Council strengthens safety protocols around working with children
Hurunui District Council has increased its safety protocols around interacting with children.
Council’s updated Child Protection Policy was unanimously adopted by Councils’ Strategy and Community Committee at this month's meeting.
“Section 19 of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 requires Child Protection Policies to be reviewed every three years to ensure they remain up to date with best practices,” Chief Strategy and Community Officer Judith Batchelor says.
The policy was previously reviewed and adopted in 2020 and provided guidelines around expectations of behaviour for Council employees when interacting with young people through Council services such as libraries, pools, community centres, and waste education and youth programmes, including Mayors Taskforce for Jobs.
Under the revised policy, the scope of the policy has been extended to include volunteers, councillors and contractors, who will now also receive guidance in line with the policy’s requirements.
“The policy supports Council’s strategic vision that the district is welcoming, inclusive, safe, accessible and supports the health and wellbeing of our communities,” Batchelor says. “It’s ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children who interact with council and its representatives, including contractors.
“The policy will help employees, volunteers, councillors and contractors to decide what to do when they encounter potentially at-risk situations.”
In moving the motion, Cr Karen Armstrong, who has a background working in Child Protection, summed up the updated policy as robust and well thought-out. “From my point of view, it’s based on really sound principles.”
