PM&C is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. We work to ensure Departmental activities are child safe and to continuously improve our implementation of the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework (the Framework). As prescribed by Requirement 4 of the Framework, this statement provides an overview of PM&C’s compliance with the Framework, including the results of our annual child safety risk assessment. PM&C’s reporting approach targets qualitative information at a Divisional level, allowing for fit-for-purpose risk assessment, mitigation and response.
PM&C activities rarely involve direct interaction with children. PM&C’s risk assessment found that our detection and evaluation of risks to child safety is thorough, and strategies implemented to manage those risks are appropriate and fit-for-purpose. Therefore we consider PM&C’s child-related risks LOW.
In the few areas of PM&C where there is a likelihood of interaction with children, either directly during the course of duties or through funded activities/events, we acknowledge there is a risk that children may be harmed. Regardless of how unlikely this risk may be, PM&C has implemented procedures for assessment, triage and escalation as appropriate for the level of child-facing interaction that PM&C has in its various functions.
For example, in relation to funded third party activities, recent expansion of the Office for Women (OfW) grants program was quickly joined by an audit of OfW’s risk management and proactive compliance program, in conjunction with the risk assessments and monitoring activities of the Community Grants Hub run by the Department of Social Services. The National Office for Child Safety (NOCS) also includes child safety clauses in any activities it funds that may involve interaction with children to ensure funded organisations understand their child safety obligations.
The Behavioural Economics Team of Australia (BETA) and Ministerial Support Division (MSD) are other business areas where occasional interaction with children is expected. BETA uses practical measures during its research activities which improve child safety by focussing on staff accountability. For example, in on-campus studies there is a clear run-sheet for daily activities, several all-staff debriefs to monitor progress, and an established standard procedure to always work in pairs. MSD also ensures that children are accompanied by a parent or guardian for the rehearsal of any ceremonial events. This minimises opportunities for any kind of abuse, and improves our ability to respond if there is an accident or injury.
In terms of future initiatives, PM&C has taken a central coordination approach to track and embed changes across the Department, including in staff training, finance and procurement, external correspondence, annual risk assessments and reporting. PM&C’s corporate area is working closely with NOCS to improve compliance with Requirement 2 (establish a system of training and compliance). NOCs is working to develop baseline training on the second edition of the Framework for use Commonwealth-wide. Prior to the Department offering this second edition training, we will continue to offer external resources and staff training based on the first edition to establish familiarity with the Framework and key legal and ethical requirements.
PM&C is working towards compliance with Requirement 3 of the Framework (adopt and implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations), focusing on opportunities for improvement relating to external correspondence. Some areas in the Department, including NOCS and MSD, maintain public-facing contact points such as email inboxes and online forms which are monitored by several staff members in accordance with PM&C’s privacy and information security policies. NOCS expects that correspondence from children will increase following the release of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021‑2030. NOCS is currently working with business areas across PM&C to standardise procedures to respond to sensitive correspondence from adults and children, including survivors of abuse. This will build capacity to appropriately respond to children in a safe and trauma-informed way in line with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
All of this is underpinned by PM&C’s corporate infrastructure including monitoring of financial delegations, systems for secure information handling, and up-to-date policies dealing with practical matters of child safety in the workplace and the handling of private information. While PM&C has minimal interaction with children and our risk is low, creating and maintaining a child safe culture is an ongoing priority for the Department.