Children and young people are to be better protected following legislation being introduced into the NSW Parliament which implements recommendations from the recent Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services, Gareth Ward said the Children’s Guardian Amendment (Child Safe Scheme) Bill 2021 would help make organisations safer for children and young people by strengthening oversight and practice.
“These changes are all about improving how organisations protect children and young people from abuse and neglect, by placing their voices and interests at the heart of what they do,” Mr Ward said.
“The Child Safe Standards recommended by the Royal Commission speak for themselves – this Bill will implement a legislative Child Safe Scheme to create stronger, safer environments for children in line with what the Royal Commission recommended,” he said.
Mr Ward said the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) had conducted extensive consultation with child-related organisations and other Government and non-Government stakeholders to develop the Child Safe Scheme.
The Minister said the Scheme provided a framework for organisations to create and maintain child safe cultures with the flexibility to apply standards in ways that suited organisation size; resources; and the nature of their involvement with children.
“The Bill also gives the OCG additional powers to monitor, investigate and enforce implementation of the Child Safe Standards to ensure organisations are doing their utmost to prevent the abuse of children,” he said.
Mr Ward said the OCG would support all organisations to implement the Scheme with an approach focused on capability building and support being.
