Adelaide Child Psychology is committed to providing a safe space for children and young people. Children and young people are valued and respected. The wellbeing, safety, and protection of children and young people is always the first priority of everyone at Adelaide Child Psychology.

Adelaide Child Psychology – Child Safe Environments Policy

 Welcome to Adelaide Child Psychology.

Adelaide Child Psychology is a psychology practice dedicated to working with children and adolescents who need support to overcome fears, cope with challenges, and develop their skills so they can reach their full potential. Our psychologists provide warm, caring, and professional support to children, adolescents, and families. All are committed to evidence-based practice.

Adelaide Child Psychology is committed to providing a safe space for children and young people. Children and young people are valued and respected, and the safety and protection of children and young people is always the first priority of everyone here at Adelaide Child Psychology.

Adelaide Child Psychology is committed to diversity. All children and young people are embraced regardless of their abilities, sex, gender, or social, economic, or cultural background.

What are child safe environments?

Children and young people have a right to be safe and protected at all times, including when accessing services in the community. This policy complies with the child safe environments provisions of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

Child safe environments are safe and friendly settings where children and young people are protected and feel respected, valued and encouraged to reach their full potential. Here at Adelaide Child Psychology, we provide a child safe environment and ensure that we:

·        take a preventative, proactive and participatory approach on child wellbeing and safety issues

·        value and embrace the opinions and views of children and young people

·        assist children and young people to build skills that will assist them to participate in society

·        are focused, and take action on, the protection of children and young people from harm or risk of harm.

The commitment to protect and support children and young people is embedded in Adelaide Child Psychology’s culture. This policy was developed so that everyone (including our psychologists, staff, clients and families) is aware of their responsibilities and the shared commitment to keep children and young people safe and protected. This policy applies to each of our psychologists, our staff and our clients and families.

Adelaide Child Psychology strongly believes that sharing the responsibility for the care and protection of children and young people helps to develop a stronger, more child-focused and child-friendly community.

How to access Adelaide Child Psychology’s Child Safe Environments Policy

Staff at Adelaide Child Psychology have created this child safe environments policy through careful consultation and consideration, and with a child-centred focus. All staff and psychologists at Adelaide Child Psychology have been directly consulted about, and provided with a copy of, this policy.

This policy is communicated to clients and families through advertisement on our website, www.adelaidechildpsych.com.au.  A hard copy of this policy is also available for inspection at our clinic. Families are welcome to inspect the policy and discuss any aspects of the policy with our psychologists at a mutually arranged time. 

This policy is updated regularly. Here at Adelaide Child Psychology we strongly value all feedback about this policy and our practice in general, in order to give all clients and families the best possible service and create a safe and welcoming child safe environment.

Feedback options

Children and young people are welcome to provide feedback about this policy or any other aspects of Adelaide Child Psychology’s practice and services. Seeking feedback from child clients is a routine part of our service delivery model.  

We need to know what our clients think about services in order to make them better. All clients have a right to give us feedback about the services they receive.

Any feedback, complaint, or concern will be dealt with promptly, sensitively and fairly. It will be taken seriously.

Adelaide Child Psychology will:

·        listen to the complaint/feedback and make a record of it;

·        respond to the complainant with an outcome;

·        clearly document and securely store decisions and actions taken in response to complaints and feedback; and

·        make sure that procedural fairness is followed at all times.

Any feedback or complaints about services can be raised directly with a child or young person’s consulting psychologist.

Alternatively, if they feel more comfortable, they may wish to raise the issue with the Director of Adelaide Child Psychology, Dr. Luke Schneider, by contacting our reception team on 8237 0506 or emailing admin@adelaidechildpsych.com.au

We also have a feedback / complaints or concerns page on our website, through which children, young people and their families can provide online feedback about any aspects of Adelaide Child Psychology’s practice or services by filling in an online feedback form available at - https://www.adelaidechildpsych.com.au/feedback

Adelaide Child Psychology Code of Conduct

Adelaide Child Psychology has a Code of Conduct for everyone working in our organisation. It covers matters such as:

·        standards of behaviour when working with children and young people in physical and online environments;

·        a commitment that all children and young people are embraced regardless of their abilities, sex, gender, or social, economic or cultural background, and equity is upheld; and

·        what is unacceptable conduct and the consequences of behaving outside expectations.

