Table of Contents

• Policy Statement and Purpose
• Definitions
• Key Roles and Responsibilities
• Principles
• Policy objectives
• Scope
• Procedures
  • Screening and Safety Checking
  • Appointing a Child Protection Officer
  • Implementing this Policy and the Good Practice Protocols
  • Monitoring Breaches of Policy and Protocols
  • Responding to and Reporting Suspected Abuse or Neglect
• Policy review
• Appendix 1: Relevant Legislation and Resources
• Appendix 2: Good Practice Protocols
• Appendix 3: Acknowledgement Form

Policy Statement and Purpose

Royal Society Te Apārangi (the Society) is fully committed to protecting and promoting the health, safety, and wellbeing of all children in its care. The Society recognises the responsibility to promote safe practice and wellbeing as well as to protect children from abuse or neglect while participating in its activities and the activities of its contractors.

This Child Protection Policy is intended to support staff, volunteers and contractors in delivering on that commitment, and to meet the Society's legal obligations under Part 2 of the Children's Act 2014 and any other relevant legislation (Appendix 1). It provides guidance on identifying and responding to child protection concerns in a timely and appropriate way.

This obligation to protect and to promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of children is on all staff, volunteers, and contractors of the Society, who will also work together to embrace difference and diversity, and respect the rights of children and young people.

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy and associated Good Practice Protocols:

• A child is any child or young person aged 17 years or under.
• Abuse is the harming (physically, emotionally, or sexually), ill-treatment, neglect, or deprivation of a child
• Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical or psychological needs, leading to adverse or impaired physical or emotional functioning or development.
• A child protection concern is any reasonable concern that a child may be at risk of abuse or neglect.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Principles

This policy is based on the following principles:

• The welfare of children is the primary concern.
• When considering whether notification to Oranga Tamariki or Police is appropriate a conservative approach will be taken with the foremost consideration being the welfare and safety of the child(ren).
• All children, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religious belief, and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from all forms of abuse or neglect.
• Child protection is everyone's responsibility.
• Children have the right to express views on all matters which affect them, should they wish to do so.
• The Society will treat people, including children, with respect in all its activities.
• The Society will adopt best practice in relation to working with children.

Policy objectives

The aim of this policy is to promote good practice through:

• respecting and promoting the rights, wishes, and feelings of children;
• promoting and implementing appropriate procedures to safeguard the wellbeing of children and protect them from abuse or neglect;
• recruiting, training, supporting, and supervising staff, volunteers, and contractors to adopt best practice to safeguard and protect children from abuse or neglect and to reduce risk to themselves;
• requiring staff, volunteers, and contractors to adopt and abide by the Child Protection Policy and procedures;
• responding to any child protection concerns, or any allegations of abuse or neglect of children in line with the policy and procedures as well as implementing, where appropriate, the relevant disciplinary and appeals procedures; and
• regularly monitoring and evaluating the implementation of this policy and procedures.

Scope

This policy applies to all the Society’s employees, contractors, and volunteers (hereafter referred to collectively as "staff").

This policy applies in any circumstance where a staff member of the Society suspects, identifies, or is informed of abuse or neglect of a child or children. This policy should be applied regardless of whether the child concerned is receiving services from the Society (for example, where child protection concerns are identified in connection with services being provided to a member of the child's whānau).

Procedures

Screening and Safety Checking

As part of the Society’s legal obligations under the Children's Act 2014 and the duty of care, the Society must ensure that only suitable and appropriate staff (including parent volunteers) are engaged to work with children.

When recruiting people who will, or may, engage with children, the Society will ensure that there is a robust recruitment process that meets the requirements of the Children's Act. This includes:

• creating a role description and candidate specifications;
• advertising the position;
• implementing an application process;
• obtaining and checking references;
• interviewing candidates; and
• checking safety as required by the Children's Act (e.g. police vetting).

When planning any programme, event, or activity, the Person-in-charge must check that all staff who will work with children have been vetted by police, and if not, ensure that these checks are completed and retained on file.

Appointing a Child Protection Officer

The Society shall appoint a Child Protection Officer (CPO) to manage child protection issues. The CPO will be responsible for the following:

• ensuring that child protection procedures are understood and adhered to by all staff;
• raising awareness of child protection issues within the organisation;
• establishing and maintaining a complaints procedure;
• regularly reporting to the Council;
• acting as the main contact for child protection matters;
• keeping up-to-date with developments in child protection legislation;
• maintaining confidential records of reported cases and any action taken; and
• regularly monitoring and reviewing existing policies and procedures.

Implementing this Policy and the Good Practice Protocols

The Society will ensure all staff are aware of this policy and provide guidance on good practice for working with children and establishing boundaries in a range of situations (Appendix 2).  The CPO will ensure that staff who work with children are aware of their responsibility to follow this Policy including the Good Practice Protocols.

