Safeguarding Specialist

This is a pivotal role in our organisation, responsible for embedding child safety principles throughout our services. As a passionate advocate and ambassador for child protection, you will lead the development and implementation of strategic and operational initiatives that promote child safety, health, and wellbeing.

• Maintain and continually improve our Child Safety program as it relates to Medical Conditions Policies, Administration of Medication and emergency response to child related adverse events and incidents.
• Monitor, review and continually improve our Infection Control program across our services through the provision of information, instruction, training, promotion and contribution to environment design.
• Maintain, review and continually improve our child health, safety and wellbeing policies and programs that meet legislation requirements of the Early Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations, the National Quality Framework.
• Understand and maintain up to date information regarding our Child Protection and Safety risk profile and establish systems that embrace wellbeing to ensure risk mitigation and prevention of illness, adverse events and harm to children.
• Ensure systems and processes are in place to support leaders and team members to understand Child Safe Standards and offences related to child abuse and mandatory reporting obligations.
• Implement and monitor progress of Centre Child Safe Standard Self- Assessment Action Plan support packages in line with the state and national legislation.
• Implement the framework and develop resources for the Centre based Child Protection Champions that seeks to embed a child protection and awareness culture.
• Ensure all reported child safety and protection incidents are thoroughly investigated, ensuring root cause and contributing factors are identified and corrective actions are implemented and periodically reviewed for ongoing effectiveness.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of Early Childhood Education and Care, Child Protection and Mandatory reporting legislation and standards across all areas of operations and develop executive briefs, while recommending changes and continuous improvement opportunities.
• Measure the success of our Child Protection and Wellbeing program through the monitoring of both lead and lag indicators of success that align to program metrics and Corporate Score Cards.

• Educated to degree level in Early Childhood Education and Care or equivalent
• A qualification in social work, welfare or equivalent
• Knowledge of the Child Safe Organisation Principles and child protection systems across all states.
• Proven ability to develop policies, procedures and processes based on legislation, research, analytics, future trends and continuous improvement initiatives to ensure best practice.
• Experience in completing investigations or similar investigatory experience and knowledge.
• Demonstrated experience undertaking detailed root cause analysis and critical reflection to support continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated experience in effectively leading risk assessment and adverse event incident.
• Experience with dealing with delicate situations and supporting teams when confronted with unsettling events.
• Experience in determining and undertaking mandatory reporting obligations.
• Proven ability to provide comprehensive program performance reporting and analytics to lead improvement.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to work collaboratively across all areas of safety and environmental practice improvement.
• Inspiring training presentation skills with an ability to engage and motivate audiences.
• Flexibility to undertake domestic travel as required from an operational perspective (as per the business requirements).
• Current Australian Drivers Licence.
• Hold a valid working with children check or willingness to obtain upon commencement.