CHILD AND YOUTH RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

1. Go to section…
2. 1. Statement of Commitment
3. 2. Code of Conduct
   1. a. Children, young people and parents
   2. b. Language
   3. c. Supervision of children
   4. d. Physical contact
   5. e. One-to-one contact with a child
   6. f. Behaviour management
   7. g. Transport of children and young people
   8. h. Change room/toilets
   9. i. Managing injuries or illnesses
   10. j. Visitor policy
   11. k. Photography policy
   12. l. Use of technology and social media
   13. m. Smoking, alcohol consumption and the use of medication and drugs
   14. n. Organisation standards
   15. o. General safety
       p. Confidentiality of information
   16. q. Other requirements
4. 3. Recruitment, selection, training and management
5. 4. Reporting disclosures and suspicions of harm
6. 5. Managing breaches
7. 6. Risk management plan for high-risk activities
8. 7. Managing compliance with the WCC system
9. 8. Communication and support

1. 1. Statement of Commitment
   1. (a) I am committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, and will treat them with respect and understanding at all times. In order to provide a positive and supportive environment where learning and skill development is encouraged and facilitated, I will conduct my business activities in accordance with the following values – Integrity,  Respect, Empathy and Honesty.
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2. 2. Code of Conduct.

1. (a) Children and young people, parents
   1. (i) Children, young people and parents are to conduct themselves in accordance with the following values – Integrity,  Respect, Empathy and Honesty (section 1A).
   2. (ii) In the case that either party does not conduct themselves in such a way while business activities are being undertaken, necessary action will be taken if requests are not followed. Actions taken may remain in place for a temporary period of time or permanently, depending on the behaviour that occured.
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2. (b) Language
   1. (i) The language from children and youth will be held to the same standards and values of that held by the business.
   2. (ii) I acknowledge that in the event that I do decide to alter Language policies, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for language.
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3. (c) Supervision of children
   1. (i) While I conduct business activity online via Zoom, supervision of children and youth remains the responsibility of the child’s parents and/or legal gaurdians.
   2. (ii) I acknowledge that in the event that I do decide to alter the above supervision methods, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for supervision of children.
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4. (d) Physical contact
   1.  (i) I do not engage in physical contact due to the nature of my business.
   2. (ii) I acknowledge that in the event that it becomes necessary to engage physical contact, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for Physical contact.
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5. (e) One-to-one contact with a child
   1. (i) Due to the nature of my business, it is understood that one-to-one contact with a child may be required in order for the conducting of the business’s learning activities to remain as effective as possible for  the benefit and continued positive development of all children and youth.
   2. (ii) In the event that a child may have a need to communicate outside of business hours and outside of the business’s official communication channels, a reminder will be sent regarding
   3. communication to occur via the business’s official communication channels found on the Contact Us page. Any communication that is received after the reminder will be blocked.
   4. (iii) I acknowledge that future changes to improve the effectiveness of one-to-one contact with a child, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for One-to-one contact with a child.
6. (f) Behaviour management
   1. (i) I do not take away the opportunity of learning if a particular event occurs as a result of non-desirable  behaviour taking place, however a different activity will be given to the child if necessary to help them reflect on their behaviour.
   2. (ii) As business activity is conducted mainly online, removal of a child from a session will occur if the non-desirable behaviour continues and prevents other children from learning.
   4. (iii) I acknowledge that in the event that I do alter these behaviour management strategies, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for behaviour management.
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7. (g) Transport of children and young people
   1. (i) I do not engage in the transport of children and young people due to the nature of my business.
   2. (ii) I acknowledge that in the event that I do decide to provide  transport of children and young people, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for the Transport of children and young people.
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8. (h) Change rooms/toilets
   1. (i) Due to the nature of my business primarily being based online,  managing a child or young persons supervision and safety while using a change room or toilet will remain the responsbility of the child’s parent and/or legal guardian.
   2. (ii) I acknowledge that in the event that I do gain the responsibility to provide such supervision and safety, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for the safety of children and young people acessing change rooms and toilets.
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9. (i) Managing injuries or illnesses
   1. (i) When business activities are conducted online,  managing injuries or illnesses will remain the responsbility of the child’s parent and/or legal guardian.
   2. (ii) When business activities are conducted in-person AND the child’s parent and/or legal guardian is present, managing injuries or illnesses will remain the responsbility of the child’s parent and/or legal guardian.
   3. (iii) When business activities are conducted in-person AND the child’s parent and/or legal guardian is NOT present, managing injuries or illnesses will remain the responsbility of Aaron Tutors Me and first aid offered and provided after receiving consent from both the child and  child’s parent and/or legal guardian.
   4. (iv) In the case a child or young person does have an illness before attending a lesson, it will be advised for the child or young person to not attend. Otherwise, in the case that I believe a child who has an injury or illness will not gain anything from a lesson due to their pain or stresses, and to support the health of the child,  the option to reschedule the lesson is to be provided before commencing or continuing on with a lesson.
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10. (j) Visitor policy
    1. (i) I do not engage vistors due to the nature of my business.
    2. (ii) I acknowledge that in the event that I do decide to engage visitors, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for visitors.
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11. (k) Photography policy
    1. (i) Photography (including screenshots) is prohibited during both online and in-person lessons. An exception will be made where a parent of the child has given permission and requested photographs be taken for the purpose of keeping a record of their child’s learning progress and achievements.
    2. (ii) Sufficient notice will be provided to the child or young person before photograph(s) take place.
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12. (l) Use of technology and social media
