Integrating the changes to Prevent and Report Child Sexual Abuse laws into your CYRMS
The Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy (CYRMS) is one of the most useful, yet poorly used, tools. When we work with Schools and other organisations, they grow to understand and value the process of discussion and planning regarding the risks to children in their care.
The CYRMS is also valuable evidence that your organisation understands all child protection and wellness related legislation in QLD and has taken planned steps to minimise risks.
The WWC legislation has required an annual CYRMS to be developed and implemented for two decades. It is a great way to bring your team together and talk about how the last year has gone, what’s happening this year and what we need to do better. Volunteer management is a huge problem in most child focused organisations. Annual training regarding reporting internally and to outside agencies is also required (all forms of harm).
When you update your CYRMS for 2022, the changes to the QLD Criminal Code should be a priority. Hopefully you are sourcing some great training and tools to inform your staff now, as the legislation is in force.
Blue Card Services have created an example of how to integrate the Criminal Code changes into your CYRMS. Note that they reference creating a poster that explains the change in the Criminal Code.
A CYRMS that is developed by one person, seen by maybe 3 people and popped in a file is not going to protect a child who is being harmed or is likely to be harmed. Worse. That harm could come from one of the adults the organisation has not adequately screened or supervised.
If you have endorsed a person to volunteer in your organisation, for example, as a coach or to assist with the musical, they should be aware of the changes.
All adults now have a legal responsibility to report to police when ‘they believe on reasonable grounds, or ought reasonably to cause the adult to believe, that a child sexual offence is being or has been committed against a child by another adult’. (Criminal Code s.229BC) (Child is under 16 years or a person with an impairment of the mind)
Failure to do so is a misdemeanour (up to 3 years imprisonment) and is, hopefully, also against your organisation’s Code of Conduct and a breach of the Child/Student Protection Policy.
Every member of the organisation has a responsibility to protect children in their care. If they know ‘there is a significant risk that another adult will commit a child sexual offence in relation to a child’ where the person (offender) is an employee or volunteer and the child is in their care, they must reduce or remove the risk. This would mean that all employees and volunteers know who to report to if they have any concerns.
Internal reporting of child/student protection concerns would be in the Child/Student Protection Policy and clearly outlined in posters and reinforced during training.
These are the sorts of things you and your team can discuss in a robust CYRMS planning/review meeting. CYRMS are only useful when they are a whole of organisation responsibility and updated annually with the benefit of reviewing the previous year’s activities and changes.
If you’d like to learn more about any of these topics, please send a note through the contact page and Yvette will be in touch.