Year
2023Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
NilUnit rationale, description and aim
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has exposed the systemic problems of poor policies, governance and practices to protect children. There is a clear need for good governance and law to regulate professional practice. International, national and state legislation and regulatory procedures together create a framework of mandatory screening and reporting requirements for individuals and organisations working with children and young people - from sporting clubs to institutions such as churches and schools. This unit provides students with an understanding of the legal framework relating to the protection of children and young people. This will enable students to implement the legal requirements of providing safe environments to children and young people.
The unit also considers what is best practice in relation to the governance of organisations providing services to children and young people. Consideration is given to the use of codes of conduct and guidelines as a way of informing and training employees, volunteers, and clients of their legal rights and responsibilities when dealing with children and young people.
At the completion of the unit students should understand the legal framework for the protection of children and young people and be able to design and implement codes of conduct and guidelines which clearly identify the duties and responsibilities of all employees, volunteers and clients of the organisation. Students should also be able to effectively investigate and report allegations of abuse.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
LO1 - Demonstrate an understanding of the legal framework, both civil and criminal, relating to the protection of children and young people, and the legal obligations of organisations, employees and volunteers involved in working with or providing services to children and young people (GA2, GA4, GA5, GA6 GA8, GA9, GA10; SCYP 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 6.3)
LO2 - Understand and apply knowledge of the legal framework for the protection of children and young people by training others to respond appropriately to allegations of child abuse within an organisation; including mandatory reporting, conducting investigations, and preparing written reports (GA2, GA4, GA5, GA6 GA8, GA9, GA10; SCYP 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 6.3)
LO3 - Critically analyse the effectiveness of the governance procedures within an organisation in accordance with best practice in relation to the protection of children and young people. (GA2, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA7, GA8, GA9, GA10; SCYP 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 6.3)
LO4 - evaluate and implement governance frameworks for organisations providing services to or working with children and young people that include policies, guidelines, codes of conduct and human resources procedures which are transparent to employees, volunteers, and users of the service (GA2, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA8, GA9, GA10; SCYP2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 6.3)
Graduate attributes
GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society
GA4 - think critically and reflectively
GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account
GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media
GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE CAPABILITY FRAMEWORK
Alongside the learning outcomes for this unit, on successful completion, students should have developed the ability to:
ACU SCYP 2. Foster child-safe organisational cultures and environments through leadership, governance, and practice 2.1 Knows what enables and encourages child-safe institutional/organisational cultures and environments and approaches that promote them 2.4 Develops and implements a comprehensive child-safe governance framework that includes policies, code of conduct, human resource procedures and clear accountabilities for staff 2.5 Applies legal, ethical and professional responsibilities relating to children’s safety |
ACU SCYP 3. Develop and implements effective strategies that address risks, based on the situational prevention model and take appropriate action when concerns and issues arise 3.1 Knows what strategies are effective and how to apply policies and strategies in their institutional/organisational context 3.4 Knows and addresses the responsibilities and limitations of mandatory screening and reporting schemes. 3.5 Implements effective human resource procedures to protect children and young people including appropriate values-based screening and pre-employment strategies; ongoing professional development, supervision, monitoring and mentoring of staff and volunteers; and clear accountabilities. |
ACU SCYP 6. Respond appropriately to the ongoing needs of children and young people who have experienced abuse and manage the impact of this abuse on other children and young people, staff, families, and the institution/organisation 6.3 Knows and can demonstrate appropriate responses in instances of child abuse (both within and outside the institution/organisation), including mandatory reporting, the development of safety plans and providing appropriate support to victims, other children, families, staff and the institution/organisation |
Content
Topics will include:
- Legislative and regulatory framework relating to the protection of children and young people
- Recommendations of the Royal Commission on Institutional Child sexual abuse, and incorporation of recommendations into organisations’ guidelines to ensure children and young people are safe
- The legal purpose of guidelines, codes of conduct and regulations in an organisation
- Matters to be considered when drafting guidelines or codes of conduct, including privacy and the rules of natural justice.
- Legal obligations of organisations in relation to the protection of children and young people including:
- Working with children checks
- Mandatory reporting, what behaviour are you required to report and to whom;
- Identifying, reporting, and responding to allegations of child abuse.
- Investigating and preparing reports.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is offered in multi-mode (i.e. delivered online and in face-to-face contexts) and uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of the essential knowledge associated with contemporary laws and governance policies and practice to ensure child protection and safety. Students are able to explore the essential knowledge underpinning child protection governance, legislative and regulatory frameworks in a series of online asynchronous interactive lessons. Students also have the opportunity to attend synchronous online webinars to participate in the construction and synthesis of this knowledge. This online approach allows flexibility for students who are largely engaged in full time work.
Where required by cohorts, part or all of the unit could be delivered face to face with students also accessing digital resources and activities available through the LEO site.
This learning and teaching strategy will facilitate active participation in pedagogical approaches that demonstrate alignment of teaching, learning and assessment and the strategy is responsive to the diverse contexts of individual students and cohorts.
The unit involves focused learning comprising directed study (e.g. lectures, tutorials, webinars, podcasts etc) and private study and practice.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment will relate directly to the achievement of the outcomes above. Some flexibility may be exercised in the assessment tasks to align with the needs of the student cohort and their professional situation.
The assessment tasks and their weightings are mapped to demonstrate progressive achievement of the course learning outcomes. The assessment strategy for the unit is designed to provide students opportunities to demonstrate achievement of the unit learning outcomes that combine formative and summative assessment practices in relation to the course learning outcomes and related Safeguarding Children and Young People capabilities. The assessment focuses on the student demonstrating capabilities in the context of their professional context and practice. The weighting of the two tasks represents the balance between the legal and governance topics of this unit.
The first assessment task requires analysis of legal frameworks and their implications for the governance of organisations. The second task is based on a specific case study/context and requires application of knowledge and understanding to evaluate current practice in an organisation and to prepare governance documents.
A range of assessment procedures are used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements.(http://www.acu.edu.au/policy/student_policies/assessment_policy_and_assessment_procedures).
The assessment will relate directly to the achievement of the outcomes above. Some flexibility may be exercised in the assessment tasks to align with the needs of the student cohort and their professional situation.
The total assessment will be equivalent to 5.000 words (Graduate Certificate). In order to pass this unit, participants will be required to submit and pass all assessment tasks.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1 Essay Requires students to demonstrate the ability to critically analyse the legal framework relating to the protection of children and young people in Australia and its implications for governance in an organisation generally or your organisation. 2,500 words | 50% | LO1, LO2, | GA1, GA2, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA7, GA8, GA9, GA10 |
Assessment Task 2 Evaluation report and governance document for specific organisational context Requires students to demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate the child safety guidelines in your /an organisation, identifying the strengths and weakness of them and to draft new guidelines that represent best practice. 2,500 words | 50% | LO3. LO4, | GA1, GA2, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA7, GA8, GA9, GA10 |
Representative texts and references
National Framework for protecting Australia’s children and young people. www.aihw.gov.au
Report and Recommendations of the Royal Commission on Institutional Child sexual abuse. www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au
Mandatory reporting guidelines. https: aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/mandatoryreporting
Understanding Organisational Risk Factors for Child Maltreatment. A review of the literature; Lorraine Beyer, Daryl Higgins, and Leah Bromfield. 2016.
Child Protection Systems, Oxford University Press
Children and the Law in Australia, LexisNexus, edited by Young, 2016.