Child Safety Code of Conduct

Our commitment to keeping children safe

P2P is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for all children and young people. P2P is committed to continuously strengthening our child-safe practices and ensuring children and young people are treated with respect, listened to and protected from harm.

P2P primarily provides services to adults with disability aged 18 and over. Children may sometimes be present when visiting our services, attending activities or as younger siblings of people we support.

We have zero tolerance for child abuse in any form.

We take concerns about the safety and wellbeing of children seriously and respond to concerns consistently and appropriately.

Our values of Respect, Inclusion, Commitment and Honesty guide everything we do, including how we protect and support children and young people.

We are committed to the cultural safety of children with disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, so they feel safe, welcome, valued and respected.

How we keep children safe

Everyone who works with or represents P2P is expected to:

prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and young people
treat children with dignity, respect and fairness
listen to children and take their concerns seriously
maintain appropriate physical and emotional boundaries
use positive and respectful approaches when supporting children’s behaviour
work in ways that are visible to others wherever possible
follow P2P’s child safety policies, procedures and standards
report concerns, disclosures or suspected harm as soon as possible
comply with all child safety and screening requirements that apply to their role.

People Working with Children Must Never;

engage in abuse, neglect, discrimination, intimidation or exploitation
ignore or fail to report a concern about a child’s safety
use abusive, inappropriate or offensive language or gestures
develop inappropriate personal relationships with children
photograph or film children without appropriate consent
give gifts or provide special treatment that could be inappropriate or raise concerns
be alone with a child in a private space, except where this is unavoidable
communicate digitally with children outside approved P2P processes.

If you are concerned about the safety of a child

If a child tells you that something has happened to them, or you are concerned that a child may be experiencing harm, abuse or neglect:

listen and take what they say seriously
stay calm and provide reassurance
do not investigate the situation yourself
do not promise to keep what the child has told you a secret
report the concern to the appropriate person or authority.

A concern or disclosure may not always be direct. A child or another person might say something like, “I think I saw something,” “I don’t know what to do, but…” or “I just thought you should know.”

Always take these concerns seriously.

Our responsibilities

P2P staff, volunteers, contractors and representatives are expected to comply with the child safety laws and requirements that apply to their role.

This includes relevant Queensland child protection, working-with-children screening and child safe organisation requirements, as well as the NDIS Code of Conduct where applicable. Where a person has mandatory reporting responsibilities, they must meet those responsibilities.

We encourage you to speak up

Creating a child-safe organisation is everyone’s responsibility.

If you have a concern about the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person at P2P, we encourage you to speak up. You will be listened to, and your concern will be taken seriously.

If your concern involves a P2P staff member, volunteer, contractor or representative, please contact us as soon as possible.

The behaviour standards Parent to Parent Association Queensland (P2P) expects from every staff member, volunteer, contractor and representative when they're with children and young people.