This Bendigo Baptist Church Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy is written to demonstrate the strong commitment the BBC Council, staff and volunteers have to child safety and wellbeing, and to provide an outline of the policies and practices we have in place to keep everyone safe from any harm, including abuse.
This policy was developed in collaboration with staff, volunteers and the children who use our services and their parents/carers/guardians and the church community. It applies to all staff, volunteers, children and individuals involved in our church community.

The purpose of this policy is 
1. To facilitate the prevention of child abuse from occurring within BBC.
2. To work towards an organisational culture of child safety and wellbeing.
3. To ensure that everyone who calls BBC their church community is aware of their responsibilities for identifying possible occasions for child abuse and for establishing controls and procedures for preventing such abuse and/or detecting such abuse when it occurs.
4. To provide guidance and ongoing training to staff/volunteers/contractors as to action that should be taken where they suspect any abuse within or outside of the organisation.
5. To provide a clear statement to staff/volunteers/contractors forbidding any such abuse.
6. To provide assurance that any, and all, suspected abuse will be reported and fully investigated according to State Law.

The welfare of the children and young people in our care will always be our first priority. We are committed to providing a child safe and child friendly environment where children and young people feel safe and have fun.All children and young people who come to Bendigo Baptist Church have a right to be informed about all of their rights, including safety, information and participation.

Bendigo Baptist Church staff and volunteers encourage children and young people:
- To express their views. We listen to their suggestions, especially on matters that directly affect them, as we believe that a community that empowers & listens to them will help them feel safe enough to raise concerns.
- To ‘have a say’ about things that are important to them. Policies and practices that are shaped by children’s views can better prevent harm to children and young people.
Just like adults, all children and young people have rights. Rights are basic entitlements that belong to each person, regardless of any differences. 

Bendigo Baptist Church staff and volunteers:
– Always uphold and respect children and young people’s rights
– Take a proactive role in educating them about their rights
– Support them to exercise their rights. 

We teach children and young people about what they can do if they feel unsafe. We listen to and act on any concerns children and young people, and their parents and guardians raise with us. 
Empowerment means building up children and strengthening their confidence in themselves and in the church community. It involves equipping children and young people with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions and enabling them to increase control of their lives.

We value diversity and do not tolerate any discriminatory practices. To achieve this, we pay attention to the needs of ALL children and young people including, but not limited to those: 

– With a disability – We do not stereotype or make assumptions about a child’s abilities, but rather recognise that each child is different and unique and experiences disability and the world differently.

– From culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds – we take steps to understand language and cultural needs and take diverse family structures and norms into account.

– Who are unable to live at home – there are many reasons why children may not be able to live at home. Their living arrangements can be varied, but we ensure we are welcome all children regardless of their circumstances.

– Who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, gender diverse and non-binary children and young people (LGTBQIA+) – we welcome and value all children and young people and make it clear that we will take steps to protect anyone from abuse and harm.

– Of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander descent – we acknowledge and appreciate the strengths of Aboriginal culture and understand its importance to the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children and young people and ensure we take steps to uphold the right of children to enjoy and feel connected to their culture and community,

Recruitment, including advertising, referee checks and staff and volunteer pre-employmentscreening, emphasise child safety and wellbeing. Bendigo Baptist Church applies these best practice standards when engaging staff and volunteers. 
We interview and conduct referee checks on all staff and volunteers and require police checks and Working with Children Checks for relevant positions. Our commitment to Child Safety and our screening requirements are included in all advertisements. All staff and volunteers must sign the Code of Conduct before commencing in their roles and re-sign it annually.

Staff and volunteers are trained and supported to effectively implement BBC’s Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy. Staff and volunteers receive regular training and information to recognise indicators of child harm including harm caused by other children and young people. Staff and volunteers receive training and information to respond effectively to issues of child safety and wellbeing and support colleagues who disclose harm. Staff and volunteers receive training and information on how to build culturally safe environments for children and young people.

Bendigo Baptist Church has appointed a Child Safety Person with the specific responsibility for responding to any complaints made by staff, volunteers, parents/guardians or children and young people. A child-focused complaint handling process ensures we have a positive complaints culture. Bendigo Baptist Church encourages and welcomes the reporting of concerns, responds to complaints promptly, thoroughly, and fairly, and takes immediate action to protect children and young people at risk.

We recognise the importance of a risk management approach to minimising the potential for child abuse or harm to occur and use this to inform our policy, procedures and activity planning. In addition to general occupational health and safety risks, we proactively manage risks of abuse to our children and young people. Staff and volunteers identify and mitigate risks in the online and physical environments posed by campus & offsite locational settings, ministry activities and the physical environment without compromising a child’s right to privacy, access to information, social connections and learning opportunities. The online environment is used in accordance with Bendigo Baptist Church’s Code of Conduct and Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and practices.

All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved unless there is a risk to someone’s safety. Bendigo Baptist Church will protect any personal information that is collected in relation to child safe reporting. (See the full Privacy Policy here.)

Every year, and following every reportable incident, a review is conducted to assess whether the Bendigo Baptist Church child protection policies &/or procedures require modification to better protect the children under its care. Child Safety and Wellbeing forms part of the AGM report.