The Code of Conduct is available for viewing in hard copy at our clinic. Clients and their families are welcome to inspect the Code and can contact their treating psychologist, or the Director of Adelaide Child Psychology, Dr Luke Schneider, to discuss or ask questions about it. Dr Schneider can be contacted on 8237 0506 or admin@adelaidechildpsych.com.au.

Clients and families are encouraged to report a breach of the Code of Conduct through any of the feedback options above.

Adelaide Child Psychology Privacy Policy for Management of Personal Information

The Privacy Policy for Management of Personal Information of Adelaide Child Psychology describes our obligations and procedures for the management of children and young clients and their families’ personal information. The psychological service provided and personal information collected prior to, and during the course of, provision of psychological services is bound by the strict legal requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Clients are provided with a link to a copy of the Privacy Policy via email prior to their first appointment. They are offered the opportunity to discuss the content of the policy and raise any questions about Adelaide Child Psychology’s collection, use and storage of their personal information at any time. The Privacy Policy is also available for inspection in hard copy at our clinic by arrangement.

Concerns or complaints about the collection, use or disclosure of personal information may be raised with the consulting psychologist, or the Director of Adelaide Child Psychology, Dr Luke Schneider on 8237 0506 or admin@adelaidechildpsych.com.au.

Alternatively, complaints or concerns can be raised with the:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by phone on 1300 363 992, online at http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-aprivacy-complaint or by post to:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

GPO Box 5218

Sydney, NSW 2001.

Recruitment

Adelaide Child Psychology has adopted recruitment procedures to make sure that we only engage the most suitable and appropriate people to work with children and young people. These include ensuring that all of our psychologists hold a clear commitment to child safety and wellbeing, hold relevant AHPRA registration and meet the professional and ethical standards associated with this registration.

Adelaide Child Psychology meets the requirements of the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 which requires that psychologists have a valid Working with Children Check issued by the Screening Unit of the Department of Human Services.

All of our psychologists and staff are clear on their responsibilities to children and young people, including record keeping, information sharing and reporting obligations

Adelaide Child Psychology will immediately advise the Screening Unit of the Department of Human Services where we become aware of certain information regarding any person involved with Adelaide Child Psychology, including any serious criminal offence, child protection information, or disciplinary or misconduct information.

Supervision and training

All of our psychologists and relevant staff have undertaken the mandatory child safe environment training courses. They regularly undertake relevant professional development opportunities to build knowledge and skills regarding the wellbeing and development of children and young people.

Our psychologists and staff are provided with a copy of the Mandatory Notification Information Booklet (see: www.dhs.sa.gov.au/cse) when they commence working with us.

They are also able to view the resources Keeping our kids safe at developed by SNAICC at https://www.snaicc.org.au/policy-and-research/child-safety-and-wellbeing/keeping-our-kids-safe/

Dr. Luke Schneider provides regular professional clinical supervision to psychologists and more general supervision to other staff that includes a focus on child safety and wellbeing.

Reporting and responding to harm or risk of harm

Mandated notifiers have a legal obligation to notify CARL as soon as practicable if they suspect on reasonable grounds that a child is or may be at risk of harm. All psychologists are mandated notifiers under the Child and Young People (Safety) Act 2017.

All psychologists at Adelaide Child Psychology have responsibility for reporting a reasonable belief that a child or young person has been harmed or is at risk of harm. At Adelaide Child Psychology, children and young people are listened to and believed.

