Framework Requirement 3 – National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
Under Requirement 3 of the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework (the Framework), Commonwealth entities are required to adopt and implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (the National Principles).
The National Principles are high‑level principles that set out a consistent approach for organisations to create and maintain organisational cultures that foster child safety and wellbeing. The National Principles are designed to allow flexibility in implementation, recognising the variety of organisational types, sizes and capacities. By implementing the National Principles, Commonwealth entities are aligning their approaches to child safety and giving children the same level of safety regardless of which entity they interact with.
Requirements 1, 2 and 4 of the Framework encompass core components of the National Principles. Adherence to Requirements 1, 2 and 4 will in part contribute to meeting Requirement 3, implementation of the National Principles. For example, regularly reviewing risks to child safety through an annual risk assessment is consistent with Principle 9, Implementation of the national child safe principles is regularly reviewed and improved.
The National Principles include key action areas for each Principle, as well as indicators that the Principle is upheld. In addition to this guidance, entities are encouraged to refer to the extra supporting resources, to tailor their implementation of the National Principles to their unique context.
This includes resources such as:
- Complaint Handling Guide: Upholding the Rights of Children and Young People
- Child Safe Organisations: Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy template
- Child Safe Organisations: Example Code of Conduct
- Child Safe Organisations: Example Charter of Commitment to Children and Young People
More information about the National Principles is available on this website and the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Child Safe Organisations website.