NeuroRehab Allied Health Network (NRAHN) is parent brand to NeuroJunior Allied Health so anywhere NeuroRehab Allied Health Network is mentioned below, this encompasses NeuroJunior Allied Health.

Commitment to child safety and wellbeing

All children who come to NeuroRehab Allied Health Network have:

  • The right to feel (safe) and be safe, have their wellbeing promoted, and their voices heard regarding decisions which (directly or indirectly) affect their lives.

  • The welfare of the children in our service will always be our priority.

  • We have a zero tolerance approach to child abuse, harm, and racism.

  • We aim to create a child-safe and child-friendly environment where children feel safe and have fun whilst receiving services from NeuroJunior Allied Health.

Legislative requirement

In Victoria, organisations working with children and young people are required to comply with the 11 Victorian Child Safe Standards. NeuroRehab Allied Health Network aims to achieve the Victoria Child Safe Standards by:

  1. Creating a culturally safe and inclusive environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people, and their families where they feel respected and valued.
  2. Committing to child safety and wellbeing to ensure a child safe culture is modeled at all levels across the organisation.
  3. Enabling children and young people to have their rights respected, participate in decision-making, and have their voices heard.
  4. Involving families and communities by engaging with and responding to the diverse needs of families and communities.
  5. Respecting equity and diversity where all children feel safe, welcome, and included.
  6. Ensuring that team members are suitable and supported through screening, induction, and supervision to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
  7. Having a child focused complaint systems focused on the needs of children and young people.
  8. Ensuring we have team members who are knowledgeable, skilled, and aware to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
  9. Creating safe physical and online environments to reduce the risk of harm.
  10. Reviewing Child Safety and Wellbeing policies and practices.
  11. Documenting and making available Policies and Procedures for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

Our approach

NeuroRehab Allied Health Network’s approach to child safety and wellbeing is to understand it, prevent it, respond to it, and report it. For detailed information on our approach, please consult our full policy on Child Safety and Wellbeing which can be provided on request.

 
Understand > Prevent > Respond > Report – 4 segment graphic
 

Understand

At NeuroRehab Allied Health Network, below are some of the steps we take to support all team members and volunteers and contractors in understanding behaviours of children and young people and behaviours of others and identifying risk:

  • A child safe code of conduct which spells out acceptable and unacceptable behaviours to be read and agreed to abide by.

  • Periodic mandatory training on children’s rights, child development, the organisation’s child safety and wellbeing policies and procedures, recognising signs of harm or abuse, responding to disclosures, understanding, and responding to harmful behaviours by a child towards another child, record keeping, risk assessment and management, external reporting obligations, and creating culturally safe environments.

  • Having mandatory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) cultural safety training on our learning platform so that all team members learn about the specific needs of ATSI people.  

  • Induction training on child safety and wellbeing responsibilities, the organisation’s child safety and wellbeing policies and procedures, external reporting obligations (e.g., mandatory reporting).

Prevent

Team member, volunteers and contractors are expected to take all necessary steps to prevent harm of a child and young person. NeuroRehab Allied Health Network also ensures:

  • Child Safe and Wellbeing Policy states NeuroRehab Allied Health Network has zero tolerance of racism. 

  • Child Safe Code of Conduct states there is zero tolerance of racism and outlines expectations that team members and volunteers will act on incidents of racism. 

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families are asked for feedback about how NeuroRehab Allied Health Network services are performing and what could be improved. 

  • Resources are displayed and made available to educate and engage children and young people about their rights, safe environments, protective strategies for staying safe and seeking help when needed.

  • Team members and volunteers must use physical and online environments in line with the Child Safe Code of Conduct and/or relevant communication protocols.

Respond

Children and young people need to know we will listen to them when they reach out if they are experiencing harm or abuse. Therefore:

  • NeuroRehab Allied health Network’s culture aims for all team members and volunteers (in addition to parents/carers and children) to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns. We have strategies for ensuring team members or volunteers who disclose harm or risk to children and young people are supported. 

  • Training for team members and volunteers on the complaints process, their roles, responsibilities, reporting and privacy obligations, and responding to children who disclose abuse (including recognising the diverse ways children may disclose). 

Report

Reporting abuse and neglect is the right thing to do. NeuroRehab Allied Health Network aims to ensure:

  • We provide child-friendly and culturally safe information to children and young people, families, and communities about how they can raise concerns and how those concerns will be responded to and investigated. This information is provided in our welcome pack, on our website, through posters in our clinics and discussions if they arise. We work to ensure all children, families, team members and volunteers know what to do and who to tell if they observe abuse or are a victim, and if they notice inappropriate behavior. 

  • Everyone knows we all have a responsibility to report an allegation of abuse if we have a reasonable belief an incident took place. If an adult has a reasonable belief an incident has occurred they must report the incident. Factors contributing to reasonable belief may be: 

    • a child states they or someone they know has been abused (noting that sometimes the child may in fact be referring to themselves).

    • behaviour consistent with that of an abuse victim is observed.

    • someone else has raised a suspicion of abuse but is unwilling to report it .

    • observing suspicious behaviour.

  • Team members, volunteers or contractors are advised to call 000 If they believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse. 

  • Any child, family, carers, or guardian are encouraged to report allegations, concerns, or complaints to us by talking to their therapist or the NeuroJunior Allied Health Clinical Manager or through our Feedback Form on our website.

  • The child, families, carers, or guardians can also report the matter to Children Commission: