
Child safety
To create a safe environment for our students who are under 18 years of age as well as the children of staff, students and visitors, we have implemented the Victorian Safe Child Standards.
Swinburne has zero tolerance for child abuse and all forms of harm to children. Concerns or allegations are treated very seriously and acted upon.
As an education institution, we embrace the role we play in the lives of our young people. We support and respect the participation and empowerment of all children and want children to feel safe and valued. We seek to protect any child associated with a university-related activity.
If you have a concern about child safety at Swinburne, report it to Safer Community Swinburne by emailing safercommunity@swinburne.edu.au.
Our commitment
We commit to implementing the Victorian Child Safe Standards. To achieve this, we have:
- developed strategies to embed an organisational culture of child safety and promote the empowerment of children
- embedded child safety in our policy framework and recruitment practices
- implemented strategies to remove or reduce risks to children and processes for responding to and reporting suspected child abuse.
- Swinburne upholds an inclusive culture and is committed to:
- the cultural safety of Aboriginal children
- the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds
- providing a safe environment for children living with a disability.
Responsibilities
It is the shared responsibility of our university community to protect children and prevent child abuse. Our organisational culture aims for all members of the Swinburne community — including children and their parents or guardians — to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns.
To support this:
- All staff are required to complete a range of compliance training modules.
- Identified staff, volunteers, contractors and students on placements are required to undertake a Working with Children Check.
- Our Child Safety Statement of Commitment and Practice has been established as a procedural guideline for the Swinburne community. This resource includes a code of conduct, guidance on recognising child abuse and reporting requirements.
- A system is in place to report and respond to child safety concerns through Swinburne Safer Community as displayed in the Child Safety Reporting Process Flowchart [PDF 70KB].
- Swinburne complies with the national legislative framework requiring welfare arrangements for international students aged under 18.
More information
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People, Culture and Integrity Policy
View Swinburne's People, Culture and Integrity Policy (HR, IT, health and safety, facilities, services and resources).
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Your safety at Swinburne
We’ve worked hard to create a safe, accepting and vibrant community to ensure Swinburne remains a place where everyone can feel confident and respected – and we aim to keep it that way.
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Health and wellbeing
We offer comprehensive professional health and medical services to support the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of the Swinburne community.
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Support for international students
We understand that living and studying away from your home country can be challenging. Find out more about living in Australia and how our international support team can assist you.
Other resources
- Child safety staff training module presentation slides [PDF 473KB]
This staff compliance module details staff members’ responsibilities to keep children at Swinburne safe from harm and abuse.