    1. (i) In the event of an unforeseen technical event occuring that I believe may result in a breach of any section of  the Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy,  all lessons being delivered via Zoom will immediately be terminated. All upcoming lessons will remain suspended until the issue has been investigated and mitigations have been implemented.
    2. (ii) Communication via social media platforms from children and young people takes place via the official Aaron Tutors Me communication channels listed on this website. Communication outside of these channels will not be accepted.
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13. (m) Smoking, alcohol consumption and the use of medication and drugs
    1. (i) Smoking, alcohol consumption and the use of medication and drugs is prohibited. An exception will be made for children and young people that require the use of medication as per their own medical requirements. However, providing medication and supervision will remain the responsibility of the parent and/or legal guardian.
    2. (ii) I acknowledge that in the event that it becomes neccessary to provide and supervise the consumption of medication, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for the smoking, alcohol consumption and the use of medication and drugs.
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14. (n) Organisation standards
    1. (i) While conducting business actvities, the standards held for children are also held for the business. These standards inlude attending  sessions on time, remaining professional, communicating any issues and suggesting solutions to said issues, as well as actively engaging in activities.
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15. (o) General safety
    1. (i) Appropriate measures are taken before, during, and after the occurence of each business activity to mitigate any hazards and risks to the health and safety of children and young people and ensure the general safety in accordance with relevant Australian WHS legislation.
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16. (p) Confidentiality of information
    1. (i) Appropriate measures are taken before, during, and after the occurence of each business activity to ensure the confidentiality of information of children and young people.
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17. (q) Other requirements
    1. (i) No other requirements are applicable here.
    2. (ii) I acknowledge that in the event that other requirements become applicable, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for other requirements.
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1. 3. Recruitment, selection, training and management
   1. (a) As I operate on a sole basis, I am responsible for my own ongoing training and professional development.
   2. (b) I acknowledge that in the event that I do decide to engage paid staff or volunteers, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for recruitment, selection and management.
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2. 4. Reporting disclosures and suspicions of harm
   1. (a) Definition
   2. Harm is defined as ‘any detrimental effect of a significant nature on the child’s physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing’. Harm can be caused by physical, psychological, or emotional abuse or neglect; or sexual abuse or exploitation (section 9 of the Child Protection Act 1999).
   3. Considerations when forming a reasonable suspicion about harm to a child include (section 13C of the Child Protection Act 1999):
   4. • whether there are detrimental effects on the child’s body or the psychological state or emotional state that are evident to the person, or that the person considers are likely to become evident in the future, and
   5. • in relation to any detrimental effects mentioned above their nature and severity, and the likelihood that they will continue, and
   6. • the child’s age.
   7. It is also important to remember that harm can be caused by a single act or omission or a series of acts or omissions.
   8. (b) I have a mandatory obligation to report to police if I am aware or reasonably suspect that a child is the victim of sexual abuse by another adult.
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3. 5. Managing breaches
   1. (a) In the event any person involved within my organisation, including children and parents, fail to comply with any of the policies and procedures which make up this risk management strategy – either as a result of a particular action or inaction and the breach is considered to be ‘low-level’ – the person will receive an alert of concern from the business addressing the behaviour. If the action or inaction repeatedly occurs, disciplinary action will be taken to correct the inappropriate behaviour.
   2. (b) In the event any person involved within my organisation, including children and parents, fail to comply with any of the policies and procedures which make up this risk management strategy – either as a result of a particular action or inaction and the breach is considered to be ‘high-level’ – the procedures within the OCG’s Reporting Obligations and Processes handbook will be followed.
   3. (c) I acknowledge that in the event that a breach occurs, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for risk management for managing breaches.
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4. 6. Risk management plan for high-risk activities
   1. (a) I do not engage in high-risk activities or special events due to the nature of my business.
   2. (b) I acknowledge that in the event that I do decide to engage in high-risk activities or special events, this Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy will be reviewed as a whole and in particular draft specific policies and procedures for risk management for high-risk activities.
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5. 7. Managing compliance with the WCC system
   1. (a) Risk management requirements and my own obligations as a cardholder which include advising WCC Services if I have a change in police information and keeping contact details up to date.
   2. (b) As I do not have any staff or volunteers, I am not required to keep an ’employee register’ however I must keep a written record of my personal WCC details including card number, type of card, issue date and renewal date and strategy to ensure my card remains current.
   3. (c) This Child and Youth Risk Manageent Strategy will be reviewed at least on an annual basis and after any incidents to ensure that risks continue to be addressed and minimised throughout my organisation.
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6. 8. Communication and support
   1. (a) Children and young people will be made aware of my policies and commitment to child protection via email, social media, in-person, during the first online lesson through Zoom, and throughout future Zoom lessons if and when I believe it to be necessary to do so.
   2. (b) Parents and carers will be made aware of my policies and commitment to child protection via email, social media, in-person, and at start of the child’s first online lesson via Zoom.
   3. (c) Consultants and contractors will be made aware of my policies and commitment to child protection via email, social media, in-person, and/or phone call before the commencement of any technical issue troubleshooting commences. Appropriate measures will be taken to mitigate any risks and ensure continuous protection of personal information and privacy of children and young people.
   4. (d) Visitors will be made aware of my policies and commitment to child protection via email, social media, in-person, and/or phone call before the commencement of a visit. Appropriate measures will be taken to mitigate any risks and ensure continuous protection of personal information and privacy of children and young people.

Revision ~ July 2024