The Society will require that, when contracting or funding activities that involve children, all providers either have a child protection policy or where it is not practical to have such a policy, agree to abide by the Society’s Child Protection Policy.

Monitoring Breaches of Policy and Protocols

If any staff of the Society receives an allegation or otherwise has any concerns about breaches of this Policy or failure to follow the Good Practice Protocols, including in relation to the conduct of a current or former staff member:

• The allegation or concern must be escalated to the Society’s CPO or Chief Operating Officer, who must report to the Chief Executive.
• Before deciding whether to investigate or otherwise instigate any HR process, the Chief Executive should work with the CPO to consider whether it is necessary and appropriate to first consult with Oranga Tamariki and the Police to ensure that internal processes do not undermine any investigation by those agencies. If the Society commences any HR processes those should be undertaken in accordance with relevant requirements under employment law, the staff member's terms and conditions of employment, and relevant Society policies and procedures.
• The safety and wellbeing of children must be prioritised in situations where the Society is considering any action against the employee, including the appropriateness of the staff member continuing in their role.
• The Society must consider whether an external notification should be made (e.g. a Report of Concern to Oranga Tamariki or the Police) and whether other action is required to support child safety.
• If the staff member is a registered health professional or social worker, the Society must consider notifying the relevant registration authority.
• The Chief Executive and CPO should also decide whether the breach or failure warrants any change in this policy, or the Good Practice Protocols, or in training or support for staff, and implement any agreed changes without delay.  

Responding to and Reporting Suspected Abuse or Neglect

The Society recognises the importance of responding promptly where child protection concerns are identified, since providing support quickly can prevent issues from escalating.

If a child needs immediate hospital care, the Society will prepare a referral to hospital and consider whether the child should be transported by ambulance.

If a staff member considers there is evidence of, or has concerns about, abuse or neglect of a child (whether based on their own observations of the child, or resulting from disclosure by the child concerned, the person responsible, or a third-party) they must report this promptly to the Person-in-charge of the activity or the CPO.  Staff must not deal with these situations in isolation.

The staff member should be supported by the Person-in-charge or the CPO to document their concerns (including any information disclosed by the child concerned or any other person), but generally should not interrogate the child. Documentation should factually record the staff member's observations (not opinion or hearsay) that have led to the child protection concern and include the following:   

• The nature of the allegation or child protection concern;
• Who noticed or disclosed the abuse or neglect and their relationship to the child;
• Details of any witnesses;
• Signs and symptoms noted (including behavioural change);
• Any particular incidents with dates, times and places (if possible);
• Any action taken.

Any child protection concerns must be escalated by the CPO to the Chief Executive. Any subsequent action must consider the individual circumstances, including the seriousness of the concerns and the degree of risk for the child. At a minimum the CPO and Chief Executive always need to consider whether notification to Oranga Tamariki and / or the Police is required, based on the following.

• If the child is at immediate risk of harm, consider urgently notifying Oranga Tamariki and / or involving the Police.
• If there are immediate concerns about the safety of another person (including other whānau or staff of the Society) contact the Police.
• If there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been abused or neglected, or is at risk of abuse or neglect, a notification should be made to Oranga Tamariki as soon as practicable. This can begin as an informal discussion with Oranga Tamariki staff, who will advise whether a formal Report of Concern should be made.
• As a starting point, children should be informed about and involved in decisions that are about them (as appropriate to their age and maturity). As a general rule, when concerns about child protection are raised, the child or children and whānau should be involved in the development of their safety plan. Note that this includes telling them if a Report of Concern to Oranga Tamariki is going to be made.
• In addition, wherever possible and appropriate, whānau should also participate in the making of decisions that affect a child or children in their care, including being involved in safety planning and being told if a Report of Concern to Oranga Tamariki is going to be made.
• However, there will be some situations where informing a child and / or the wider whānau about a formal notification to Oranga Tamariki is not appropriate, for example where doing so may put the child at risk or might prejudice an investigation by the Police or Oranga Tamariki. Every situation is different, and staff will have to make judgement calls about how to manage each case. However, in all situations, the priority and focus must be on the safety and wellbeing of the child.
• Anyone who, acting in good faith, reports child protection concerns to Oranga Tamariki or the Police is protected from civil, criminal, and disciplinary proceedings regarding the disclosure or supply of such information.

Policy review

The CPO shall be responsible for ensuring that this policy and procedures will be reviewed by the Society at least every three years. The next review is due prior to December 2027.

This policy has been developed with reference to applicable Ministry of Health, Oranga Tamariki, and Police guidelines (Appendix 1). Such guidelines will be considered as part of each policy review.

Appendix 1: Relevant Legislation and Resources

Children's Act 2014

• The Children's Act places obligations on organisations to adopt and report on Child protection policies, and also to check the safety of all staff who work with children.

Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 / Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989

• The Act steps through the process to report concerns about abuse or neglect of children to Oranga Tamariki.
• The Act confirms that individuals who report suspected child abuse or neglect are protected from civil, criminal, and disciplinary proceedings.

