Information Booklet - Country Fire Authority

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DEFINITIONSThe following informationapplies to all CFA MembersAll CFA Members should be familiar withthe requirements of CFA Children/YoungPersons Protection Policy and how itrelates to their work.It is a requirement of CFA that all Membersoperate within the prescribed policy &procedures of the organisation.Note: Only Brigades with/wanting toregister Junior Members will be requiredto nominate & screen members for theposition of Junior Leader. Guidelineson the nomination & screening ofJunior Leaders are outlined in theJVDP Guidebook available on BrigadesOnline or by contacting your DistrictHeadquarters.CFA Member: All registered CFA personnel(volunteers and employees).Children/Young Persons: Both terms can be usedto describe any person/s below the age of 18 years(Children, Youth and Families Act 2005).Child Protection: Child Protection is the termused to describe the responsibilities and actionsorganisations and individuals take to prevent or stopchildren/young persons being harmed or abused.Child Abuse: Child Abuse is the intentional harm orfailure to prevent harm of children/young persons.Child abuse can be physical, emotional and/orsexual, and may include neglect and harassingbehaviours like bullying.Young Member: All CFA Members under the age of18 years (Junior Members 11 but less than 16 andMembers 16 & 17).Members 16 & 17: Young people 16 &17 years ofage registered as a CFA Member.Junior Member: Young people 11 but less than 16years of age registered as a CFA Junior Member.Junior Leader: Any CFA Member nominated tothe position within their Brigade who has directresponsibility for the safety and well being of JuniorMembers (Refer JVDP Guidebook).Children’s/Youth Program Deliverers: Any CFAMember who may as part of their role be involved inthe delivery of programs to Children/Young Personswho do not have direct responsibility for their safetyand well being (ie: JFAIP, Advance, VCAL, Fire SafeKids/Youth, Mobile Ed unit etc.).iiCFA Children/ Young Persons Protection Policy Information BookletEdition 2 – May 2013
INTRODUCTIONWhen raised, the topic of child abuse often stirsunease. Knowledge followed by action is the bestsolution to this reaction.Protecting children from harm is a sharedresponsibility between the family, the generalcommunity, community agencies, and professionalsworking with children, police and government.Each has a significant role to play in ensuring thesafety and wellbeing of children and young people.By understanding the underlying nature of thiscriminal offence and identifying vulnerable situationsin which a child/young person may be placed at risk,as an organisation CFA has designed safeguardstailored to our needs to ensure that all of ourmembers feel safe and empowered to prevent theabuse of children/young people in our care.What is the Working withChildren Check?The Working with Children Check (WWCC) is aninitiative by the Department of Justice to furtherprotect children in Victoria. It’s a mandatory checkingsystem for people who work or volunteer inchild-related work.The WWCC helps protect children from sexualor physical harm by checking a person’s criminalhistory for serious sexual, serious violence orserious drug offences and findings from professionaldisciplinary bodies. It is different from a police recordcheck and is continually monitored for new relevantoffences or findings.The Check is conducted by the Department ofJustice and Application Forms are available atall Australia Post Offices. The check is free forvolunteers and is valid for 5 years.Who in CFA needs a Check?The Working with Children Check does not apply toall volunteers who have contact with children,only those who have regular unsupervised directcontact with children in child-related work.For CFA that is those Brigade members nominatedto the position of Junior Leader(Refer JVDP Guidebook).No other CFA volunteer is required to obtain aWWCC, including deliverers of programs such asJFAIP, Fire Safe Kids/Youth, Mobile Education Unit,Advance or VCAL, due to all of these programsbeing supervised by employees of the Departmentof Education or in the case of JFAIP in the presenceof parents or guardians.CFA Children/ Young Persons Protection Policy Information BookletEdition 2 – May 20131
Page 1 and 2: CFA Children/ Young Persons Protect
Page 3: ContentsDefinitionsIntroductionWhy
Page 8 and 9: Advance & VcalFurther information w
Page 10 and 11: HOW IS CFAGOING TO ENSUREIT IS A CH
Page 12 and 13: Adult Members of the CFAhave the ri
Page 14 and 15: Youth Members:Junior and 16 &17 yr
Page 16 and 17: By understandingwhat Child Abuse is
Page 18 and 19: Possible Indicators of NeglectPossi
Page 20 and 21: What we do know aboutchild abusersT
Page 22 and 23: RESPONSE:By knowing what to do when
Page 24 and 25: Making a ReportDo I have reasonable
Page 26 and 27: Actions may include a warning, susp
Page 28: CFA Headquarters 8 Lakeside Drive,

Information Booklet - Country Fire Authority

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