IAHA Public Commitment to Child Safety

Indigenous Allied Health Australia
Public Statement of Commitment to Child Safety

IAHA Public Statement Child Safety (Download here)

Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) works generationally to create a future where all
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are thriving in good health and social and
emotional wellbeing, supported by ongoing connections to culture, spirit, and place. IAHA is
therefore committed to ensuring the health, wellbeing and safety of every child that has
contact with IAHA employees, contractors, consultants, volunteers and providers engaged
by IAHA to deliver services to children and young people.

IAHA has zero tolerance for child abuse, neglect and exploitation of children and young
people.

IAHA is committed to:

Embedding the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
Creating a culture, adopting strategies and taking action to promote child wellbeing
and preventing harm to children and young people.
Supporting young people to succeed and thrive.
IAHA consciously and systematically:
Integrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing
(SEWB) and ways of knowing, being and doing in everything we do.
Creates an environment where the safety and wellbeing, including cultural safety, of
children and young people is the centre of values and actions.
Affirms the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,
including through genuine engagement with and value for children and young people,
their families and communities.
Creates the conditions that reduce the likelihood of harm to children and young
people, including through promoting confidence in self and identity.
Creates conditions and trust that increases the likelihood of identifying harm.
Responds to concerns, disclosures, allegations or suspicions about the safety and
wellbeing of children and young people by reporting to the appropriate authorities
and providing appropriate support.

IAHA believes all children and young people have a right to feel safe and be safe and
respected for their diversity and worldviews.

IAHA has a Child Safety and Wellbeing policy in place. This policy outlines IAHA’s
commitment to, and implementation of, the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

IAHA is committed to:

1. Driving a child safe culture at all levels of the organisation by:

Embedding child safety in the organisation’s culture, as reflected in policies and
procedures, and understood and practiced at all levels the organisation.
Expecting that safeguarding children and young people is everyone’s responsibility.
Prioritising the safety and wellbeing of children and young people engaged by IAHA.

2. Ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are
at the centre of IAHA business by:

Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing in
everything we do.
Committing to provide physical and online environments free from racism, where
children and young people are safe and able to actively participate in decisions that
affect their lives.
Creating an environment where children’s safety and wellbeing is the centre of
thought, values and actions placing emphasis on genuine engagement with and
respect for, children and young people.
Involving and communicating with children and young people in the development of a
safe, culturally responsive, inclusive and supportive environment.

3. Valuing the partnerships with families and communities that work alongside
IAHA by:

Actively engaging with the families and communities impacted or connected with
IAHA’s work.
Keeping families and communities informed about IAHA’s work and activities.
Listening to family and community feedback and ensuring that their views are taken
into consideration.
Linking children and young people with services and supports within the community
through warm and supportive referrals.4. Promoting equity and respecting diversity by:

• Actively anticipating and thinking holistically about children and young people’s
diverse circumstances and responding effectively to those with additional support
needs, consistent with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s social and
emotional wellbeing practices.

• Giving children and young people access to information, support and complaints
processes in ways that make sense to them.

• Considering the needs of all children and young people, particularly those who are:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, people with a disability, LGBTQIASB+, and
people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

5. Minimising the likelihood of recruiting a person who is unsuitable to work with
children by:
Meeting the requirements of the relevant Australian child protection legislation
across each jurisdiction.
Requiring IAHA Board members, employees, volunteers, trainees and members
to hold and maintain the appropriate working with children checks as required in
each jurisdiction.
Reviewing police checks and working with children checks and ensuring renewal
of those checks as required.6. Ensuring complaints processes are child focussed by:

• Making sure children and young people who are engaged with IAHA know how to
raise a concern and know who they can talk to if they feel unsafe and require
support.

• Ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing
practices are embedded in complaints processes.

• Taking all allegations and concerns about abuse seriously and responding to
them consistently via a specified process, consistent with IAHA policies and
procedures.

• Complying with all legal requirements, including reporting suspicions of abuse to
the relevant authority and documenting any allegation, disclosure or concern
regarding child abuse and monitoring responses to all allegations, disclosures or
concerns.

7. Educating employees, volunteers, contractors and stakeholders about child
safety by:

Ensuring that each person, involved in the delivery of services to young people,
understands their role and the IAHA policies, practices and requirements
(including induction) in place to keep children and young people safe from abuse
and neglect.
Ensuring position descriptions and engagement with children and young people
clearly states relevant child safety and wellbeing requirements.
Having child safe practices and child safe professional behaviours that outline
IAHA expectations for behaviour towards children and young people in the IAHA
Code of Conduct.
IAHA Board members, employees and volunteers completing regular child safety
training as monitored and managed by IAHA.
IAHA employees and volunteers complete Cultural Responsiveness in Action
training.

8. Ensuring all online and physical environments are safe by:

Completing comprehensive child safety risk management plans for engagement
with children and young people.
Having adequate support and at least two IAHA employees present, if possible,
whenever IAHA directly engages with children or young people.
Facilitating Cultural Responsiveness in Action and supports to our education and
employer partners, to promote safe education, training and workplace
environments.

9. Maintaining and improving IAHA policies and practices by:

Monitoring IAHA employees, volunteers and contractors to ensure appropriate
practice, behaviour, and policies are followed to keep children and young people
safe from abuse and neglect through regular supervision.
Formally reviewing engagement practices to identify and document potential risks
to children and young people, including from the perspectives of children and
young people.
Undertaking formal reviews of policies and procedures, at least annually, to
identify potential risks to young people associated with program delivery and
responding to any identified risks.
Ensuring routine review cycles for all children safety requirements.
Documenting incidents relating to child safety and wellbeing and analysing data
and themes as required.

10. Documenting how IAHA keeps children safe through its Child Safety and
Wellbeing Policy: