Child Safety Policy

1. Purpose

Australian Christian Arts Limited (AChA) exists to reclaim the arts for Christ, and a meaningful part of that work is forming the next generation of musicians, singers, and creatives through our youth programmes. Children and young people who join the Australian Christian Youth Orchestra (AChYO) or Australian Christian Youth Choir (AChYC) trust us with their time, their talent, and their formation. Their parents trust us with their children. We take that trust seriously.

This policy sets out how AChA keeps children safe. It is the operational expression of a single, non-negotiable commitment: every child who walks into one of our rehearsals, concerts, auditions, or programmes is safer for having done so. The policy translates the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations into the specific practices we use at AChA, including the structural decisions we have already made about how our youth programmes are run.

We aim for far more than minimum compliance. We aim to be a child-safe organisation in culture, in conduct, and in evidence.

2. Scope

This policy applies to every person involved in AChA in any capacity where they may come into contact with a child or young person under 18, including:

Directors, officers, members, volunteers, contractors, conductors, accompanists, soloists, photographers, videographers, production crew, and visiting artists
AChA personnel acting in any AChA setting, including rehearsals, concerts, auditions, tours, social gatherings, online platforms, and any other AChA-sanctioned activity
Anyone representing AChA on AChA business, whether on AChA premises or at a hired venue, church, school, or third-party location

It covers all AChA programmes that may include people under 18, and applies with particular force to AChYO and AChYC, the two youth programmes launching in Sydney CBD in May 2026 for participants aged 13 to 19 (with the practical minimum age set at 14, or Year 9, as outlined in section 10).

This policy works alongside the Working With Children Check and Background Screening Policy, the Code of Conduct, the Privacy Policy, the Health and Safety Policy, and the Complaints and Grievances Policy.

3. Our commitment

AChA has zero tolerance for child abuse and zero tolerance for the conditions that allow it. That is a statement about culture, not just about discipline. Abuse does not flourish in organisations that pay attention; it flourishes in organisations that look away, that confuse loyalty with silence, or that treat reporting as disloyalty. We refuse those instincts.

We commit to:

Believing children when they speak. Disclosure is rare and costly, and we treat every disclosure as a serious matter worth our full attention.
Listening to children and young people as participants in our community, not as passive recipients of a programme. Their voices shape how we run rehearsals, how we set up venues, and how we respond when something feels wrong.
Recruiting carefully, training thoroughly, and supervising honestly. Good systems make safe behaviour easier and risky behaviour harder.
Responding without hesitation. We escalate, we report to authorities where required or appropriate, and we cooperate fully with the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian, NSW Police, and other relevant agencies.
Treating cultural safety, inclusion, and the safety of children with disability as part of the same picture. A child-safe organisation is safe for every child in it.

This commitment is informed by the work of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the ten National Principles that emerged from it. We accept the Royal Commission's central finding that institutions failed children when they prioritised reputation over truth. We will not make that mistake.

4. The ten Child Safe Standards

AChA aligns its child-safe practice with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, the same framework adopted by the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian. The ten Principles set the standard for how organisations protect children and young people. In summary, and as we apply them at AChA:

Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance, and culture. Our Board owns child safety as a standing risk and a standing responsibility. The Welfare Officer reports to the Youth Welfare Executive Committee, which reports to the Board.
Children and young people are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them, and are taken seriously. Young members hear from us, at the start of every programme cycle, who to talk to and how. Their feedback shapes how we run things.
Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing. Parents and carers receive this policy at enrolment and are kept in the loop on the practical safeguards that affect their child.
Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice. Cultural, religious, ability, neurodiversity, gender, and sexuality considerations are part of our planning, not an afterthought.
People working with children and young people are suitable and supported. Recruitment, screening, induction, supervision, and ongoing training are all real, not paper exercises.
Processes to respond to complaints and concerns are child-focused. A child or young person can raise something with us and be heard, regardless of how serious or minor it seems.
Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while not compromising children's and young people's right to privacy.
Implementation of the national child safe standards is regularly reviewed and improved.
Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.

These Principles are not headings we tick; they are tested against our actual practice every time we plan a rehearsal, run an audition, hire a venue, or publish a photograph.

