Parents and carers are vital contributors to the development of a positive, active school community. Parents and carers who are willing to assist the school in any way are encouraged to contact their child’s classroom teacher. There are many opportunities to volunteer at school – reading with students, helping with the kitchen-garden program, the swimming program, sharing skills and expertise relevant to inquiry units, fundraising events and School Council or one of its sub-committees. 

Parents and carers also have the opportunity to participate in school excursions – assisting staff in the supervision and care of all students. Teachers will discuss the excursion details and expectations with parent/carer helpers before the excursion.

Child Safety Induction Pack - Volunteers

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at our school. The purpose of this induction pack is to ensure Westgarth Primary School volunteers are familiar with our policies and procedures relating to child safety and understand the important role they play in maintaining and promoting the safety of our students.

Volunteers must read the suite of policies and procedures in the links below before commencing any work where children are likely to be present.

Key messages

• Westgarth Primary School is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children. We want children attending our school to be safe, happy and respected.
• We are committed to creating inclusive environment where diversity is supported and students feel safe to bring their whole selves to school.
• Allegations and concerns relating to the safety and wellbeing of our school community will be treated very seriously and consistently with our policies and procedures.
• We are committed to preventing child abuse, identifying risks early and removing and reducing these risks.
• Everyone has a role to ensure children are safe – if something doesn’t feel right, speak up. If you have any concerns about any inappropriate behaviours in the school community you should speak to the Principal or Assistant Principal. If this would not be appropriate in the circumstances, you can contact the North Western Regional Office of the Department of Education and Training on 1300 338 691.

Induction materials – must read

This induction pack contains the following documents that all new volunteers must read and familiarise themselves with. Please click on the hyperlinks to access each document. If you would prefer a hard copy of this pack, please contact the team in the office who will happily provide you with one.

• Volunteers Policy
• Child Safety Policy
• Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy
• Child Safety Code of Conduct Policy
• PROTECT: Four Critical Actions for Schools – Responding to incidents, disclosures and suspicions of child abuse
• PROTECT: Identify child abuse

Contact

We value your feedback on ways we can continue to improve and strengthen our child safety approach and encourage you to contact the office or Assistant Principal with any comments or questions.   

Working With Children Clearance (WWCC)

A working with children clearance is required by all parents/carers who wish to volunteer their time at school. Volunteering your time might consist of assisting in a classroom with reading or going on an excursion with a class or just helping out with general activities where children are present.

To apply for a volunteer WWCC parents/carers are required to submit their details online before going to Australia Post to lodge their application. There is no cost when applying for a volunteer WWCC. Two passport photos are required which can be arranged at the Post Office. Please visit Department of Justice Victoria – Working With Children Clearance website at:

www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au

All parent/carer helpers must have a Working with Children Check Clearance, which is registered with the school office.