The Coastal Clarity Allied Health Child Safe Code of Conduct sets clear expectations for safe, respectful and professional behaviour when working with or interacting with children and young people.
The Code applies to adults working for or on behalf of Coastal Clarity Allied Health and supports the rights of children and young people to feel safe, respected, heard and included. This Code should be read together with the Child Safe Environments Policy, which sets out Coastal Clarity’s broader child-safety, risk-management, reporting and safeguarding requirements.
Who the Code Applies To
This Code applies to all adults who work with or interact with children and young people through Coastal Clarity, including:
- the Director / Business Owner;
- contractors;
- students and placement students;
- volunteers; and
- other persons engaged by or representing Coastal Clarity.
It applies during service delivery, appointments, community or educational settings, home-based services where provided, telehealth, electronic communication and other activities undertaken on behalf of Coastal Clarity Allied Health.
Children and young people are not responsible for complying with this adult Code. They will be informed, in an age- and developmentally appropriate way, about the behaviours they can expect from adults and their right to speak up about anything that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
All individuals involved in providing care or services to participants on behalf of Coastal Clarity Allied Health must:
- treat children and young people with dignity, respect and fairness;
- listen to their views, preferences and concerns;
- communicate in an age-, developmentally- and communication-appropriate manner;
- maintain professional boundaries;
- promote inclusion and cultural safety;
- respect children’s privacy and dignity;
- support children to participate in decisions affecting them;
- respond appropriately to concerns or disclosures; and
- comply with Coastal Clarity Allied Health’s policies, procedures and applicable legal obligations.
Professional Boundaries
Adults must maintain appropriate professional relationships and must not:
- engage in grooming, abuse, exploitation or inappropriate relationships;
- encourage secrecy;
- show inappropriate favouritism or provide inappropriate gifts or special treatment;
- use a professional relationship for personal benefit;
- establish inappropriate personal or social-media relationships with children;
- arrange inappropriate private contact outside the professional setting; or
- behave in a way that could reasonably be considered unsafe or inappropriate.
One-to-one professional service delivery is permitted where appropriate professional boundaries and safeguards are maintained.
Physical Contact and Personal Care
Physical contact must be appropriate, necessary for the service where relevant, respectful and proportionate to the child’s needs. Adults must never use physical contact as punishment, intimidation, coercion or for sexual purposes. Personal care must only be provided where it forms part of an agreed service or support requirement and must respect the child’s dignity, privacy and communication needs.
Communication and Digital Safety
Communication with children and young people must remain professional and appropriate.
Adults must not:
- engage in secret or inappropriate private communication;
- use personal social-media accounts to communicate with children;
- send or request inappropriate images or content;
- use digital communication to bypass professional boundaries; or
- engage in sexualised, degrading or humiliating communication.
Professional communication channels should be used wherever possible.
Photography and Recording
Photographs, videos or recordings of children may only be taken or used for a legitimate purpose with appropriate consent or other lawful authority. They must be stored securely, used only for the authorised purpose and not shared or posted through personal social-media accounts. Further requirements regarding consent, privacy and information handling are set out in Coastal Clarity’s relevant policies.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Adults must protect children’s and families’ personal information and only access, use or disclose information for legitimate purposes. Confidential information must not be discussed with people who are not authorised to receive it.
Confidentiality does not prevent information being disclosed where required or authorised by law, including mandatory reporting. Further privacy requirements are set out in the Privacy and Confidentiality Policy.
Prohibited Conduct
The following conduct is prohibited:
- abuse, neglect, grooming or exploitation;
- bullying, harassment or discrimination;
- threatening, intimidating, humiliating or shaming a child;
- unnecessary physical contact or personal care;
- inappropriate sexualised behaviour or communication;
- inappropriate gifts, favouritism or secret relationships;
- inappropriate online contact;
- unauthorised photography or recording;
- working while impaired by alcohol or drugs;
- breaching confidentiality;
- falsifying records;
- retaliating against a person who raises a concern; or
- ignoring or failing to appropriately respond to a child-safety concern.
Children and Young People’s Rights
Children and young people have the right to:
- feel safe and respected;
- be listened to and taken seriously;
- have their communication needs supported;
- participate in decisions affecting them;
- express concerns or make complaints; and
- seek help from a trusted adult or support person.
Children and young people will be encouraged to speak up if something makes them feel unsafe, uncomfortable or concerned.
Responding to Concerns
Any concern about the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person must be taken seriously and responded to promptly.
Adults must not investigate disclosures themselves or pressure a child to provide unnecessary information. Where a person has an individual mandatory reporting obligation, they must comply with that obligation in accordance with South Australian law.
- Child Abuse Report Line (CARL): 13 14 78
Emergency: 000
The detailed process for recognising, reporting and responding to harm or risk of harm is contained in the Child Safe Environments Policy.
Raising Concerns
Concerns about the conduct of an adult working with or representing Coastal Clarity should be raised as soon as practicable.
Children, young people, families, carers, workers and other persons may raise concerns or complaints and may involve a trusted support person or advocate.
No person will be disadvantaged or retaliated against for raising a genuine child-safety concern or fulfilling a legal reporting obligation.
Complaints will be managed in accordance with the Complaints, Disputes and Feedback Policy.
Breaches
Breaches of this Code will be taken seriously and may result in appropriate action, including additional training or supervision, changes to duties, termination of engagement, or referral to a professional body, regulator, police or child-protection authority.
Where conduct may involve harm, risk of harm or criminal conduct, applicable reporting obligations will be considered.
Acknowledgement
When you book an appointment with Coastal Clarity Allied Health, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to comply with the Coastal Clarity Allied Health Child Safe Code of Conduct.