Ten basic Child Safe Standards for organisations were identified by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. 

ChildSafe spokesman Neil Milton is headed to Tamworth and said wherever children and adults are present there’s the potential for child abuse.

“I think as soon as people say child safety, automatically people think of administration, work, but that’s the wrong attitude because we should have the child’s best interest in mind – not the safety of ourselves,” he said.

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“If we only follow law, policy and procedure, the children are still likely to be impacted and sometimes forever by abuse.

“We want to help organisations put the child back into focus and realise the motivation is to make sure no child is abused.”

Mr Milton has had personal experience with child abuse, and said his goal is to work with organisations to give them practical, implementable steps.

“Child safety is about enabling trusted environments for the children in your care,” he said.

“The reality is that trust has disappeared in Australian organisations, we want to help them restore and build trust – to understand what to do if abuse happens.”

Children are most likely to be abused or neglected by parents and caregivers, and child sexual abuse is perpetrated by a much wider group of people including other relatives, siblings, friends, teachers, coaches and others known to the child, Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows. 

It’s a requirement for most employees working with children to have a Police Check and Working With Children Check, but Mr Milton said it’s not enough.

“Involving everyone in setting up a child safe culture makes perpetrators realise they can’t get in there,” he said.

The roadshow is in Tamworth on June 15, for information visit childsafe.org.au.