Keeping children and adults safe - Statement of commitment

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is an independent statutory office established to promote and protect the rights, interests and wellbeing of adults with impaired decision-making capacity, and children and young people in the child protection system, or who are staying at a visitable site (youth detention centres, authorised mental health services, and police watchhouses).

OPG is committed to the safety and wellbeing of the children and adults we deliver services to. We want them to be safe, happy and empowered, to protect them from harm, promote their wellbeing and allow them to reach their full potential. We support and promote the voices of children and adults who have experienced abuse and neglect and respect all children and adults, as well as our staff. We are committed to their safety, participation and empowerment.

All people have an equal right to be protected from abuse or neglect regardless of their gender, race, age or cultural background, and should feel safe in the company of our staff.

We have zero tolerance of abuse of children and adults, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and in a way that is consistent with our robust policies and procedures.

We are committed to promoting the cultural safety and wellbeing of people who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and those who have culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing them with a safe environment.

As an organisation that provides services to children, OPG is considered a ‘Child Safe Entity’ according to the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024. This means we are obliged to embed the 10 legislated Child Safe Standards, as well as the Universal Principle into our practice. At OPG, we are committed to safeguarding the rights, interests and wellbeing of all children and adults that we deliver services to, to the highest degree possible. Consequently, we have adapted and extended the Child Safe Standards and the Universal Principle to the adults that receive our services as well.

Our commitment is that we will:

• maintain a child and adult safeguarding culture and environment across the organisation
• ensure people we deliver services to have a voice in decisions that affect them to the greatest extent practicable
• encourage family and community involvement in OPG’s safeguarding initiatives where appropriate
• uphold and promote a safe, equal and diverse environment where everyone feels valued, respected, supported and culturally safe
• have rigorous recruitment strategies, supervision and ongoing training and education for staff
• have accessible, transparent and trauma-informed policies, procedures and complaints management processes
• ensure our physical and online environments prioritise safety through a holistic, strengths-based approach
• be open to people internal and external to our organisation raising questions, comments, concerns and feedback
• regularly review, evaluate and improve all policies, procedures and practices relating to safety and wellbeing to ensure they remain current
• understand the lives and advocate the views of children and adults so we can better promote their human rights to prevent or address discrimination, abuse or neglect
• promote the independence and capacity of children and adults and their support networks to self-advocate and prevent or address discrimination, abuse or neglect
• act to prevent incidents rather than reacting to incidents after they occur, and
• always respect children and adults’ rights to privacy.