Safeguarding Children and Young People

Our Commitment to Child Safety

Every child and young person has the right to be and feel safe at all times

At Indigo Junction, the safety, wellbeing and rights of children and young people are at the heart of everything we do.

We are committed to creating environments where children and young people are safe, respected, heard and empowered. We recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and embed child-safe practices across our governance, leadership, services, workforce and organisational culture.

Our approach is guided by The Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, relevant Western Australian legislation and our commitment to trauma-informed, culturally safe and child-centred practice.

Read our Safeguarding Children and Young People Commitment Statement

How we keep children and young people safe

Safeguarding is more than responding to concerns, it is about creating environments where children and young people feel safe, respected, included and empowered. We achieve this through strong leadership, skilled staff, safe services, effective reporting processes and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Safe leadership

Our leaders and Board are responsible for embedding child safety throughout Indigo Junction by embedding child safety into governance and decision-making, providing clear leadership and accountability, monitoring safeguarding risks, regularly reviewing policies, procedures and practice and supporting a culture of continuous improvement.

Safe people

Everyone who works with or for Indigo Junction shares responsibility for safeguarding children and young people. We support this through mandatory Working with Children Checks, National Police Clearances, child-safe recruitment and screening, reference checking, mandatory safeguarding training and ongoing professional development.

Safe services

Our services are designed to place children and young people at the centre of decision-making through trauma-informed practice, child-centred approaches, cultural safety and inclusion, respect for diversity, family and community participation and listening to children’s and young people’s voices.

Safe environments

We take practical steps to create safe physical and online environments by identifying and managing risks, providing appropriate supervision, maintaining professional boundaries, supporting safe use of technology, protecting privacy and confidentiality and maintaining welcoming and secure facilities.

Safe reporting

We encourage concerns to be raised early and respond promptly, respectfully and in the best interests of children and young people. We take all concerns about safety or wellbeing, disclosures made by children or young people, complaints, suspicions of abuse, neglect or exploitation and allegations of inappropriate behaviour or misconduct seriously.

Speak Up

We encourage you to speak up

If a child or young person is in immediate danger, call 000. 

Children are safest when families, carers, communities and organisations work together. We welcome feedback, encourage participation and are committed to responding to concerns respectfully, confidentially and without fear of retaliation.

If you are a child, young person, parent, carer, family member, volunteer, contractor, employee or community member and you are worried about the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person, please tell us.

No concern is too small.

To report a safeguarding concern, complaint or unsafe behaviour, please contact Indigo Junction. You can also contact the WA Commissioner for Children and Young People for independent information and support:

Rights of children and young people

If you are a child or young person, you have the right to:

• feel safe
• be heard and taken seriously
• be treated with dignity and respect
• have your culture, identity and diversity respected
• participate in decisions that affect you
• raise concerns or make a complaint without fear
• receive support when you need it

Learn more about your rights below:

Policies and Resources

Learn more about our safeguarding framework by downloading:

• Safeguarding Children and Young People Commitment Statement
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Children and Young People Policy and Procedure
• Safeguarding Vulnerable People Policy

Governance and Accountability

Safeguarding is an ongoing commitment, not a one-time activity.

Indigo Junction has a dedicated Safeguarding Children and Young People Committee that oversees the implementation and continuous improvement of child-safe practices across the organisation. The Committee provides oversight of safeguarding across all services by, monitoring compliance with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, reviewing safeguarding policies, procedures and training, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and considering feedback from children, young people, families, staff and the wider community

By embedding safeguarding into our governance, leadership and everyday practice, we strive to ensure every child and young person who engages with Indigo Junction feels safe, respected, valued and empowered.