Children and safety in Australian policy : Implications for organisations and practitioners

Journal article


Powell, Mary Ann, Graham, Anne, Canosa, Antonia, Anderson, Donnah, Taylor, Nicola, Robinson, Sally, Moore, Tim and Thomas, Nigel Patrick. (2021). Children and safety in Australian policy : Implications for organisations and practitioners. Australian Journal of Social Issues. 56(1), pp. 17-41. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.134
AuthorsPowell, Mary Ann, Graham, Anne, Canosa, Antonia, Anderson, Donnah, Taylor, Nicola, Robinson, Sally, Moore, Tim and Thomas, Nigel Patrick
Abstract

Child safety is now a national policy priority in Australia. Extensive enquiries and reviews have escalated legislative and policy responses focused on developing, maintaining and monitoring “child safe” organisations. The recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse point to the importance of cultural conditions within organisations in supporting child safety and the need for responsive change in some organisations. Drawing on a recent policy analysis, undertaken as part of a larger Australian Research Council Discovery Project, this article examines how children and safety are constructed, within and across relevant state and federal government policies in Australia, and the implications of this. Distinctions are drawn between conceptualisations of children within the broader education policy context and two specific policy contexts in which children are considered particularly vulnerable to abuse – out-of-home care and disability. The findings indicate that policy discourses of “child safe” potentially foster different emphases and approaches in organisations. These have implications for the way children are positioned in relation to their safety, how their rights are recognised and implemented, and what is required to foster cultural conditions within organisations to best support children’s safety and wellbeing.

Keywordschild safety; children; policy; rights; protection
Year2021
JournalAustralian Journal of Social Issues
Journal citation56 (1), pp. 17-41
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons
ISSN0157-6321
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.134
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85092095225
Open accessPublished as green open access
Page range17-41
FunderAustralian Research Council (ARC)
Author's accepted manuscript
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Open
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online05 Oct 2020
Publication process dates
Accepted11 Aug 2020
Deposited28 Apr 2023
ARC Funded ResearchThis output has been funded, wholly or partially, under the Australian Research Council Act 2001
Grant IDDP180100465
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