Policies

Child Safe Policy

For the Love of Science is committed to child safety. 

  • We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff, contractors and volunteers.
  • We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children. 
  • We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures. Our Child Safety Officer (the Principal) will be the first port of call for all incidents and will guide staff through all procedural requirements
  • We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.
  • Our organisation is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks. 
  • We support and respect all children, as well as any staff, contractors and volunteers. We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability. 
  • If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse, please phone 000.

Our children

  • This policy is intended to empower children who are vital and active participants in our organisation. We involve them when making decisions, especially about matters that directly affect them. We listen to their views and respect what they have to say. 
  • We promote diversity and tolerance in our organisation, and people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds are welcome. In particular we;  promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of Aboriginal children; promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and ensure that children with a disability are safe and can participate equally. 
  • We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children. For The Love Of Science core values clearly support this commitment

Our staff and contractors

  • This policy guides our staff and contractors on how to behave with children in our organisation. 
  • All of our staff and contractors must agree to abide by our code of conduct which specifies the standards of conduct required when working with children. 

Training and supervision 

  • Training and education is important to ensure that everyone in our organisation understands that child safety is everyone’s responsibility. 
  • Our organisational culture aims for all staff and contractors (in addition to parents/carers and children) to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns. We will be training our staff and contractors to identify, assess, and minimise risks of child abuse and to detect potential signs of child abuse. 
  • We also support our staff and contractors through ongoing supervision to: develop their skills to protect children from abuse; and promote the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from linguistically and/or diverse backgrounds, and the safety of children with a disability. 
  • New employees and contractors will be supervised regularly to ensure they understand our organisation’s commitment to child safety and that everyone has a role to play in protecting children from abuse, as well as checking that their behaviour towards children is safe and appropriate. Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported through proper channels, including the Department of Health and Human Services and Victoria Police, depending on the severity and urgency of the matter. 

Recruitment 

  • We take all reasonable steps to employ skilled people to work with children. We develop selection criteria and advertisements which clearly demonstrate our commitment to child safety and an awareness of our social and legislative responsibilities. Our organisation understands that when recruiting staff and contractors we have ethical as well as legislative obligations. 
  • All people engaged in child-related work, are required to hold a Working with Children Check and to provide evidence of this Check. Please see the Working with Children Check website for further information. 
  • We carry out reference checks and police record checks to ensure that we are recruiting the right people. 

Fair procedures for personnel 

  • The safety and wellbeing of children is our primary concern. We are also fair and just to personnel. The decisions we make when recruiting, assessing incidents, and undertaking disciplinary action will always be thorough, transparent, and based on evidence. 
  • We record all allegations of abuse and safety concerns using an incident reporting form, including investigation updates. All records are securely stored.
  • If an allegation of abuse or a safety concern is raised, we provide updates to families on progress and any actions we as an organisation take. 

Privacy

All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved, whether they be staff, volunteers, parents or children, unless there is a risk to someone’s safety, as per our Privacy Policy. 

Legislative responsibilities

Our organisation takes our legal responsibilities seriously, including: 

  • Failure to disclose: Reporting child sexual abuse is a community-wide responsibility. All adults in Victoria who have a reasonable belief that an adult has committed a sexual offence against a child under 16 have an obligation to report that information to the police. 
  • Failure to protect: People of authority in our organisation will commit an offence if they know of a substantial risk of child sexual abuse and have the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, but negligently fail to do so. 

Risk management 

  • In Victoria, organisations are required to protect children when a risk is identified. In addition to general occupational health and safety risks, we proactively manage risks of abuse to our children. 
  • We have risk management strategies in place to identify, assess, and take steps to minimise child abuse risks, which include risks posed by physical environments. (for example, any doors that can lock)

Regular review 

  • This policy will be reviewed every two years and following significant incidents if they occur. We will ensure that families and children have the opportunity to contribute. Where possible we do our best to work with local Aboriginal communities, culturally and/or linguistically diverse communities and people with a disability. 

Allegations, concerns and complaints

  • Our organisation takes all allegations seriously and has practices in place to investigate thoroughly and quickly. Our staff and contractors are trained to deal appropriately with allegations. 
  • We work to ensure all children, families, staff and volunteers know what to do and who to tell if they observe abuse or are a victim, and if they notice inappropriate behaviour. 
  • We all have a responsibility to report an allegation of abuse if we have a reasonable belief that an incident took place.


Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the Alternate Leisure setting is safe, inclusive and empowering for all staff, customers and visitors. This policy demonstrates For the Love of Science’s commitment to, and value for, diversity and inclusion across all aspects of the setting.

Creating an environment that is free from discrimination and that is welcoming to all, is essential in promoting positive social interaction and mental wellbeing. All community members and staff are treated fairly and with respect.

Definitions

Bullying is repeated verbal, physical, social or psychological aggressive behaviour by a person or a group directed towards a less powerful person or group that is intended to cause harm, distress or fear. 1

Cultural Safety is an environment that is spiritually, socially and emotionally safe, as well as physically safe for people. 2

Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. 2

Harassment is aggressive pressure or intimidation. 2

Procedure

For The Love Of Science will:

  • Create a safe, inclusive, cultural environment.
  • Provide an inclusive and empowering social environment displaying respect, fairness and equity.
  • Promote a sense of belonging and connectedness through inclusive and participatory practices.
  • Be aware of the cultural needs of customers and staff and ensure there are culturally appropriate food options available for all.
  • Consider access for all abilities in the physical environment and/or programming.
  • Ensure the spaces are welcoming for all and that the setting promotes positive social interaction.
  • Ensure various community groups feel heard in regards to their needs to access the setting.
  • Ensure marketing and promotional materials are accessible and appropriate for varying audiences and show diversity.
  • Have a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment.
  • Ensure strategies are in place to promote positive and responsible behaviour, and prevent and respond to bullying, discrimination and harassment.

Endorsement

Management approval:Date approved:Review date:
Meagan Volta09/08/202401/07/2025

1 www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/bullystoppers

2 oxfordictionaries.com

Covid Safe Policy

At For the Love of Dance we are completely committed to the health and safety of every member of our staff and students. Therefore we have the following Covid safe procedures in place:

Students, parents and staff must not attend our classes if they:

  • Are displaying any cold or flu like symptoms
  • Have been in contact with someone displaying cold or flu like symptoms
  • Have recently had a Covid test and are awaiting results
  • Have been in contact with someone who has recently had a Covid test and is waiting for results.
  • Any individual who has tested positive for Covid must notify For the Love of Science.

For the Love of Science reserves the right to:

  • For the Love of Science reserves the right to refuse entry to any individual who presents with symptoms
  • For the Love of Science reserves the right to request a temperature check of any student or parent if required by the Victorian State Government. 

For the Love of Science Responsibilities:

  • Will remain up-to-date with Australian guidelines for hygiene and social distancing
  • Will keep record of all staff and students attendance for contract tracing purposes
  • Staff will not run a class if they are unwell and will notify parents or students immediately 
  • Will wear a mask when and if required by the Victorian government before and after classes

Privacy Policy

Who we are

Our website address is: https://fortheloveofscience.com.au.

Comments

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Media

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Contact Forms

If you fill in a form within the For the Love of Science website, your submitted details will be sent to For the Love of Science and kept on record. The submitted information will be kept private, not sold or traded and will not be shared with external parties without your explicit written permission.

Cookies

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Where your data is sent

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