Non-school providers - culturally safe environments

About the Standard

Establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.

This Standard focuses on acknowledging and respecting Aboriginal culture and the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal children.

It is important to note that this Standard applies even if you consider there are no Aboriginal children at your provider.

How to comply

A non-school provider must ensure that they:

develop a policy or statement or revise existing ones (for example a Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy) that:
- commits to a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal children
- includes a no-tolerance approach to racism and measures to identify and confront racism with appropriate consequences
support Aboriginal children to express and enjoy their cultural rights
support the participation and inclusion of Aboriginal children and their families
provide training to staff and volunteers to understand the importance of Aboriginal culture and understand its importance to the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children.

Examples of compliance

A non-school provider complying with this Standard may:

provide opportunities to engage with the local Aboriginal community
display plaques to acknowledge traditional owners
instruct students about Aboriginal history and culture
update existing policies (for example the student code of conduct, student and staff handbooks, bullying and complaints policies) to ensure all instances of racism by students, staff, volunteers or visitors are addressed with appropriate consequences
place leaders at the front of anti-racist action
engage with local Aboriginal communities, Aboriginal families or staff to:
- seek advice on how to create a culturally safe environment
- ask for feedback and input into policies, procedures and practices
- identify ways to respect and value Aboriginal culture through teaching and learning
- provide incursions for students
provide Aboriginal cultural training to staff and volunteers
use a Welcome to Country or an Acknowledgement of Country
celebrate NAIDOC week
fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

In complying with Child Safe Standard 1, an organisation must, at a minimum, ensure:
- a child’s ability to express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights is encouraged and actively supported
- strategies are embedded within the organisation which equip all members to acknowledge and appreciate the strengths of Aboriginal culture and understand its importance to the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children and young people
- measures are adopted by the organisation to ensure racism within the organisation is identified, confronted and not tolerated. Any instances of racism are addressed with appropriate consequences.
- the organisation actively supports and facilitates participation and inclusion within it by Aboriginal children, young people and their families
- all of the organisation’s policies, procedures, systems and processes together create a culturally safe and inclusive environment and meet the needs of Aboriginal children, young people and their families.
- National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC)(opens in a new window) — contains resources to support organisations working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and communities to create child safe environments.
- The Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP)(opens in a new window) — provides tools to guide and support the implementation of this Standard including ‘Creating a Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy’ and ‘Steps to develop or update your Code of Conduct’.
- CCYP also have resources help your organisation understand what cultural safety means, including Child Safe Standard 1 guide, Understanding cultural safety for Aboriginal children and young people, Tips for establishing a culturally safe organisation, Frequently asked questions with Meena Singh, Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People and Days of importance for Aboriginal communities.

Education

Updated 21 August 2024