5. Working With Children Checks, recruitment, and screening

Every adult who has regular contact with children in connection with AChA must hold a current paid Working With Children Check (WWCC) issued under the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 (NSW). We do not accept volunteer-tier WWCC numbers for these roles. The paid check is a deliberate choice, because it sets a higher screening threshold and signals the seriousness with which AChA treats child-related engagement.

Roles requiring a paid WWCC at AChA include, but are not limited to:

The Welfare Officer
The Chief Conductor and any conductor working with young people (for context, our Chief Conductor is Natalia Raspopova)
Any youth programme accompanist, tutor, sectional leader, or rehearsal assistant
Production crew with regular access to youth rehearsal or backstage areas
Members of the Youth Welfare Executive Committee
Any AChA representative driving, supervising, or chaperoning at a youth event

Recruitment for any role with regular contact with children includes a clear position description, formal application, an interview that explicitly tests for child-safe values and judgement, at least two reference checks (one of which must speak to prior conduct in a youth or supervisory setting), and verification of WWCC clearance directly with Service NSW before engagement.

Detailed screening, verification, renewal, and record-keeping procedures sit in the Working With Children Check and Background Screening Policy, and that policy governs the operational mechanics. This Child Safety Policy sets the standard; the Background Screening Policy sets the process.

We treat any reluctance to undergo screening, unexplained gaps in employment or volunteer history, evasive answers about prior child-related work, or any pattern of seeking unsupervised access to children, as a stop signal in the recruitment process. We would rather lose a strong musician than gain an unsafe one.

6. Code of conduct for adults working with children at AChA

This is not a list of suspicions; it is a list of habits that make safe behaviour the default. Every adult working with children at AChA agrees to the following.

We are warm without being familiar. We use children's names, we encourage them, we take their playing seriously, and we keep the relationship clearly professional. We do not initiate hugs, sit children on our laps, comment on their bodies, or develop the kind of "special friendship" with one young person that excludes others.

We follow the two-adult rule. Wherever an adult has contact with a young person in connection with AChA, a second adult is present or in line of sight. This applies to one-to-one tutoring, instrument tuning, conversations after rehearsal, and any moment a young person needs particular pastoral support. If the second adult cannot be present, the contact does not happen, or it moves to a setting where it can.

We do not contact young members privately. Communication runs through the Welfare Officer, a parent or carer, or an official AChA channel. We do not exchange personal phone numbers or social-media handles with members under 18. We do not message them on personal accounts. If a young person reaches out privately, we respond briefly, redirect to the official channel, and tell the Welfare Officer.

We do not transport young members in our own vehicles other than in pre-arranged, parent-approved circumstances with a second adult or sibling present.

We do not photograph or film young members on personal devices. Approved imagery is taken by approved AChA personnel on AChA-controlled devices, under the consents set out in section 10.

We do not give individual gifts to a young member outside an AChA-sanctioned, group-equal context.

We model the conduct we expect. We watch our language, our humour, and our tone. We do not flirt, joke about sex, swear, or make remarks about appearance. We do not discuss adult conflicts in front of young members. We do not drink alcohol at any youth event.

We respond, not react. If a young member tells us something hard, we listen, we do not promise confidentiality, and we follow the response framework in section 8.

A breach of this code, even where no child has been harmed, is a serious matter. The Welfare Officer, in consultation with the Youth Welfare Executive Committee and (where relevant) the Board, may suspend or end a person's involvement with AChA on conduct grounds. Some breaches will also be reportable conduct (section 7).

7. Reporting concerns and disclosures

We want concerns reported. Not certainties. Not court-ready evidence. Concerns. If something does not sit right, we want to know, and we will treat it seriously.

Internal reporting

The first point of contact for any concern about a child at AChA is the Welfare Officer, a qualified school teacher with current paid WWCC clearance, present at every youth rehearsal. The Welfare Officer can be reached in person at any AChYO or AChYC rehearsal, or in writing at welfare@australianchristianarts.com.

If the concern involves the Welfare Officer, or if for any reason the reporter is uncomfortable raising it with the Welfare Officer, the concern goes to the Chair of the Youth Welfare Executive Committee. If the concern involves the Youth Welfare Executive, it goes directly to the Board at board@australianchristianarts.com.

