NSW Health is committed to embedding child safety in all our hospitals and health services, in every ward, emergency department, waiting room, clinic and health centre, as well as our online and virtual spaces. To succeed, we need to empower children, listen to them and act together to ensure a positive and safe experience in the NSW Health system.
While we have already taken significant steps to keep children safe, more work needs to be done to fully embed child safety in the care we deliver and across our systems, policies and processes.
The NSW Health Child Safe Action Plan outlines the steps we are taking to promote and support the safety of children accessing and visiting NSW Health services.
Part of a broader statewide initiative to ensure the safety of children and young people in organisations, the action plan implements the Child Safe Standards which were legislated through the Children’s Guardian Act 2019 and have a strong focus on prevention.
The action plan also includes the strategies NSW Health will take to:
Through the Child Safe Standards, our action plan also includes making sure our processes involve children and families in decision-making and equipping staff with the skills to keep children safe.
NSW Health Staff can access the NSW Health Child Safe Hub for further information, resources and training to support implementation of the Child Safe Standards.
The NSW Health Child Safe Action Plan fulfils our mandate as a prescribed NSW Government Agency under the NSW Children’s Guardian Child Safe Scheme to ensure the safety of children and young people in organisations.
The Office of the Children’s Guardian is leading the implementation of the NSW Child Safe Scheme and has a critical role in assisting organisations to implement the Child Safe Standards.
The Office of the Children’s Guardian has a child safe self-assessment tool for organisations to identify their readiness in implementing the Standards. They also have a Guide to the Child Safe Standards.