Mandated Notifiers have statutory obligations to:

·        Notify the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 13 14 78 if they suspect, on reasonable grounds, that a child has been harmed or at risk of harm, or if at immediate risk, report to South Australia Police (SAPOL) on 000.

·        Ensure they are aware of the obligations and the consequences of the obligations and the consequences of failure to comply.

·        Ensure they are able to identify report and respond to children and young people at risk of harm.

·        Support activities that embed the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

It is important to note that it is the individual who identifies the harm or risk of harm that is the person who will make a report to CARL or to SAPOL.

Adelaide Child Psychology will support staff, children, young people and their families after a report to CARL/SAPOL has been made. Adelaide Child Psychology will continue to provide services to the child or young person and their family. In some circumstances, this may also include referring the child, young person, or their family to other appropriate services.

Adelaide Child Psychology acknowledges that child protection is everyone’s responsibility. All members of Adelaide Child Psychology are supported and encouraged to report the reasonable belief that a child or young person is or may be at risk of harm regardless of whether they are legally obligated to.

Adelaide Child Psychology is committed to acting thoroughly and quickly where a child or young person is or may be at risk of harm, with top importance placed on ensuring the safety and protection of children and young people.

The Mandatory Notification Information Booklet provides easy-to-understand information about children or young people at risk of harm. This Booklet is provided to all staff when they commence working with Adelaide Child Psychology and is also available for children and young people and their families to read in hard copy in our clinic by arrangement.  

Adelaide Child Psychology also provides information about services that can assist children, young people and their families (such as the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 and Youth Helpline on 1300 13 17 19 and Mental Health Triage 13 14 65 and emergency services on 000), where necessary.

Risk management

To help maintain a safe environment for children and young people, Adelaide Child Psychology reviews its risks regularly and implement strategies to minimise and manage these risks. Adelaide Child Psychology will identify, assess and monitor all potential and actual sources of harm and take steps to minimise the risk to children and young people who use our services.

Strategies to minimise risks to children and young people occur as part of Adelaide Child Psychology’s ongoing risk management process.

We have taken the following steps in order to minimise any risk of harm to children and young people, including:

• Adelaide Child Psychology meets the requirements of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 (which mandates child safe environments) and the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 (which mandates Working with Children Checks).

• All staff working with children and young people with disability must hold a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) and as applicable, must hold appropriate registration with AHPRA and all other mandated professional registrations and screenings.

• All staff (including psychologists, contractors and employees and volunteers) are required to read this Child Safe Environments Policy, the Code of Conduct, and the Child Safe Environments Mandatory Notification Information Booklet.

• The Adelaide Child Psychology Child-focused Code of Conduct is in place that sets the behavioural standards expected including what happens when a breach occurs, is circulated to staff and psychologists and is available for inspection in the clinic.

• Strategies are in place to make sure that child safety (through the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations) are embedded across the organisation. The National Principles are displayed in the clinic reception.

• The organisation uses inclusive, developmentally-appropriate language and resources to help children/young people to feel valued, respected and included.

• Children, young people and their families are encouraged to participate in our organisation by providing feedback directly to their treating psychologist, or the Director, Adelaide Child Psychology or through our online feedback form.

• This child safe environments policy is reviewed at least once every 5 years. When this happens Adelaide Child Psychology will lodge a new child safe environments compliance statement with the Department of Human Services.

Review

Section 115 of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 requires organisations to review their child safe environments policies and procedures at least once every 5 years. Adelaide Child Psychology will review this policy within 5 years, but will also review the policy when:

·        new or added risks are identified for children or young people, which may require a change in the policy or procedures; or

·        a critical incident where a child or young person has experienced harm through involvement in the organisation; or

·        concerns are raised by anyone involved in your organisation about child safety or welfare in the organisation; or

·        awareness or compliance to the child safe environments policy is low.

Adelaide Child Psychology has lodged a child safe environments compliance statement with the Department of Human Services. We will lodge a new child safe environments compliance statement with Department of Human Services each time we review and update our policy.