The escalation path is therefore: Welfare Officer → Youth Welfare Executive Committee → Board of Directors. At each level the person receiving the report makes a written record, assesses immediate safety, and decides on next steps including external reporting.

External reporting

Some concerns must be reported externally, regardless of what internal steps are taken in parallel. AChA's standing instruction is to report early rather than late.

Immediate danger to a child: call NSW Police on 000.
Child at risk of significant harm (current or recent): contact the NSW Child Protection Helpline on 132 111, operated by the Department of Communities and Justice under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW). AChA personnel are not generally mandatory reporters under the Act in the strict statutory sense, but our policy is to report reasonable suspicions of harm as if we were.
Allegations against an AChA worker (paid or unpaid) that fall within the Reportable Conduct Scheme under the Children's Guardian Act 2019 (NSW): the Welfare Officer notifies the Board Chair immediately, and AChA notifies the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian within seven business days of the head of entity becoming aware of the allegation, as required.
Suspected criminal conduct under the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), including sexual offences against children: contact NSW Police. Internal processes do not replace police involvement and do not delay it.
Online safety concerns (image-based abuse, grooming, harmful content involving a young person): the eSafety Commissioner at esafety.gov.au, in addition to police where a criminal offence may have occurred.

Crisis support numbers we promote to young members and families:

Lifeline: 13 11 14
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
NSW Police: 000

We do not negotiate with ourselves about whether to make an external report. If the threshold is met or even close, we report.

To put a concern in writing, use the Child Safety Incident & Concern Report. It goes directly to the people who need to act on it. You do not need certainty or proof — a concern is enough.

Submit a Child Safety Incident & Concern Report

8. Responding to disclosures

If a child or young person tells us something has happened to them, or is happening to them, the next few minutes matter more than the next few weeks. The response framework is deliberately simple, because in the moment, simple is all that works.

Listen. Stay calm. Let the young person say what they need to say in their own words. Do not interrupt, do not look shocked, do not fill in their sentences. Their pace is the right pace.

Believe. A young person who discloses has usually weighed up the cost. Our starting posture is that what they are telling us is true and important. Investigation is not our job; belief is.

Reassure, do not promise. Tell them they are right to speak, that this is not their fault, and that we will help. Do not promise to keep it secret, because we cannot. Do say, gently, that we will need to tell the people who can help keep them safe, and that we will tell them what we are doing.

Do not investigate. Do not ask leading questions, do not press for detail, do not ask "why" questions. Open, minimal prompts only ("can you tell me a bit more about that?"). We are listeners, not interviewers.

Document, accurately, immediately. As soon as the conversation ends, write down what was said using the child's own words wherever possible, the time and place, who was present, and the response given. Sign and date the record. Provide it to the Welfare Officer the same day.

Act on safety. If the young person is at risk now, call 000. If the alleged perpetrator is an AChA worker, that person is stood down from any child-contact role immediately, pending external assessment. The standing-down is procedural, not a finding.

Escalate. Welfare Officer notifies the Youth Welfare Executive Committee and the Board Chair the same day. External reporting (section 7) follows as required. The Welfare Officer maintains contact with the young person and the family at a pace they can tolerate, and offers links to support including Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800).

We follow up with the adult who received the disclosure as well. Receiving a disclosure is hard, and we look after the person who held that moment.

9. Information handling, confidentiality, and privacy

Child-safety records are sensitive personal information. We handle them under the Privacy Policy and the Records Management Policy, with the additional discipline that this section requires.

Information about a disclosure, a concern, an allegation, or a Reportable Conduct matter is shared on a need-to-know basis only. The need-to-know group typically includes the Welfare Officer, the Chair of the Youth Welfare Executive Committee, the Board Chair, AChA's legal advisers, and the relevant external agency. It does not include other members, other parents, other conductors, or social-media posts.

Records are stored securely, access-controlled, and retained for the periods set by NSW law and by the Office of the Children's Guardian's record-keeping guidance. We do not delete child-safety records to make a problem go away. We do not discuss the substance of an open matter with anyone outside the need-to-know group.

The young person and their family are kept informed at a pace and in a form that supports them, with the Welfare Officer as their single point of contact unless they ask otherwise. Confidentiality protects the young person; it is not a tool to protect the organisation.

