Child Safeguarding Commitment

A strong reporting culture is vital to establish an environment where children are safe and free from harm. Our teams are well versed in their obligations when concerns or complaints arise and will prioritise prompt and effective resolution of incidents at a local level where possible. We have in place a rigorous framework to assess and investigation matters which may be directly impacting the safety of children. There are several ways to report a complaint to us, including by clicking here

With an emphasis on shared learning, our Inclusion and Practice team provides support across our services, while programs like CLASS enhance child relationships. We prioritize service quality through improvement planning, risk assessments, and safety audits. We foster lifelong learning, and trends in child safety are analysed using considered tools to continuously enhance our safety measures.

ECMS is proud to be part of a vibrant and diverse community and we welcome children and families from every background. We implement inclusive practices and programming in accordance with approved learning frameworks. We actively embed anti-bias approaches and create culturally safe environments for all children and families. We acknowledge the distinct experiences of First Nations people and strive to understand and reflect indigenous cosmologies in our approach to learning.

The experience of children is central to our work. We seek to capture the views of children in decisions and planning that affect them. We work in ways that are aligned to the rights of children, representing their voice when required. Our programs are designed to promote children’s agency and strong sense of self.

We value the uniqueness of every child and understand they each have diverse needs. Our Inclusion & Practice Team ensures that every child receives the care and attention they deserve. We partner with key organisations to support a holistic model of care and learning. Where children and families are experiencing risk or vulnerability, our Child Safety Team provides specialist guidance and support.

Family is fundamental to a child’s safety. We encourage family participation of at our service, including as Parent Helpers who support the delivery of our programs. Children’s learning and play experiences are shared via our online engagement platform. We welcome and actively seek feedback from families.

Children sit at the heart of all we do, and we prioritise their safety and wellbeing across all parts our organisation. We have robust policy and procedure in place to support all aspects of children’s care and safety. Our dedicated child-safeguarding team promotes child safe practice across all services and supports children and families who may be experiencing complexity and higher need.

All ECMS team members complete annual training from the Department Education (DE) on protecting children. We also provide regular internal training, advice and support on a wide range of child safety matters.

To maintain a safe environment for children at our centres, we perform routine Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) audits and employ risk management practices. Our focus includes comprehensive risk assessments, emergency preparedness, and safety evaluations, featuring daily hazard inspections and rapid incident reporting via our Compliance Desk for prompt responses. Any online content access in our programs is vetted prior and we remain vigilant in screening content for suitability. Children do not operate or have direct access to any devices in our services.

Our policies and procedures document how we ensure our centres are safe for children, and as part of our learning culture, our teams are well-trained to apply these in practice. We review our policy and procedures to ensure they are cotemporary and aligned with regulatory requirements, industry standards and best practices approach.

We apply a strong child safe lens throughout our recruitment and training to ensure that all our people are suitable to work with children. We are rigorous in ensuring team members have and maintain the necessary checks and registrations required. ir roles. Our focus on child safety practice continues throughout the journey of each ECMS team team member.