Chisholm Institute and its entities are committed to child safety and wellbeing in accordance with the Child Safe Standards. These are compulsory minimum standards for all organisations in Victoria providing services to children under the age of 18 years.

Chisholm has zero tolerance for child abuse, discrimination, and all forms of harm to children.

Child safe reporting

Child safety is everyone’s responsibility. Chisholm supports all members of our community, including children and their parents, to feel confident and comfortable in reporting any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns.

Any report of safety concerns relating to a person under the age of 18 will be taken seriously and reported to the appropriate authorities.

How to report child abuse concerns

Read the full Child Safe Reporting policy: QMS625 Child Safe Reporting

It is important that you report any child safety concern as soon as you:

  • witness an incident of child abuse;
  • receive a disclosure about child abuse;
  • form a reasonable belief that a child has been abused or is in danger of being abused; or
  • notice an environmental safety issue for children at Chisholm.

If a child is at immediate risk of harm, you must notify police immediately and make a report by calling 000.

If there is a risk to the safety of a child on a Chisholm campus, you will also need to contact Chisholm Security Services by calling 1300 582 483 (option 1). This phone line is attended 24/7.

In a non-urgent matter, police can also be contacted on the Non-Critical Reporting Hotline on 131 444.

Anyone who experiences or witnesses child abuse is actively encouraged to seek support from Student Support & Engagement. Personal Counsellors are available during business hours to provide guidance and support to students who have experienced or witnessed harm or abuse.

It is important that you also alert Chisholm staff of any incidents or concerns and send any reports or concerns directly to childsafetyandwellbeing@chisholm.edu.au.

These actions will also need to be followed every time you become aware of a further instance or risk of abuse. This includes reporting new information to authorities.

Support for child safety at Chisholm

Chisholm’s Student Support & Engagement team offers a range of free, confidential support services to help all students, including children and young people, stay engaged with their studies and achieve their educational goals.

These services include:

  • Short-term personal counselling
  • Student success and wellbeing
  • Equitable learning and disability support
  • Koorie student support (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students)
  • Apprenticeship support
  • Careers counselling
  • Library and learning services
  • Student life (including youth social clubs)
  • Student voice and student leadership opportunities

If you are a young person, or parent/guardian of a young person, and have any questions about the support available to children and young people at Chisholm, please email wellbeing@chisholm.edu.au.

Chisholm’s Child Safety commitment

Chisholm is committed to:

  • the safety, participation and empowerment of all students, including children;
  • the establishment and continuous improvement of child safe policies and procedures;
  • taking all reasonable steps for thorough recruitment due diligence, including the requirement for prospective staff members to provide the Institute with pre-employment Working with Children Check and where relevant National Police Check;
  • regularly training and educating our staff members, contractors and volunteers on the child safe standards, reportable conduct and child abuse risks;
  • preventing child abuse by identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks;
  • observing reporting requirements and disciplinary procedures;
  • the timely reporting of concerns about a child’s safety to relevant authorities;
  • promoting the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of students, including children, from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds;
  • promoting a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are respected and valued, and dedicated support is provided through the Koorie Student Support team;
  • ensuring that students with a disability, including children, are safe and can participate equally, and align to Chisholm’s Belonging & Inclusion Plan, including Equitable Learning and Disability Support services;
  • ensuring that LGBTQIA+ students, including children, are safe and can participate equally;
  • ensuring that children who are unable to live at home, or who are in out-of-home care, are safe and can participate equally;
  • the modelling of Child Safe Standards in in the Chisholm community and Chisholm Leadership Group;
  • ensuring our physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing and minimise the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed;
  • providing a mechanism for children, young people and their families and communities to report concerns on Chisholm campuses and online environments.

Read the full Child Safe Statement here.

You can contact the Student Support & Engagement team for further guidance and support by calling 1300 244 746 (option 4), from Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.

QMS625 Child Safe Reporting

QMS128 Duty of Care

All child safety concerns should be forwarded to the Child Safety Lead via childsafetyandwellbeing@chisholm.edu.au.