3.3 Safeguarding Children
The Department for Education, Children and Young People (the department) is committed to safeguarding the rights of children and young people to have an education, to be heard, and to be kept safe from harm. Child safety is everyone’s responsibility, including volunteers with Libraries Tasmania.
Volunteers are expected to contribute to a culture that values child safety and wellbeing.
3.3.1 Registration to work with vulnerable people
All Libraries Tasmania volunteers must have and maintain a current Tasmanian Registration to Work with Vulnerable People (RWVP) as per the Registration to Work with Vulnerable People Policy, except volunteers who are:
- under 16 years
- accompanied by a carer through a disability plan, in which case the carer must hold a current RWVP, and the volunteer must undertake allocated tasks under the carer’s supervision.
Libraries Tasmania will reimburse the cost of RWVP registration for continuing volunteers, and for new volunteers after they have completed four volunteering ‘sessions’ including the induction session, on presentation of a receipt. Note: a volunteering ‘session’ is an agreed period where a volunteer undertakes allocated tasks.
3.3.2 Mandatory reporting
Libraries Tasmania volunteers are Mandatory Reporters under the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1997. Volunteers must report any incidents, disclosures or suspicions of child abuse, including child sexual abuse, to the in accordance with the Mandatory Reporting Procedure.
Libraries staff must provide volunteers with a copy of the Safeguarding Framework and any relevant policies and procedures contained in the Framework as part of their induction package. Volunteers are to read and abide by the department’s safeguarding policy documents and take reasonable measures to keep children and young people safe.