Child Safe
The past week has seen the Board and staff engaged in important conversations aimed at strengthening our practice. On the 16/3/18 we participated in a forum on the Child Safe Standards now in force in Victoria. These standards are intended to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse by raising awareness at all levels across the agency. The seven standards cover a range of areas from policy, culture, recruitment, supervision to a workplace where concerns are raised and the voice of children are heard. (Click here to see the Standards.)
Aboriginal Wellbeing Cultural Competence
At the Board meeting on the 22/3/18 the Koolin Balit Aboriginal Wellbeing Cultural Competence Action Plan 2018-2020 was adopted. We are committed to improving safe cultural practice for Aboriginal clients, and enhancing service access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. We articulate this commitment by including it in our Strategic Planning Pillars.
We are most grateful for the suport and guidance of former Board member Judith Ahmat in developing our plan. Judith Ahmat is a proud Gunditjmara woman and has been an active member of the Wodonga Aboriginal Community and across the Goulburn and Ovens Murray areas. Judith is currently the Director of Watnanda Consulting which specialises in Social research, Reconciliation Action Plans, and Aboriginal Cultural Competence.
It’s worth noting that at the Child Safe Standards forum, Aboriginal children were among the most vulnerable groups (along with children from a CALD background and those with a disability).
To see the Koolin Balit Aboriginal Wellbeing Cultural Competence Action Plan, click here.
To see our updated Strategic Planning Pillars, click here.
