Child safety and wellbeing is one of the most important advocacy areas for CSPV and indeed for most parents of children in Catholic schools.
CSPV, in our advocacy capacity, seeks to ensure that the Catholic schools that children attend throughout each diocese in Victoria are providing a safe and secure environment for children to learn and thrive.
Our key priorities are to ensure we remain up to date and keep parents informed of the Child Safe Standards, particularly around mandatory reporting and understanding the Reportable Conduct legislation and how this impacts parents, teachers and children in Catholic learning communities.
Our role is in assisting with communication of the Child Safe Standards with parents and to provide information that is both relevant and easy to understand across a broad spectrum of family backgrounds that exist in Catholic schools in Victoria.
In moving beyond compliance, Catholic school parents must also have an understanding of what it means to develop a culture of child safety that can only be achieved in partnership with the whole school community.
CSPV play a major role in consulting and collaborating with relevant education and governing authorities in achieving this for Catholic school parents.
Our key priorities for child safety and wellbeing are:
• Prevention of bullying in schools and online
• Implementation of the Child Safe Standards
• Wellbeing programs and providing parents with resources and understanding of social and emotional learning and what makes Catholic schools unique when it comes to equipping children with these essential skills
• Developing strategies around safe and supportive learning communities for all children.
Submissions
2012 Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into sexting in schools