Child Safety and Wellbeing

Our Commitment to Child Safety

Swan Hill District Health (SHDH) is a Child Safe Organisation and adopts zero tolerance to child abuse and neglect. We support an inclusive, safe, responsive and accountable service for our community and the safety, protection and wellbeing of all children and young people who are attending SHDH or receiving care from a SHDH program or service is of high priority to us and remains the shared responsibility of our staff and volunteers.

All children and young people attending SHDH have the right to feel safe, be safe and be treated with dignity, respect and equality. The promotion of the cultural safety of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and the safety of children with a disability is integral in the provision of our care. The participation of all children and young people attending SHDH is valued and encouraged.

SHDH employs recruitment, screening, training and performance management and development practices for all staff and volunteers. A Code of Conduct establishes clear expectations for all staff and volunteers in their interactions with children and young people. Child Safety is included in all SHDH Position Descriptions and pre-employment interview questions.

Our promise to children and young people

SHDH is a child-centered organisation that actively seeks to include the voices of children in organisational planning, delivery of services and management of facilities and assessment procedures.

We value the voice of children and will act on concerns raised by children or their families in regard to their safety. We promise to:

Ensure that our service provision facilitates child-led conversation. You can trust us if you choose to tell us how you are feeling or what you are thinking. We will also pay attention to how you look and behave if you are unable to tell us.

Empower and involve you in any decision making, we will respect and acknowledge your active participation in services.

Listen about what we need to improve, if you have some suggestions to changes to our programs, services, physical environment, policies, procedures of staffing, we will listen and we will work to improve how we care for you.

It is always ok to tell someone if you are hurt or feeling uncomfortable, we are here to listen and help.

Useful websites

National Office for Child Safety | National Office for Child Safety

Rights of the Child in Healthcare – Children’s Healthcare Australasia (wcha.asn.au)

Online safety | eSafety Commissioner

Headspace Swan Hill

SHDH Children Services

SHDH Health Promotion

SHDH Youth Health Service (Clinic 60)