1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this is to ensure the safety and well-being of all young people who are involved in Worklinks programmes.

Worklinks is committed to ensuring the protection of all young people from harm and all staff are required to adhere to this policy.

2. CODE OF CONDUCT FOR INTERACTING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

• All staff and voluntary workers must have, prior to working with young people, A Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guard blue card.
• All staff must at all times during work hours wear their Worklinks name badge.
• All staff working with young people under 18 years of age are to be suitably qualified and experienced.
• All new staff to Worklinks are to be inducted on Worklinks policies and procedures, including on this specific policy.
• Where there are more than 12 participants in a small group programme, two staff members are to work with the group, to ensure adequate individual and small group support (where possible, this will be one male trainer and one female trainer).
• When interviewing or providing support to participants, staff are to make sure that the door to the interview room is left open and in view and sound of another person in the organisation/school (as the case may be).
• Students are not to be transported in a staff member's car without the written permission of the parent/guardian and without another Worklinks staff member or adult being present.
• Staff and voluntary workers are to maintain a professional relationship with young people at all times, being non-judgmental and supportive.
• Staff or voluntary workers are not to divulge information of a personal kind to a participant eg personal address or phone number.

3. PROCEDURES FOR RECRUITING, SELECTING, TRAINING AND MANAGING PERSONS ENGAGED OR PROPOSED TO BE ENGAGED BY WORKLINKS INC

Staff (including voluntary staff) will be screened to ensure their suitability for working with young people. This will include:

• All staff and voluntary workers must have, prior to working with young people, A Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guard blue card. In addition, for Youth Pathways programme advisors, a federal police check is required.
• At least two referees reports will be obtained for applicants for both voluntary and paid employment, prior to appointment.
• Paid staff must have minimum qualifications which make them suitable for the role they will be undertaking.
• For the Worklinks mentoring programme, any volunteer mentors must participate in the mandatory six hour training associated with this role. This training includes information about mandatory reporting, etc, and provides Worklinks staff with the opportunity to see if mentors are suited to the role.
• All voluntary and paid employees will be inducted on this policy on commencement and prior to working with young people.

4. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING DISCLOSURES OR SUSPICIONS OF HARM, INCLUDING REPORTING GUIDELINES

The following policies are based on the guidelines provided by the Queensland Government.

Disclosures of harm:
When confronted with disclosures of harm to children and young people, Worklinks Inc employees should respond professionally and in the best interests of the child or young person subjected to the alleged harm. Any disclosure or suspicion of harm must be acted on.

Suspicion of harm:
You have 'reasonable grounds' to suspect harm if:

• A child or young person tells you they have been harmed
• Someone else, for example another child, a parent, or a staff member, tells you that harm has occurred or is likely to occur
• A child or young person tells you they know someone who has been harmed (it is possible that they maybe referring to themselves)
• You are concerned at significant changes in the behaviour of a child or young person, or they presence of new unexplained and suspicious injuries, or
• You see the harm happening.

Disclosures of harm may sound like:

• " I think I saw…"
• "Somebody told me that…"
• "Just think you should know… "
• "I'm not sure what I want you to do, but…"

Any disclosure of harm is important and must be acted upon, regardless of whether:

• The harm to a child or young person has been caused by a person from within or outside your organization, or
• The child or young person disclosing the harm to you is from within or outside Worklinks Inc

Irrespective of the source of the harm, ie whether from within Worklinks Inc (internal) or outside Worklinks Inc (external), a disclosure may be made to a member of Worklinks Inc.

The procedures outlined in this policy must be followed so that any disclosure from an adult, child or young person is dealt with efficiently and effectively.

