For this Policy to be effective it requires awareness and knowledge within all parts of our community from  worshiping groups to Australia Yearly Meeting and individual Friends. It requires a sustained commitment to shared personal responsibility to ensure every adult in the Quaker community fulfills their responsibility to safeguard our children and young people. 

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone. This Policy aims to promote wellbeing, reduce the risk of abuse and ensure that a caring and appropriate response is taken should abuse be alleged to have occurred. The Policy applies to all people participating in activities auspiced by the Society.

The procedures in Part B are designed to provide more detailed guidance on the implementation of this Policy.

Quakers are a community committed to caring for one another and for the world around us. We seek and respect ‘that of God’ in every person — in all our lives, both public and personal. 

Australia Yearly Meeting in 2021 adopted the Child Safe Principles developed by the Australian Government National  Office for Child Safety. 

This Quaker policy and associated procedures have been written taking account of these principles. 

1. Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.

2. Children and young people are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

3. Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

4. Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.

5. People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

6. Processes to respond to complaints and concerns are child focused.  

7. Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.

8. Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.

9. Implementation of the national child safe principles is regularly reviewed and improved.

10. Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people. 

All Quakers are asked to consider these Principles when implementing this Policy and the Procedures.  More information on the Principles is available on the Office for Child Safety website. https://www.childsafety.gov.au/resources/national-principles-child-safe-organisations.

Responsibilities for oversighting, updating and implementing the Policy are  shared between the Quakers Australia Office, the Quakers Australia Child Protection Committee, regional meeting Child Protection Contact Friends and regional meetings around Australia.

Responsibility for creating a safe inclusive and welcoming community rests with all Quakers. 

Particular groups who have responsibilities under this policy are:

• The Quakers Australia Office: Overall responsibility for the reporting on the implementation of the  policy.

• The Quakers Australia Child Protection Committee: Implementation and updating of the Policy

• The Regional Meetings: Local implementation of The Policy

• Child Protection Contact Friends: Being the resource people for Regional Meetings regarding child safety matters, including knowledge of the relevant state/territory legislation and responding to allegations of abuse or a breach of this policy.

• Approved Child Carers and helpers: Providing welcoming and safe care for children and young people attending Quaker activities.

Further details on the respective roles are included in the Procedures.

It is essential that high standards of conduct are maintained at all times. The Quakers Australia Code of Conduct states that:

We are committed to: 

• Treating every person with respect

• Fostering healthy, supportive relationships between people of all age groups 

• Listening and responding to the concerns of children and adults

•  Acting in a manner that promotes and enhances the wellbeing of all 

• The ethical and sustainable stewardship of our resources.

The full Code of Conduct can be found at: https://www.quakersaustralia.info/sites/aym-members/files/committees/files/Australia%20Quaker%20Code%20of%20Conduct_Draft%20%28approved_YM22%29_.pdf

Each Australian jurisdiction has separate and different Child protection legislation. Some states and territories have Reportable Conduct Schemes applicable to the behaviour of  both volunteers and paid staff.  It is the responsibility of each Regional Meeting to be aware of and to act in accordance with the current legislation in which they operate. A list of jurisdictional contacts is found at:

https://aifs.gov.au/resources/resource-sheets/reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect

Paid and volunteer Child Carers must be carefully selected and screened by interviewer(s) appointed by the Regional Meeting, which is required to maintain a Register of Child Carers.These details are required in the Annual National Audit of Child Carers undertaken by the QA Office. 

All Paid and Volunteer Child Carers need to possess a current Working with Children check or jurisdictional equivalent.

Detailed procedures about this approval process are found in Part B of this document.

Any helper who provides assistance in an organised activity involving children and young people must be supervised by a Child Carer at all times.

Child Carers need to take all reasonable steps to ensure that children and young people  are cared for in a nurturing, physically and emotionally safe environment for in person and online events.

These steps include:

• Maintaining a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere

• Ensuring that at least two Child Carers or a Child Carer and a Helper are  present except when a parent is caring for their own child or children in the same location, in which case one Child Carer may be sufficient.

• Recording those children and carers present at events

• Recording contact details of parents and carers

• Making an agreement at the beginning of any event or camp with all participants about guidelines for respectful behaviour.

• Recording of any incidents

Further details about these procedures, including esafety guidelines, and relevant forms can be found at Part B of this document.

The following behaviours are regarded as inappropriate when caring for children under 18

• Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs

• Engaging in extremely rough physical activities

• Holding, kissing or touching minors in inappropriate or culturally insensitive ways

• Making sexually suggestive comments to minors

• Doing things of a personal nature that minors can do for themselves such as going to the toilet or changing clothes

• Being a single adult alone with a child or children under 18

Any reported incident of alleged abuse at a Quaker activity will be taken very seriously and sensitively and the agreed procedures outlined in Part B will be followed and reported. 

A Child Carer or any other Friend who has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child under 18  has been physically or sexually abused shall immediately contact a RM Child Protection Contact Friend.  Reporting to State or Territory Child Protection statutory authorities is vital and each state and territory has individual procedures to follow.  

Links to these can be found at https://aifs.gov.au/resources/resource-sheets/reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect

Each Regional Meeting is asked by the AYM Office to conduct an annual audit of its child safety practices as part of an annual audit of child safety practices within QA. The aim is to determine compliance with the Child Safety Policy and Procedures over the past 12 months. 

Revisions of the Policy that do not result in major changes may be approved by the QA Child Protection Committee at any time.

This Policy and Procedures needs to be reviewed in 2029.