Child Safety, Safeguarding & Complaints

Our commitment

Speak Life WA is committed to creating environments in which children and young people are safe, respected, heard and supported.

We do not tolerate child abuse, grooming, exploitation, neglect, bullying, harassment, discrimination, retaliation or inappropriate conduct by any staff member, volunteer, contractor, participant or visitor.

What children and young people can expect

Every child and young person involved with Speak Life WA has the right to:

• be treated with dignity, fairness and respect;
• feel safe and have their wellbeing prioritised;
• be listened to and taken seriously;
• understand what a program involves in age-appropriate language;
• say when something feels wrong, unsafe or uncomfortable;
• raise a concern or complaint without being punished or treated unfairly;
• have their privacy respected, subject to safety and legal obligations.

Staff and volunteer expectations

Speak Life WA expects staff and volunteers to comply with applicable screening, Working with Children Check, induction, supervision, conduct and reporting requirements.

Staff and volunteers must maintain appropriate boundaries and must not:

• engage in abusive, sexual, exploitative, coercive, discriminatory or grooming behaviour;
• arrange secret or unauthorised contact with a child or young person;
• use disappearing messages or unauthorised private communication channels;
• transport or meet a young person outside approved arrangements;
• promise absolute confidentiality;
• use faith, authority, gifts, threats or personal information to manipulate a young person;
• share identifying, placement, location or personal information without authority.

Strict prohibition on photography and recordings

No person may publish or share images, recordings, identifying details, care arrangements, program locations or personal stories concerning a child or young person.

Reporting a concern

A concern may be raised by a child or young person, parent, guardian, carer, family member, staff member, volunteer, referring organisation or member of the public.

You can report:

• something that made you or another person feel unsafe or uncomfortable;
• suspected abuse, grooming, exploitation, neglect or inappropriate conduct;
• a breach of boundaries, privacy or the recording prohibition;
• bullying, harassment, discrimination or retaliation;
• concerns about how Speak Life WA handled an incident or complaint.

How to make a complaint or safeguarding report

You may ask a trusted adult, carer, support worker or advocate to help you make a report. Complaints may be made in writing or verbally. Anonymous concerns will be considered where enough information is available to assess them.

If the concern is about the nominated safeguarding contact, report it to:

What happens after a report

Speak Life WA will seek to:

• respond promptly and respectfully;
• prioritise immediate safety and wellbeing;
• record and assess the concern appropriately;
• limit information sharing to people who need it for safety, fairness or legal compliance;
• refer allegations or serious concerns to police, child-protection authorities, regulators or other appropriate bodies where required or reasonably necessary;
• take reasonable steps to protect people from retaliation.

Limits of confidentiality

We will respect privacy as far as reasonably possible. However, we cannot keep information secret where someone may be at risk, where suspected abuse or serious misconduct must be reported, or where disclosure is required or authorised by law.

Immediate danger

Continuous improvement

Speak Life WA reviews concerns, incidents and feedback to improve its practices, training, supervision and safeguards.

Organisation details