Privacy Act 2020

• The Privacy Act governs the collection, use, and disclosure of identifiable personal information by an agency.

Crimes Amendment Act – Protection of Children

• The Crimes Act 1961 was amended in 2012 to ensure that children are adequately protected from assault, neglect, and ill-treatment.
• The amendment places greater responsibility on adults (parents or “persons in place of a parent”) who have actual care or charge of a child to take reasonable steps to protect that child from injury.
• The amendment also compels people who live with a child and those who are in frequent contact with a child and who knows, or ought to know, that the child is at risk of death, grievous bodily harm, or sexual assault to take reasonable steps to protect the child from that risk.

Other resources

Working together to support tamariki, rangatahi, and their family/whānau (orangatamariki.govt.nz)

Family-violence-assessment-intervention-guideline-jun16_0.pdf (health.govt.nz)

Safer-Organisations-safer-children.pdf (orangatamariki.govt.nz)

Sharing-Information-Safely.pdf (justice.govt.nz)

Appendix 2: Good Practice Protocols

Apply a child-centred approach where all children are treated equally and with dignity

• Design activities to be appropriate for the age and development of the children in your care.
• Ensure feedback to children is about their performance and not of a personal nature.
• Use positive and age-appropriate language when talking to children and in their presence.
• Respect a child’s right to personal privacy.
• Provide time and attention for children to talk.
• Encourage children to respect and be courteous to others.

Create a safe and open working environment

• Ensure that all physical contact with children is relevant and appropriate to the activity.
• Prior to touching a child for any reason, seek permission from them.
• Do not engage in any intimate, over-familiar, or sexual relationships with anyone involved in the Society’s programmes.
• Staff who are responsible for working with children must not use alcohol while providing the services.
• Do not offer, or provide, alcohol to children under any circumstances.
• Do not engage in communication on a one-to-one basis through social media or email other than as relevant and necessary for the Society’s activities (e.g. feedback or administration).
• Do not engage in any bullying activity, or allow parents, coaches, other children, or spectators to engage in any type of bullying behaviour (including cyber bullying).
• Be aware that on occasions your actions may be misinterpreted, even if they were well intentioned.
• Intervene to stop any inappropriate verbal or physical behaviour. 

Plan and prepare for activities involving children

• Check that all staff who will work with children in relation to the event have been vetted by the police.
• Plan activity to minimise risk (e.g. avoid overnight stays if practical), check and document safety propcedures for all persons who will be involved in the activity.
• Obtain informed consent before filming or photographing, based on an explanation of the purpose of taking the film or photograph (e.g. to promote a specific course) Ensure that any recording of children is appropriate to the stated purpose.
• Obtain informed parental consent before transporting young people in a vehicle, based on evidence that the vehicle is insured and has a current WOF, the driver has provided a current valid licence to the Society, and a commitment that the driver will ensure everyone wears a seatbelt.
• Obtain parental consent to administer first aid to children if required.
• Obtain, and have accessible, necessary information for children involved in activities or events, including relevant medical details, and contact details in case of emergencies. 

Avoid situations where you are alone with a child

• Avoid private or unobserved situations, where only one adult is present.
• Avoid entering changing rooms where children might be. If you must enter, knock and announce yourself and try to have at least one other adult with you.
• Avoid driving a child unaccompanied.
• Do not invite or encourage children to your home.

How to respond to a report from a child

• If a child discloses any form of abuse or neglect, it is important to listen carefully and be supportive, using minimal encouragers (including gestures or verbal responses), to allow the child space to describe the issue.
• Do not panic or criticise the child (e.g. for not disclosing sooner or for letting something occur).
• Try to establish whether the child's safety is at immediate risk.

Report any evidence, concerns, or allegations of abuse or neglect

• If you become aware of a breach of this policy or the Good Practice Protocols or can see a way to improve the policy or protocols to ensure child protection, report this promptly to the CPO or Chief Operating Officer. 
• If you have evidence or concerns about abuse or neglect of a child, report this promptly to the CPO or the Person-in-charge of an activity or event. 
• Work quickly, with the support of the CPO, to document your concerns (including any information disclosed by the child concerned or any other person).
• Do not interrogate the child or investigate further without seeking advice.

Appendix 3: Acknowledgement Form

Child Protection Policy
Acknowledgment form

I verify that I have read and understood the Society’s Child Protection Policy, updated March 2025, and that I agree to abide by this Policy.

The current Child Protection Policy can be found at https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/who-we-are/our-rules-and-codes/policy-on-child-protection

Further information on the Child Protection Policy can be obtained from the Society’s Child Protection Officer.

This form must be completed before any event or activity where a person will be working with children and returned to the Person in Charge (Programme/Project Lead for an event).

The Society will retain this form electronically.

Name: ____________________________________      

Organisation: _______________________________

Signature: __________________________________       

Date: ______________________________________