Child Safe Policy

This Child Safe Policy was approved on August 8, 2022. It’s due to be reviewed on February 8, 2023.

This policy was written to demonstrate the strong commitment Ginger Cat Counselling has to child safety and wellbeing, and to provide an outline of policies and practices we have developed to keep everyone safe from any harm, including abuse.

It has been developed based on policy guidelines produced by the Commission for Children and Young People in Victoria, but also reflects the specific issues likely to arise in an online counselling environment.

Commitment to Child Safety

The welfare of the children in our care will always be our first priority and we have a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse. All clients, parents, staff, volunteers and contractors have the right to be treated with respect and feel secure and safe.

We encourage and support Aboriginal children to express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights. We are committed to the principles of cultural safety and inclusion of children from diverse backgrounds, and to the safety and inclusion of children with a disability and children living out of home. We support and welcome students and families of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We recognise that these principles support the safety of all children.

Valuing Diversity

We value diversity and do not tolerate any discriminatory practices.

All clients are different. We ongoingly educate ourselves about anything that might impact our clients, and welcome feedback at all times.

Code of Conduct

All Ginger Cat Counselling staff, volunteers and contractors are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct (see below). They are trained to prevent and respond to child harm, and to support the wellbeing of children.

Working With Children Check

All staff are required to have a valid Working With Children Check.

Privacy

All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved, whether they be staff, parents or children, except under the following circumstances: there is a risk to someone’s safety, we are required by law, or if the client specifically requests we share information with a third party. We have safeguards and practices in place to ensure any personal information is protected. Everyone is entitled to know how this information is recorded, what will be done with it, and who will have access to it.

Reporting Procedures

Anyone who reports abuse to Ginger Cat Counselling will be listened to, and all reports will be treated as serious.

We will act immediately to ensure the safety of the child or children, and to prevent further harm from occurring.

In cases of reports of abuse, confidentiality cannot be maintained, and we will follow mandatory reporting guidelines.

If you have any concerns about the conduct of anyone associated with Ginger Cat Counselling please contact us immediately.

If we do not resolve your concern you can contact the Australian Counselling Association.  My Australian Counselling Association number is 16895. The Australian Counselling Associate Code of Ethics and Practice can be found here.

If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000.

Communication with Clients

Ginger Cat Counselling encourages strong, safe, respectful and appropriate relationships between counsellor and client (and counsellor and parent).

Our counselling occurs online, and all technology we use to deliver counselling is password protected. We regularly review our procedures to make sure we are following the best online privacy and security practices.

As a default, appointments are scheduled with both parents and the client. If the client doesn’t wish the date and time of their appointments to be disclosed to their parents, we will honour that, with the following exceptions: there is a risk to someone’s safety or we are required by law.

Parents are welcome to be present in the room during counselling to satisfy themselves that their child is in a safe environment. Once satisfied, the parent should give their child privacy, as their presence will influence the outcome of the sessions.

Parents will be kept up to date with the client’s general progress, but specific things the client discusses with Ginger Cat Counselling will only be disclosed based on the client’s consent.

Clients may have contact with the counsellor outside of sessions. This is usually for practical reasons, like rescheduling a session or Ginger Cat Counselling providing them with further resources (e.g. books, articles, videos).

The counsellor may communicate with clients outside of session by phone (call or text), by email, or through official Ginger Cat Counselling social media accounts (never a personal account). The counsellor will not see a client in person unless it is incidental (they run into them down the street).

In all situations, the counsellor will observe professional boundaries.

The counsellor is also aware that parents may be monitoring any of the above communication methods. Alternatively parents can be provided a copy of communications from Ginger Cat Counselling upon request. Records will be retained for 6 months.

If a parent has any concerns Ginger Cat Counselling will be happy to discuss them and make adjustments to these arrangements.