Family Intermediary is committed to child safety.

We want children to be safe, happy and empowered.

We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers.

We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.

We have zero tolerance for child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with the implementation and monitoring of the Child Safe Standards.

Our commitment to the safety of children is based on our duty of care and responsibilities to children and always acting in the best interests of the children.

We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.

Family Intermediary has robust human resources and recruitment practices to reduce the risk of child abuse by new and existing staff and volunteers.

Family Intermediary is committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.

We value diversity, inclusion and equality and therefore we are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for LGBTQIA children and children with a disability.

We all play an important role in protecting children, especially if we have concerns for a child’s safety. We aim to create a culture of child safety by identifying risks early, and removing or reducing the opportunity for harm and giving staff a clear process to follow when someone raises concerns about child safety or reports abuse.

1. Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance, and culture.

2. Children and young people are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

3. Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

4. Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.

5. People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

6. Processes to respond to complaints and concerns are child-focused.

7. Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.

8. Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.

9. Implementation of the national child safety and wellbeing principles is regularly reviewed and improved.

10. Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.

A simplified version of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by UNICEF.

Article 1

Everyone under 18 years of age has all the rights in this Convention.

Article 2

The Convention applies to everyone whatever their race, religion, abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from.

Article 3

All organisations concerned with children should work towards what is best for each child.

Article 4

Governments should make these rights available to children.

Article 5

Governments should respect the rights and responsibilities of families to guide their children so that, as they grow up, they learn to use their rights properly.

Article 6

Children have the right to live a full life. Governments should ensure that children survive and develop healthily.

Article 7

Children have the right to a legally registered name and nationality. Children also have the right to know their parents and, as far as possible, to be cared for by them.

Article 8

Governments should respect a child’s right to a name, a nationality and family ties.

Article 9

Children should not be separated from their parents unless it is for their own good. For example, if a parent is mistreating or neglecting a child. Children whose parents have separated have the right to stay in contact with both parents, unless this might harm the child.

Article 10

Families who live in different countries should be allowed to move between those countries so that parents and children can stay in contact, or get back together as a family.

Article 11

Governments should take steps to stop children being taken out of their own country illegally.

Article 12

Children have the right to say what they think should happen when adults are making decisions that affect them and to have their opinions taken into account.

Article 13

Children have the right to get and to share information, as long as the information is not

damaging to them or to others.

Article 14

Children have the right to think and believe what they want and to practise their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights. Parents should guide children on these matters.

Article 15

Children have the right to meet with other children and young people and to join groups and organisations, as long as this does not stop other people from enjoying their rights.

Article 16

Children have the right to privacy. The law should protect them from attacks against their way of life, their good name, their family and their home.

Article 17

Children have the right to reliable information from the media. Mass media such as television, radio and newspapers should provide information that children can understand and should not promote materials that could harm children.

Article 18

Both parents share responsibility for bringing up their children and should always consider what is best for each child. Governments should help parents by providing services to support them, especially if both parents work.

Article 19

Governments should ensure that children are properly cared for and protect them from violence, abuse and neglect by their parents, or anyone else who looks after them.

Article 20

Children who cannot be looked after by their own family must be looked after properly by people who respect their religion, culture and language.

Article 21

When children are adopted the first concern must be what is best for them. The same rules should apply whether children are adopted in the country of their birth or if they are taken to live in another country.

Article 22

Children who come into a country as refugees should have the same rights as children who are born in that country.

Article 23

Children who have any kind of disability should receive special care and support so that they can live a full and independent life.

Article 24

Children have the right to good quality health care, clean water, nutritious food and a clean environment so that they will stay healthy.

Richer countries should help poorer countries achieve this.

Article 25

Children who are looked after by their local authority rather than their parents should have their situation reviewed regularly.

Article 26

The Government should provide extra money for the children of families in need.

Article 27

Children have the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical and mental needs. The government should help families who cannot afford to provide this.

Article 28

Children have the right to an education.

Discipline in schools should respect children’s human dignity. Primary education should be free. Wealthier countries should help poorer countries achieve this.

Article 29

Education should develop each child’s personality and talents to the full. It should encourage children to respect their parents, their cultures and other cultures.

Article 30

Children have the right to learn and use the language and customs of their families, whether or not these are shared by the majority of the people in the country where they live, as long as this does not harm others.

Article 31

Children have the right to relax, play and to join in a wide range of leisure activities.

Article 32

Governments should protect children from work that is dangerous or that might harm their health or education.

Article 33

Governments should provide ways of protecting children from dangerous drugs.

Article 34

Governments should protect children from sexual abuse.

Article 35

Governments should make sure that children are not abducted or sold.

Article 36

Children should be protected from any activities that could harm their development.

Article 37

Children who break the law should not be treated cruelly. They should not be put in a prison with adults and should be able to keep in contact with their family.

Article 38

Governments should not allow children under 15 to join the army. Children in war zones should receive special protection.

Article 39

Children who have been neglected or abused should receive special help to restore their self-respect.

Article 40

Children who are accused of breaking the law should receive legal help. Prison sentences for children should only be used for the most serious offences.

Article 41

If the laws of a particular country protects children better than the articles of the Convention, then those laws should override the Convention.

Article 42

Governments should make the Convention known to all parents and children.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child has 54 articles in all. Articles 43-54 are about how adults and governments should work together to make sure that all children get all their rights.