As part of National Children’s Week (19-28 October), Cumberland Council is proud to announce it’s leading the sector with its Child Protection Policy which was adopted by Council on 17 October.
Mayor Greg Cummings said Council believes the safety and wellbeing of children and young people is everybody’s business and Council is committed to the care and protection of children.
“We all share the responsibility of keeping kids safe and this policy highlights Council’s commitment to children’s wellbeing in all aspects of our work including through our employee selection and recruitment process, our reporting, and responding to children who are at risk of significant harm,” Mayor Cummings said.
“We want to make sure children and young people have safe and happy experiences in our community, accessing our facilities and in the care of our services. The Child Protection Policy is a Council wide document which looks at child safety for all areas of Council.
“Council want to play a proactive role in creating safe communities and we value the contribution that young people make to Cumberland. Our Child Protection Policy is leading the sector in outlining what needs to be done to protect children from harm and we are proud to be a role model for other Councils.
“We have created a Child Protection Team made up of staff from across the organisation who will help develop guidelines to support other staff members in their child protection responses.
“As part of this, we will be creating a Children and Families Strategy and engaging directly with children and young people to make sure their voices are heard, in line with the theme of National Children’s Week 2018.
“We know that children thrive when they are part of strong connected communities and have the support they need. This is why Council provides a range of services and programs for children of all ages who live in the Cumberland LGA and also beyond.
“Cumberland Council provides a range of free and affordable programs and services for children including Family Day Care, Out Of School Hours (OOSH) Care, free Immunisation clinics, free toddler story time at libraries, school holiday program including sports and recreation activities, educational programs at libraries and community centres, homework help programs, and Learn to Swim classes.
