Child Safe Policy

Purpose

All children at the International Wing Chun Academy have a right to feel safe, protected and included.

This policy is part of the Academy's ongoing commitment to protecting the children in our care from harm and abuse.

It:

Outlines the child safe practices the Academy has put in place to minimise the risks to child safety.
Sets out what is required from staff, trainers and volunteers so they know what is expected from them to keep children safe.

Our Commitment to Child Safety

At the Academy, we commit to the safety and well-being of every child in our care.

We ensure that our services and activities are inclusive of all children, including children with diverse needs.

Please read our Statement of Commitment to learn more.

Scope and Audience for This Policy

This policy describes what is required from all staff, trainers and volunteers at the Academy when taking part in any activity, service or event that involves children.

Responsibilities for Children's Safety

We expect everyone at the Academy to carry out the requirements specific to their role to keep children safe, including:

Upholding the Academy's commitment to child safety.
Adhering to the behaviours set out in our Child Safe Code of Conduct.
Meeting requirements across all other child safe policies and procedures, including child safe recruitment practices and risk management.
Taking part in our regular reviews of our child safe documents.
Reporting all breaches of our policies or any allegations of child harm or abuse, and meeting all external reporting obligations.
Completing all child safe training.

Active Participation of Stakeholders

All our child-related policies and procedures are easily accessible on our website and offline for everyone who accesses our services and events, including children, parents, carers (including legal guardians) and community members.
Children, parents and carers from diverse backgrounds and circumstances are encouraged to provide feedback on our child-related policies and procedures, including our Child Safe Code of Conduct. that describes acceptable and unacceptable behaviours and our Child Safe Risk Management Plan.
We provide opportunities for children to provide feedback to staff, trainers and volunteers on what makes them feel safe, supported and included.

Definitions of Harm and Abuse

The following is a non-exhaustive list of common types of harm and abuse to which children are most vulnerable.

Psychological Abuse

Also known as 'emotional abuse', this includes bullying, threatening and abusive language, intimidation, shaming and name-calling, ignoring and isolating a child, and exposure to domestic and family violence.

Physical Abuse

This includes physical punishment, such as pushing, shoving, punching, slapping and kicking, resulting in injury, burns, choking or bruising.

Sexual Abuse

This includes the sexual touching of a child, grooming, and production, distribution or possession of child abuse material.

Grooming

This is a process where a person manipulates a child or group of children and sometimes those looking after them, including parents, carers, teachers and leaders. They do this to establish a position of 'trust' so they can then later sexually abuse the child.

Misconduct

This is inappropriate behaviour that may not be as severe as abuse, but could indicate that abuse is occurring and would often be in breach of an organisation's Child Safe Code of Conduct. This could include showing a child something inappropriate on a phone, having inappropriate conversations with a child or an adult sitting with a child on their lap.

Lack of Appropriate Care

This includes not providing adequate and proper supervision, nourishment, clothing, shelter, education or medical care.

What the Policy Covers

The following policies must be followed by all staff, trainers and volunteers when interacting with children under the Academy's care.

If an interaction is not covered by the following policies, staff, trainers and volunteers must use their best judgment, considering the Academy's Statement of Commitment to Child Safety, and its broader rules and practices intended to create a safe and inclusive environment for all participants.

Due to the proprietary nature of our policy documentation and to prevent plagiarism, a dot-point summary has been provided below. The full document may be accessed by consulting with a Branch Leader or staff member at any of our training locations.

Fairness and Consistency
Physical Contact
Discipline and Instruction
- Disciplinary Policy
Toilet and Change Room Etiquette
Injury Management
Gifts and Benefits
Recording of Children
Electronic and Phone Communication
Child-minding and Transportation
- Drop-Off and Pick-Up Policy
Other Outside Contact With Children
Working With Children Check

Reporting Requirements

Our Child Safe Reporting Policy sets out requirements and procedures for complaints, allegations, disclosures and reports, and external reporting obligations.

This policy can also be accessed at https://www.wingchun.edu.au/child-safety

Publication, Communication and Engagement

Our Child Safe Policy and other child safe documents can be found at https://www.wingchun.edu.au/child-safety

Links to these documents are sent to all new enrolments, and anyone involved in our community can request a copy by contacting us.

We regularly engage with our stakeholders to invite feedback when our child safe documents are due for review.

Related Legislation, Regulations and Standards

The Academy must comply with a number of NSW child protection laws and schemes. These include:

NSW Child Safe Scheme
Children's Guardian Act 2019
Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012
Child Protection (Working with Children) Regulation 2013
Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998

Review Log

Last reviewed: 1 February 2026
Next review date: 1 February 2027, or earlier if any critical incidents occur.
Responsible officer: Tristan Fung, Training Supervisor.
Contact information: Please contact us

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