week Committee said, “Ensuring children feel safe and are safe is our first and most important obligation at Goodstart”.
“Our approach to safeguarding children is grounded in who we are as an organisation – for children to have the best possible start in life.
“Importantly, our commitment must be more than words. To safeguard children and be a child safe organisation we have to prevent, identify and respond to child abuse neglect and harm and it starts with an understanding that child protection is everyone’s business.”
A core component of Goodstart’s strengthened child safeguarding framework is about instilling a shared understanding of everyone’s role and responsibilities across every Goodstart community.
“We’ve used simple language to bring shared understanding of what child safeguarding is and ensure that all children are empowered to feel safe and be safe at Goodstart, in their families and in their community.
“We’ll be continuing to advocate our "look, do and tell" model which plays a key role in ongoing education not just for Goodstarters – but children, families and the wider community.”
Sara said while the framework was informed by the Child Safe Standards and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, many Goodstarters were part of its development.
“Over the past 18 months, we have involved the voices, experiences and aspirations of hundreds of Goodstarters and incorporated the perspectives of children and families through working with our network of 70 Child Protection Advocates across the nation.”
Across Goodstart, a range of other Child Protection Week activities were promoted to involve families, centre teams, child protection advocates and the wider community to promote and support the implementation of the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
This week many Goodstart centres also made pledges with the National Association for the Prevention of Child abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) to help ensure all children are empowered to feel safe and be safe at Goodstart, in their families and in their community.
Learn more about Child Protection Week and this year’s theme ‘Every child, in every community, needs a fair go’.