10. Youth programme specifics: AChYO and AChYC

AChYO and AChYC are the Australian Christian Youth Orchestra and Australian Christian Youth Choir. They are AChA's flagship youth programmes, launching in May 2026 in Sydney CBD, for participants aged 13 to 19. Rehearsals run fortnightly on Thursdays from 5pm to 7pm. The following design choices are deliberate and policy-binding.

Minimum age: The practical minimum age for participation is 14, or Year 9, whichever is later. We have set this threshold deliberately above the nominal 13 floor, because the rehearsal context, repertoire demands, and travel-home logistics suit older teenagers better. Exceptions require Welfare Officer and Chief Conductor sign-off, and a parent or carer present at the venue.

Welfare Officer at every rehearsal: A qualified school teacher in the role of Welfare Officer is present at every AChYO and AChYC rehearsal, audition, and performance. The Welfare Officer is the named child-safety lead on the floor and is the first point of contact for any concern.

Parents and carers are not permitted to stay and watch rehearsals. This is a deliberate child-safe design choice, not a hospitality oversight. Open rehearsal viewing introduces unscreened adults into the rehearsal space, complicates supervision, and makes the room less safe, not more. Parents and carers drop off and collect at the venue entrance; the Welfare Officer manages the handover. Open rehearsals and family-attended dress runs are scheduled separately, with explicit invitations and the relevant supervision in place.

No changing rooms at events. Young members come dressed for performance, or change off-site in private arrangements made by their family. AChA does not provide, operate, or supervise changing rooms for under-18s at any concert or event. This removes an entire category of risk.

Separate, clearly marked toilets for young members. At every AChA venue used for youth programmes, toilets used by young members are separately marked, separated from adult-member toilets, and where venue layout allows, located within line of sight of the Welfare Officer's station.

Two-adult rule for all child-contact moments. No adult is alone with a young member in connection with AChA. Tuning, sectional coaching, pastoral conversation, transport, first-aid response, anything: a second adult is present or in immediate line of sight. The two-adult rule is non-negotiable.

WWCC for all adults with regular child contact. Current, paid WWCC clearance is required (section 5).

Transport: AChA does not transport young members in private vehicles as a matter of course. Where transport is needed in exceptional circumstances (illness, unexpected pickup failure, tour logistics), it is arranged with parental consent, with a second adult or sibling present, in writing, and logged by the Welfare Officer.

Photography, video, and social media: Images and footage of young members may only be captured by an approved AChA photographer or videographer on AChA-controlled devices, and only where the young person and their parent or carer have given written consent through the Media Release and Consent Form. We do not publish young members' full names alongside identifying images. We do not tag young members in social-media posts. We do not share rehearsal or backstage imagery on personal accounts. Conductors, accompanists, and crew do not photograph or film young members at any time on personal phones.

Online platforms: AChA's communication with young members about programme logistics runs through Heartbeat (heartbeat.australianchristianarts.com) and through parents or carers by email. Group chats involving young members are administered by the Welfare Officer, are visible to at least one other approved adult at all times, and follow the same conduct standards as in-person interaction. AChA personnel do not friend, follow, DM, or otherwise contact young members on personal social-media accounts.

After-hours and out-of-programme contact: AChA personnel do not initiate contact with young members outside scheduled programme activities. Routine logistical messaging (rehearsal cancellation, venue change) goes via the Welfare Officer to parents or to the official Heartbeat channel, not direct to the young person. If a young member contacts an AChA adult after hours, the adult responds briefly, redirects to the proper channel, and informs the Welfare Officer that day.

These specifics are not the floor of safe practice; they are the floor of our safe practice. Conductors, accompanists, parents, and members can rely on them being applied consistently.

11. Training and induction

Every adult joining AChA in a role with any potential child contact completes a child-safety induction before their first rehearsal or event. The induction covers this policy, the Code of Conduct, the Working With Children Check and Background Screening Policy, how to recognise and respond to disclosures, mandatory and policy-based reporting obligations, online conduct, and the specific practical rules in section 10.

The Welfare Officer, members of the Youth Welfare Executive Committee, conductors of youth programmes, and any AChA worker with a regular child-contact role complete more in-depth training annually, including scenario-based work on disclosure response. The Welfare Officer organises this training and maintains the training register.

