I would like to focus this editorial on one important issue – child safety. I want to take this opportunity to bring members attention to an important VFBV policy focussed on our collective commitment and obligation to ensure VFBV, our activities and our work places are a safe place for children.
It is a great thing to see increasing numbers of young people participating in VFBV and CFA activities and we all need to do everything we can to encourage and support this. Today’s children and young people are our future, our future dedicated volunteers, our future leaders and our future hope.
In recent years VFBV has embarked on a number of great initiatives, from formally engaging younger members through our VFBV Youth Network; offering leadership development opportunities and developing future leaders through our VFBV Leadership Scholarship Program; improving our whole organisational mindset and thinking
through programs such as our VFBV Engaging Diversity workshops; and of course, through the immeasurably valuable 2018 Junior Fire Brigade competitions.
Another part of what we need to do is to continue to strengthen and ensure our VFBV processes, culture and
behaviours specifically value, contemplate and action the arrangements that need to be in place to ensure VFBV and our activities are a safe place for children and to ensure everyone has confidence in these arrangements.
The VFBV Board and State Council have
discussed this issue in detail over the past months and have recently updated and formally adopted a VFBV Child Safe Policy. Consistent with the VFBV Child Safe Policy several changes were also seamlessly implemented for the 2018 VFBV State Championships so well done to everyone for jumping on board.
The scope and requirements of our VFBV policy are fundamental and because of this I am confident everyone will be nothing other than fully supportive and committed to our VFBV policy scope, intent or requirements.
Central to our VFBV approach is the desire for VFBV to take a preventative, proactive and participatory stance on child protection issues. I, along with the VFBV secretariat, VFBV Board and State Council consider our duty of care to young people to be a moral obligation just as much as it is a legal obligation.
Most of us have tuned into the recent Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and some of you will be aware that amendments to the Victorian Working with Children Act 2005 adopted on 1 August 2017 now place a requirement on some organisations involved in child related activities, and whose people have or are likely to have direct individual contact with children, to have Working
with Children Checks (WWCC). Regardless of the limited extra requirements flowing through to VFBV we have decided to err on the side of caution and will take a voluntary participatory approach rather than doing less just because we are not required to do more.
The
key elements of VFBV policy includes:
- In addition to meeting any specific legislated WWCC requirements VFBV will also implement and maintain a WWCC requirement for any employees or delegates who engage in or intend to engage in child related VFBV work, have direct contact with children or where contact with
children is part of the role
- Adopting the VFBV Child Safe Code of Conduct spelling out expectations for adults to exhibit appropriate standards towards children at all times and providing guidance on appropriate behaviour to promote the safety and wellbeing of
children;
- Establishing a process for responding to and reporting on Child Safe Risks and Child Abuse;
- Establishing a
VFBV Child Safe Officer responsible supporting children, investigating complaints, reporting breaches; and Including child safety as a part of VFBV planning and risk assessment processes; and
- Communicating and educating throughout VFBV to ensure expectations are understood, delivered and held to
account.
Thank you for taking the time to read about this important policy and our shared obligation. The VFBV Child Safe Policy is available on the VFBV website for those wishing to review it in detail and further information will be provided at VFBV District
Council meetings. VFBV Brigade or Group delegates and anyone else wishing to receive further information should contact your local VFBV State Councillor in the first instance or ring VFBV Office.
As VFBV CEO I am the VFBV Child Safety Officer. People wishing to
report an issue should contact the VFBV office and speak to me. Many of you will have heard that CFA is also looking at its Working With Children Check requirements and whilst this is generating a lot of discussion amongst brigades it is not the focus of my discussion in this article. CFA is currently looking at things it can do regarding ensuring CFA is a safe place for children and part of this recent CFA effort has generated quite some discussion, particularly relating to proposed CFA Working
with Children Check requirements.
Unfortunately, CFA did not consult with VFBV in the development of its approach, nor was there any consultation prior to the recent CFA Board decision being made. As a result, I cannot explain how or why CFA decided on the
broad-brush approach it now appears to be taking nor can I answer many of the questions being raised by volunteers.
VFBV has raised this as a concern with CFA and we have sought to be more actively engaged in further CFA deliberations on this important matter. We
have written to CFA outlining a number of matters of concern that need to be addressed prior to implementation and/or final decision details.
Feedback provided by many volunteers has been raised with CFA and as at this moment CFA’s latest advice is that they are
still considering what a formal roll out requirement might look like.