What to do when a disclosure is made

STAGE 1: RECEIVING A DISCLOSURE:

There is no one set of rules to follow when a child or young person tells you that harm has occurred to them, or another person discloses and incident of harm to a child or young person. However the following actions may be of assistance:

• Don't Panic
  You may be the first person to whom the disclosure is made. Your reaction may determine whether the person making the disclosure trusts you with the information. It is important you:
  • Don't react in a shocked or critical way, and
  • Tell the person you are glad they have told you.
• Find a Private Place to Talk
  Privacy may help the person making the disclosure feel more comfortable and less concerned about telling you what they have to say, especially if they are a child or young person.
• Listen
  When presented with a disclosure of harm, don't say, "I won't tell," and don't promise to keep secrets. You should:
  
  • Reassure the person they have done the right thing in telling
  • Say you need to tell someone else who can help them, and
  • Reassure them you will only tell someone who will make them safe.
  • Believe the person
  It is not up to you to judge whether a child, young person or anyone else is telling the truth. Remember, it is not up to you to decide if what you are being told did or did not happen.
• Don't ask leading questions
  Leading questions are those that tend to suggest an answer, for example:
  • "Did 'X' touch you?"
  • "Did they touch you where your underwear goes?"
• Don't put words in the person's mouth
  Let them tell you what happened, and if you need to clarify anything, ask non-leading questions such as:
  
  • "Tell me what happened"
  • "What happened then?"
  • "Can you tell me about that?"
  It is not your role to investigate allegations of harm. Only ask enough questions to confirm the need to report the matter to the School Principal (when working with young people in schools) or, for non-school programmes, to the Manager of Worklinks and immediately to the Queensland Police Service or the Department of Child Safety. The safety of the child or young person is paramount. Unnecessary questions or interviews could cause distress or confusion and interfere with any subsequent investigation authorities undertake.
• Take Detailed Notes
  At the first opportunity after a disclosure has been made to you, make notes of what occurred. Include information such as:
  
  • Dates
  • Times
  • Location
  • Who is present
• Include a detailed description of:
  
  • Exactly what the person disclosing said, using 'I said,' statements
  • The questions you asked
  • Any comments you made
  • Your actions following the disclosure

If you are taking notes as the disclosure is occurring, explain why you are doing it and why it is important, ie to ensure an accurate record for any subsequent investigation. If the disclosure is being made by a child or young person, remember to explain this to them in a way that is appropriate for their age and understanding.

Any reports or documentation on disclosures of harm must be kept confidential and secure, with access strictly limited and on a 'need to know' basis.

STAGE 2: REPORTING A DISCLOSURE

Suspicions of harm which may involve an offence against a child or young person must always be taken seriously.

As an employee or volunteer of Worklinks, your first responsibility is to:

For young people still attending school

• Notify the Principal (or his/her nominee) in the school in which you are working (for Youth Pathways participants) and then advise the Manager of Worklinks that you have taken this action. As schools have duty of care for their students, the school will put in process their strategies for assisting the young person;

For young people out of school and in a Worklinks programme

• Tthe Manager of Worklinks Inc (or in her absence, your team leader/programme coordinator) and then the Queensland Police Service or the Department of Child Safety, after confirming that you should. This should be done by the person to whom the disclosure was made, as they will have the best knowledge of what was said.

Under no circumstances should employees attempt to:

• Conduct their own investigation to substantiate claims
• Hold an internal hearing (a 'kangaroo court'), or
• Attempt to mediate a settlement of the matter instead of notifying relevant authorities.

Investigations conducted by yourself could lead to:

• The destruction of evidence by an accused person
• Intimidation of the person disclosing the information, or
• Intimidation of the child or young person being harmed (if the disclosure was made by somebody else).

The Queensland Police Service:

The Queensland Police Service will investigate disclosures of suspected or substantiated harm to children or young people. Officers of the Juvenile Aid Bureau or Child Abuse Unit usually do this.

If a disclosure is made to you, after advising your Manager, contact your closest Juvenile Aid Bureau or local police station and tell them you suspect, or have been told of, someone who has been harmed.

