Mandatory Reporting Policy and Procedure

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Little Yarra Steiner School

 Mandatory Reporting Policy and Procedure

Purpose

This policy is intended to assist all staff at Little Yarra Steiner School to understand their role and responsibilities in relation to Child protection and mandatory reporting.  In particular this policy is in place to support the students in our care and the teachers who have a greater duty of care.

Background

This policy is designed to update and reflect current legislation relating to child protection and mandatory reporting.  While some of the scope and implementation has changed teachers remain gazetted mandatory reporters.

Associated Principles

Little Yarra is committed to creating an environment that supports the children in their education and development, where the children feel secure, happy, and loved; where the children can learn to interact positively with others; and where they can learn and develop into free, creative, and responsible human beings, free of disturbing, bullying, or harassing behaviour.

Policy Statement

As a School:

• Little Yarra Steiner School endeavours to assist all staff members, . including new staff, in being aware of their professional roles and responsibilities including those relating to Child Protection and Duty of Care
• The School will endeavour to foster a program of Welfare and well being that covers personal safety and forms of abuse as a preventative strategy. 
• The school will inform the staff students and parents of the its policies relating to child protection and Duty of Care through parent teacher meetings, community discussions, and the newsletter.

As a Teacher:

According to the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 – mandatory reporters include Nurses and VIT registered teachers and those who have been granted Permission to Teach. It is important to note that your responsibilities as a teacher are not confined to the work place or those students who are ordinarily under your direct supervision. This policy and its associated procedures are designed to support staff and students at Little Yarra Steiner School.

Your responsibilities as a registered teacher in Victoria include the following:

• It is your responsibility as a registered teacher in Victoria to share information with Child FIRST or Child Protection that will assist in promoting a vulnerable child’s safety and development and offer the child’s family assistance and services they may need
• If you believe on reasonable grounds that a child is suffering physical or sexual abuse, it is your professional and legal responsibility to make a mandatory report to Child Protection (who do have statutory powers)
• If you have significant concern for the wellbeing of a vulnerable child, it is your professional responsibility to make a referral to Child FIRST (who do not have statutory powers). It is encouraged that you first try to seek the child or the parent/s’ consent to approach family services
• At no times must the child be put at risk of further harm
• If attempting to gain consent could put the child, yourself or someone else at risk of harm, family services should be contacted without gaining consent.

What you need to know about information Sharing:

A referral to Child FIRST or report to Child Protection will require sharing information to assist family services in making an initial assessment. Information that can be shared includes:

• any known history of the child suffering harm
• any period the child has been cared for by other people
• any significant issues relating to the child’s brothers or sisters
• the child’s physical health, including any medical treatment needs
• any psychological and emotional difficulties the child may have
• the child’s education, including any special educational needs
• any disabilities the child may have, including the care they may need as a result
• any known allergies and dietary requirements of the child
• any significant health problems of the child’s parents
• whether a parent has a mental illness, substance abuse problem, disability or a history of family violence
• whether a parent is receiving treatment for any of the above issues and the outcomes of this
• information about a person in the household who may pose a risk to the child

 Information shared must show your belief that the child’s family life is causing adverse effects on that child’s safety and development and not be founded on prejudice, intolerance or bias

It is a provision that information shared does not breach any privacy legislations such as the Information Privacy Act 2000

You may be legally called upon to give information on a child who is subject to a Children’s Court Protection Order. Otherwise, information sharing is not legal but it is encouraged

Information shared in good faith cannot be penalised by legal or professional consequences

You cannot be successfully sued or suffer any official consequences to your professional work for sharing information with family services.

Related Documentation

A procedure has been developed to assist staff members who have concerns over the wellbeing a child.

Staff Code of Conduct

Student Code of Conduct

Parent Code of Conduct

Related Legalisation

Children, Youth and Families Act 2005  

Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005

Review Date

To be Review by the College of Teachers February 2009

Document Updated: 21/11/2008

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