Child Safety Code of Conduct

Purpose

This Child Safety Code of Conduct outlines the expected standards of behaviour for all adults in the Alfredton Primary School community.

It ensures that all interactions with children and young people are safe, respectful, appropriate and consistent with the Victorian Child Safe Standards and Ministerial Order 1359. This Code supports a culture where child safety is prioritised at all times

Scope

This Code applies to all adults involved with Alfredton Primary School, including:

• parents and carers
• volunteers and parent helpers
• contractors and external providers
• visitors and community members
• pre-service teachers and work placement students
• school council members (where applicable)

It applies in all school-related environments, including school grounds, classrooms, camps, excursions and online environments.

Statement of Commitment

Alfredton Primary School has zero tolerance for child abuse.

All adults in the school community share responsibility for promoting and protecting the safety, wellbeing and rights of children and young people.

All conduct must reflect appropriate professional and respectful boundaries at all times.

Child Safety Expectations

All adults must:

• prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children at all times
• act respectfully, calmly and appropriately in all interactions
• follow all lawful directions of school staff and leadership
• respect the professional role of staff in managing students and school operations
• report child safety concerns through appropriate school channels

Adults must never:

• engage in any form of abuse, harm, intimidation or harassment towards a child
• approach, discipline or question another person’s child while in school care
• act in a way that could be perceived as grooming or inappropriate conduct
• ignore or fail to report suspected child safety concerns

Professional and Respectful Behaviour

All communication with the school community must be:

• respectful and courteous
• free from abusive, aggressive or threatening language
• appropriate in tone across all formats (verbal, written, digital and social media)

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

• bullying, harassment or intimidation
• public criticism of students, staff or families
• defamatory or malicious comments about the school community
• inappropriate escalation of complaints outside school processes

Communication and School Processes

Adults are expected to:

• raise concerns privately and respectfully with relevant staff or leadership
• avoid interrupting teaching or learning unless urgent
• make appointments for meetings where possible
• allow reasonable time for staff responses
• follow school complaints processes when required

Staff wellbeing, student learning time and school operations must be respected.

Social Media and Privacy

Adults must:

• respect the privacy of students, families and staff
• not post or share images of students other than their own child without consent
• not share confidential or sensitive school information
• not engage in harmful, defamatory or inappropriate online commentary

---

Volunteers and Visitors

All volunteers and visitors must:

• sign in at the school office on arrival
• comply with all staff directions while on site
• maintain confidentiality at all times
• act in a professional and appropriate manner
• comply with Working With Children Check requirements where applicable

---

Compliance and Consequences

Breaches of this Code may result in:

• a direction to leave school grounds
• restriction or withdrawal of access to the school
• suspension or termination of volunteering or contractor arrangements
• escalation to Department of Education or external authorities where required

The Principal retains authority to enforce this Code in line with Department policies and legislation.

Reporting Concerns

Child safety concerns or breaches of this Code must be reported immediately to:

• Classroom teacher
• Assistant Principal
• Principal

Where concerns relate to suspected child abuse, mandatory reporting obligations apply and external agencies will be notified in accordance with Department requirements.

Review

This Code will be:

• reviewed at least every two years
• reviewed following any significant child safety incident
• updated in line with legislative or Department changes
• informed by feedback from the school community

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL

Policy last reviewed	June 2026
Consultation	School Council – June 2026
Endorsed By	Principal – June 2026
Next scheduled review date	June 2028