D9685 CLUB CHILD PROTECTION POLICY AND MANUAL
WHY YOU SHOULD ADOPT THIS DOCUMENT.
As you are aware, the 12 month period for Volunteers to register their names to obtain a Working With Children Check has now ended (31st March 2016) and all Rotarians who work with children are required to have a WWC number.
Recently it was learned that each Rotary Club, mine included, needed a written Child Protection Policy, which included a policy on what to do if there was an incident during any Child Related Activity.
The Office of the Children’s Guardian, who are responsible for oversighting this important practice will now conduct a random audit of those organisations which have child related activities, including Rotary Clubs and Rotary Districts that run District events such as Youth Exchange, RYLA, RYPEN, MUNA and any similar event where the Club/District has control over a child related activity.
The Office of the Children’s Guardian has increased the fine for non-compliance from $10,000 to $22,000. When we looked at what we currently have by way of compliance to Rotary standards that have been set over a number of years, our club did not have the specific policy in place to be considered adequate under the New South Wales Legislation. State Legislation must be followed before any Rotary procedures come into play.
As a result our club, the Rotary Club of the Lower Blue Mountains has put together a team who have analysed the legislation and written a policy which covers all aspects of the Sate legislation. We have now placed this policy on the District Website, in Word format, so that you can download the document, place you club name in the required place and place the document before the Board of Directors of your club for acceptance. This document will save you a lot of heartache if a random audit is undertaken by the Office of Children’s Guardian of your club procedures.
There is also a District version of this policy to be put into practice by the Committee of management for District 9685.
Yours in Rotary
John Wakefield OAM
PDG 2002/3 D 9690
D9685 Child Protection Committee.