Understanding the Child Safe Standards
The Child Safe Standards are 10 principles that help organisations create environments where children and young people feel safe, respected, and heard.
They’re a way of working that puts children’s safety at the centre of everything we do. The Standards were developed after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and are now part of how we all work together to keep children safe in NSW.
Did you know the Standards were based off the experience of the survivors who told their stories? In response the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) oversees the Child Safe Scheme and provides guidance but it’s our sector that brings the Standards to life in real, meaningful ways.
How does this relate to you and your work?
From 1 January 2026, new program requirements under the new specifications for services funded by DCJ in Community and Family Support (previously TEI & FCS) and Family Preservation will come into effect.
These changes make it clear that everyone who works with children in NSW has a role to play in keeping them safe.
Applying the Child Safe Standards helps children, families, and staff build a shared understanding of what safety looks and feels like. It’s not about starting from scratch rather it’s about recognising what you’re already doing well and building on it through your CSS evidence process.
How to start your Child Safe Standards Journey
- Understand the standards
- Reflect and review with your team
- Document what you’ve got so far
- Utilise the Office of the Children’s Guardian’s resources
- Review your journey
The Standards and our Sector: Our Matrix
This matrix is intended to support our sector with specific questions and examples to consider the Standards that reflect our work and it’s realities.
Recognising the Standards as a continuous and reflective practice means that the information you see below must evolve through learning, listening and in legislation.
| The Standards | Questions we can ask ourselves | Examples of Documents | Examples from our Sector |
| Standard 1 Child safety is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture | How do we stand up for what we believe is right? How do we work towards a more just society? How do our similarities connect us? | Statement of Commitment Organisation cultural policies | Family Support Network Inc.’s Statement of Commitment to Child Safety |
| Standard 2 Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously | How do we encourage questioning, wondering and exploring? How do we help build a hopeful picture of the future? How do we respect everyone’s contribution? | Procedure of involving children and young people Code of Conduct Any child friendly version of documentation | Richmond Community Services Inc.’s Child Friendly Feedback Jar |
| Standard 3 Families and communities are informed and involved | How do we respect people’s ownership of their stories? How do we respectfully consult and collaborate? How do we value people’s expertise on their own situation? | Community engagement plans Social media posts/website updates targeting communities | Richmond Community Services Inc.’s Child Safe Wall |
| Standard 4 Equity is upheld and diversity is taken into account | How we do actively include people? How do we challenge stereotypes? How do our differences enrich us? | DEI policies Social media posts celebrating diversity Posters in the space | Riverwood Community Centre’s Child Friendly Cultural Values Poster |
| Standard 5 People working with children are suitable and supported | How do we notice strengths in ourselves and others? How willing are we to question our beliefs? How do we nurture our wellbeing? | Recruitment policy and procedure Job ads Verifying WWCC records | To be updated with Fams’ Commitment statement Fams are currently updating our recruitment policy and will share this with our sector soon. |
| Standard 6 Processes to respond to complaints of child abuse are child focused | How can our mistakes lead to positive change? How do we give and receive openly? How do we practice honesty and transparency? | Complaints policy Child friendly complaints explainer | Family Support Network Inc’s Child Friendly Complaints Explainers Family Support Network Inc.’s Child Friendly Rights Poster |
| Standard 7 Staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training | How do we stay open to learning? How do we make ourselves available? How do we sit with heartache and struggle? | Training calendar/registers Staff meeting agendas/minutes with peer learning opportunities | “At FSN, we invest in our team’s growth. Creating space for professional development and specialisation means our staff feel confident and supported to keep embedding Child Safety and the Standards.” Kaali Ortmann – CEO of Family Support Network Inc. |
| Standard 8 Physical and online environments minimise the opportunity for abuse to occur | How do we hear minorities and people experiencing disadvantage? How do we encourage others to find their own solutions in their own time? How do we notice and build on exceptions to the problem? | Risk management plans Risk matrixes Relevant policies and procedures | Riverwood Community Centre’s Safe Spaces Rules Poster Visual A policy and procedure are linked to this visual, too. |
| Standard 9 Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is continuously reviewed and improved | How do we work with others to notice change? How do we encourage others to direct their own change processes? How do we remind ourselves to look for good intentions? | Board meeting papers and minutes reflecting on the standards Schedules for future reviews and updates of policies and procedures | “The Child Safe Standards are now a standing item on our team meeting agenda, just like WHS. This keeps the conversation active and ensures we’re always considering children’s safety in everything we do. We share links, resources, or have team discussions about each standard on a regular basis. Having it as part of the agenda also means staff from other programs in the centre, who may not work directly with children, can stay informed and understand why certain practices are in place across our programs.” Brittany Vos – Community and Family Coordinator at Richmond Community Services Inc. |
| Standard 10 Policies and procedures document how the organisation is child safe | How do we open up possibilities for change? Do our actions match our beliefs? How do we mobilise and celebrate strengths? | Child Safe Recruitment, Training and Induction Policies Child Safe Code of Conduct | “We’re using technology to make policy, live and breathe, so it doesn’t sit on a shelf. We’re using metadata such as categories and labels to support the grouping and dynamic management of policies.” Kaali Ortmann – CEO of Family Support Network Inc. |
Our Child Safe Champions
In 2024, we partnered with the Office of the Children’s Guardian and a dedicated group of services to delve into the Standards. In this working group, we are:
- took a deep dive into the Standards
- talked about how to embed them effectively
- empathy mapped the lens of a child, frontline worker, manager and board committee
- reviewed tools, templates, and resources
- shared best practice examples
- developing resources to share with our sector in applying the Standards
You can check out resources shared here during our working group here.
The examples listed above have kindly be shared by our Champions.
Our Child Safe Champions include:
| Care South | Family Support Network Inc. | Narang Bir-rong Aboriginal Corporation | Regional Youth Support Service |
| Richmond Community Services Inc. | Riverwood Community Centre | Samaritans | Sora (Previously TFSS) |
We are not currently accepting new members for this working group, but we will share information about the group’s work on our social media and in our newsletter.
For specific questions about the Working Group, reach out to [email protected]