Young members and their families also receive an age-appropriate child-safe orientation at the start of each programme cycle, including who the Welfare Officer is, how to raise a concern, and what to expect.

Training is not a one-off compliance event. It is the muscle memory of a child-safe culture, and we keep it warm.

12. Continuous improvement and review

We take child safety seriously enough to look at our own practice honestly. The Welfare Officer reports at least quarterly to the Youth Welfare Executive Committee on:

Concerns raised and how they were handled
Training completion and WWCC currency
Incidents, near-misses, and lessons learned
Feedback from young members and from families
Engagement with the Office of the Children's Guardian and any reportable matters

The Youth Welfare Executive Committee reports to the Board at every Board meeting on child-safe practice. The Board reviews this policy annually given its child-safe scope (rather than the standard 24-month cycle that applies to most AChA policies), and after any serious incident, any regulatory change, or any structural change to a youth programme.

Where we find we have got something wrong, we fix it, we say so internally, and we update this policy.

Roles and responsibilities

The Board of Directors owns this policy. The Board approves the policy and any material change, sets the cultural tone, ensures adequate resourcing, receives reports on serious matters, and engages directly with the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian where required.

The Youth Welfare Executive Committee oversees implementation, supports the Welfare Officer, reviews concerns and incidents, makes the day-to-day judgement calls between escalation tiers, and reports to the Board.

The Welfare Officer is the on-the-floor child-safety lead, present at every youth rehearsal. The Welfare Officer is a qualified school teacher with current paid WWCC clearance, holds the relational contact with young members and families, receives concerns and disclosures, makes the immediate response, maintains records, and escalates as needed.

Conductors and music staff of youth programmes follow this policy at all times, complete training, hold paid WWCCs, model the code of conduct, and support the Welfare Officer's authority on child-safety matters without exception.

All AChA personnel read and follow this policy, hold any required clearances, complete required training, raise concerns promptly, and treat the safety of children as a non-negotiable part of belonging to AChA.

Parents and carers are partners in this work. They receive this policy at enrolment, are kept informed about practical safeguards, and are welcome to raise any question or concern with the Welfare Officer at any time.

Definitions

Child or young person: a person under 18 years of age.

Child-related role: any AChA role involving direct contact with, supervision of, or regular communication with people under 18, in line with the definitions used under the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 (NSW).

WWCC: Working With Children Check, issued by the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian. AChA requires the paid clearance for all child-related roles, not the volunteer-only clearance.

Reportable conduct: conduct by an AChA worker (paid or unpaid) that falls within Schedule 1 of the Children's Guardian Act 2019 (NSW), including sexual offences, sexual misconduct, ill-treatment, neglect, physical assault, and behaviour that causes significant emotional or psychological harm to a child.

Disclosure: a statement by a child or young person, in words or behaviour, that they have experienced or are experiencing harm. Disclosures can be partial, indirect, gradual, or retracted; we treat each one seriously.

Welfare Officer: AChA's named child-safety lead on the floor of every youth rehearsal, a qualified school teacher holding a current paid WWCC.

Two-adult rule: the AChA practice that no adult is alone with a child or young person in connection with AChA; a second approved adult is present or in immediate line of sight.

Review

This policy is reviewed every 12 months from the date of approval, given its child-safe scope, and additionally following any serious incident, any change in the relevant NSW law (including the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012, the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998, or the Children's Guardian Act 2019), and any material change to AChA's youth programmes.

Owner: Welfare Officer. Approving authority: Board of Directors. Next scheduled review: 12 months from approval date.

Contact

For any concern, question, or report under this policy:

Welfare Officer: welfare@australianchristianarts.com, present at every AChYO and AChYC rehearsal
Youth Welfare Executive Committee: via the Welfare Officer, or directly at welfare@australianchristianarts.com
Board of Directors: board@australianchristianarts.com

External support and reporting:

NSW Police (emergency): 000
NSW Child Protection Helpline: 132 111 (24 hours)
NSW Office of the Children's Guardian: ocg.nsw.gov.au
eSafety Commissioner: esafety.gov.au
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
Lifeline: 13 11 14