OUR COMMITMENT TO
Child Safety
The Everyday Foundation is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people who may come into contact with our work, our programs, and our people.
In alignment with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000 (Qld), The Everyday Foundation:
- undertakes annual risk assessments to identify, evaluate and manage risks to child safety across all programs and activities
- adopts and aligns its policies and practices with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
- publishes an annual statement of compliance and makes it available to our community.
Child Safe Policy
The Everyday Foundation has a Child Safe Policy that reinforces our commitment to creating and maintaining a child safe culture. The Policy:
- clarifies the roles and responsibilities of staff, volunteers, contractors and third parties
- outlines how risks to child safety are identified and managed across our programs
- sets expectations for all personnel including recruitment, screening, training and conduct
- explains reporting obligations and how disclosures or concerns are managed
- provides access to support through appropriate employee and volunteer assistance pathways.
These measures help ensure all personnel understand their obligations and actively contribute to a child safe culture at The Everyday Foundation.
Our Interaction with Children
While none of The Everyday Foundation’s programs are specifically designed to work directly with children, all of our programs — including the Everyday Food Outlet, Daily Bread, Community Support, Bean Café and Hope Hampers — may result in staff or volunteers having incidental contact with children who accompany clients and families.
In recognition of this, The Everyday Foundation is committed to regularly reviewing its environment across all program areas to identify and address risks, and to ensure appropriate protections are in place for any child who comes into contact with our work.
Risk Assessment
The Everyday Foundation undertakes an annual child safety risk assessment in accordance with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the requirements of the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000 (Qld). The purpose of this assessment is to identify, evaluate and manage risks to child safety across all functions and activities. The overall risk to child safety and wellbeing is effectively managed, with measures in place to mitigate identified risks.
The assessment considers The Everyday Foundation’s operating environment, programs, staffing and volunteer workforce. It reflects the nature and level of contact between our personnel and children, noting that:
- contact with children is incidental rather than a primary purpose of any program, and is likely to be brief and within a public or supervised setting
- most interactions occur in the presence of a parent, guardian, or other adult, and within a community-facing environment with other staff and volunteers present.
The assessment identifies a range of risks that may impact child safety and wellbeing across our programs, along with the controls and treatments in place to manage those risks. This includes measures to ensure that:
- all staff and volunteers hold a current Queensland Blue Card (Working with Children Check) prior to commencing and throughout their engagement
- Community Support staff and volunteers are additionally required to hold a current National Police Check
- all staff and volunteers complete Safe Churches training annually, covering child safety, working with vulnerable people, mandatory reporting obligations and conduct expectations
- all personnel are required to adhere to The Everyday Foundation’s policies, procedures and Code of Conduct
- a designated safeguarding lead is accessible to all staff and volunteers for guidance, support and reporting
- continuous improvement is applied through annual reviews.
The outcomes of each annual assessment inform The Everyday Foundation’s broader approach to child safety governance, including policy updates, training priorities and ongoing monitoring. Recognising that child safety is an ongoing commitment, The Everyday Foundation will monitor and review its assessment to respond to any changes in its programs, personnel or operating environment.