When contacting the police, they will want to know information such as:

• The details of any disclosure of harm
• The name, age, and address of the child or young person harmed
• Where the child or young person is at that point in time
• Any identifying information regarding the alleged perpetrator of the harm, and
• Your details

The Department of Child Safety:

Where the disclosure indicates that a family member may have caused harm, or where parents are not acting to protect their child from harm, the incident must be reported to the Department of Child Safety through your local service centre.

Disclosures of harm related to shared family care or residential services for children and young people must also be reported to the Department of Child Safety.

However, where the disclosure of harm indicates a criminal offence may have taken place, such as sexual assault of a child or young person, the matter should also be reported to the Queensland police Service.

STAGE 3: PROVIDING SUPPORT

The following table provides some possible courses of action for your organization, depending on where the alleged harm originated.

Source of Harm Possible Actions

Staff Advise the school or the Worklinks Manager (as above) and follow steps outlined above. Support all parties, including:

• The person making the disclosure.
• The person receiving the disclosure.
• The child or young person who has been harmed, and
• The alleged perpetrator

Suspend the alleged perpetrator from duties until the matter is resolved.

Have the alleged perpetrator undertake alternative duties. If allegation is proven:

• Terminate the employment
• Terminate the volunteer involvement

If allegation is not proven:

• Activate grievance procedures
• Clients Support all parties, including:
  • The person making the disclosure
  • The person receiving the disclosure
  • The child or young person who has been harmed, and
  • The alleged perpetrator

Determine whether the client, as an alleged perpetrator, is allowed:

• Back on the premises
• To participate in activities
• In areas where children and young people are.

While the matter is being investigated by the Queensland Police Service or Department of Child Safety:

If allegation is proven:

• Determine if the client's involvement with the organization will be allowed to continue.

If allegation is not proven:

• Activate grievance procedures
• External " Allow the Queensland Police Service or the Department of Child Safety to undertake an official investigation

• Support the person who made the disclosure, the person who received the disclosure and the child or young person who has been harmed
• Any actions should be undertaken in consultation with independent legal advice and in accordance to Worklinks Inc Staff Induction Manual and Code of Conduct.

5. PLAN FOR MANAGING BREACHES OF THE RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

All new and existing staff of Worklinks Inc will be inducted on the Worklinks risk management strategy on commencement of employment/voluntary work or in the event of any change made to the organisation's risk management strategy. Should there be a breach of the risk management strategy, the following steps will be taken:

• the strategy will be revisited to ensure that it is sufficiently clear, detailed and provides appropriate advice;
• an approach will be implemented immediately to ensure no further deviation from the strategy; and
• if a staff member/volunteer is found to be in breach of the risk management strategy, their employment/voluntary work relationship with Worklinks will be cancelled. (If the breach is a minor breach which has not resulted in any adverse effect for or on the young person, a warning will be issued. If there is a further breach employment/voluntary work will be cancelled immediately.)

6. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTING AND REVIEWING THE RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

The risk management strategy has been developed with input from all staff, three of whom have attended workshops run by the Queensland Government in relation to the development of appropriate policies/procedures.
The strategy will be revisited on an ongoing basis eg in the event of any issue arising and, as a minimum, annually in December each year. The Transition Programmes Team Leader will be responsible for involving all members of that team in the revision, which must be endorsed by the Manager.

7.WRITTEN RECORDS

A written record will be maintained of any issues related to child protection. It will be kept on the participant's file and/or on the file of any staff member. It will be sufficiently detailed so that it is clear what the issues have been and how they have been addressed.

8. RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES AND SPECIAL EVENTS

The Worklinks risk management strategy will apply for day-to-day activities. Any high risk or special events will require prior approval of the Manager. Staff wishing to involve young people in any such activity must provide an appropriately detailed risk management strategy beforehand for such activity, which cannot be conducted until the risk management strategy has been endorsed by the Manager.

9. STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT

Worklinks will publish this child protection policy on its website. The risk management strategy will be available on request for parents/caregivers (they will be advised of this on the website). All staff will be aware of where the policy and risk management strategy are saved on the organisation's main computer drive. Volunteers will be provided with a copy on commencement.