RTOs - culturally safe environments

About the Standard

This Standard requires registered training organisations (RTOs) to take steps to create a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal children and their families. Organisations must meet this Standard, even if Aboriginal children do not use their services or facilities.

Most organisations will need to improve their approach to creating a safe environment for Aboriginal children and their families.

Implementing this Standard will require ongoing effort, not a one-off change.

How to comply

An RTO must be able to provide evidence of:

a commitment to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children
a Child Safety Code of Conduct that requires staff and volunteers to support Aboriginal children and families express and enjoy their cultural rights
a commitment that the RTO will not tolerate racism
procedures that address incidents of racism and potential consequences
documented actions and strategies to support Aboriginal people to enrol in training and express their culture. These must include:
- accountable positions
- allocated resources
- timelines
how the RTO’s management promotes:
- the strengths of Aboriginal culture
- the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children.

Examples of compliance

An RTO complying with this Standard may have:

a publicly available Child Safety Code of Conduct (compulsory)
regular discussions on Aboriginal child safety at staff, management or board meetings
a business plan that documents activities to build a culturally safe environment
recruitment and induction processes that include Aboriginal culture and safety
professional development for staff and volunteers on Aboriginal culture
communication resources that detail the RTO’s commitment to Aboriginal culture and safety.

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