STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
OSAN ABILITY STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
Legal name: OSAN Ability Assist Pty Ltd
Business name: OSAN Ability
ABN: 40 617 153 536
Address: A37/24 Lexington Drive Bella Vista NSW 2153
Phone number: 1300 7999 941
Email: info@osanability.com.au
Website: www.osanability.com.au
Name of person authorised documents: Dr Omer Khan
Rev.1.0
Date Revised: 1 October 2024
OUR COMMITMENT TO CHILD SAFETY
OSAN Ability is fully committed to child safety. We ensure children are safe, supported, and empowered, and we respect both children and our staff.
We take a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse, addressing all concerns seriously through our strict policies and procedures.
Our legal and moral duty to report any safety concerns is rigorously followed. We actively work to prevent child abuse by identifying and reducing risks, supported by strong recruitment practices. Regular training ensures our managers, staff, and volunteers are equipped to manage child safety. We also prioritise the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, children from diverse backgrounds, and those with disabilities. Established policies and practices guide us in meeting these commitments.
OUR CHILDREN
This statement empowers children to be active participants at OSAN Ability, involving them in decisions that affect them and valuing their input.
We promote diversity and inclusion, welcoming people from all backgrounds. We are committed to the cultural safety and participation of Aboriginal children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and ensuring children with disabilities are safe and can fully participate.
OUR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
This statement outlines expected behavior for our staff and volunteers when interacting with children at OSAN Ability.
All staff and volunteers are required to adhere to our code of conduct, which sets clear standards for working with children.
TRAINING AND SUPERVISION
Training and education are key to ensuring that everyone at OSAN Ability understands their shared responsibility for child safety. Our culture encourages open communication, where managers, staff, volunteers, families, and children feel safe and confident in raising concerns or discussing allegations of abuse. We provide thorough training to help our team identify, assess, and mitigate risks of child abuse, and recognise early warning signs. This proactive approach reinforces our collective commitment to child safety.
Additionally, we offer ongoing supervision and support to help our team continuously develop the skills needed to protect children, while promoting the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, children from diverse backgrounds, and children with disabilities.
New managers, staff, and volunteers will receive regular supervision to ensure they understand OSAN Ability’s commitment to child safety and their role in protecting children. Their behavior will be monitored to ensure it is safe and appropriate. Any misconduct will be reported to the relevant authorities, such as the Department of Health and Human Services or Victoria Police, based on the severity of the issue.
RECRUITMENT
We take all necessary steps to hire qualified individuals to work with children, using selection criteria and advertisements that reflect our commitment to child safety and legal responsibilities. OSAN Ability recognises its ethical and legal obligations in recruiting board members, staff, and volunteers. We actively encourage applications from Aboriginal people, individuals from diverse cultural or linguistic backgrounds, and people with disabilities.
All staff and volunteers involved in child-related work must hold a valid Working with Children Check and provide proof. For details, visit the Working with Children website. We also conduct reference and police checks to ensure we hire suitable individuals. If a criminal record is found during recruitment, the person can provide additional information for consideration.
FAIR PROCEDURES FOR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of children, while also treating staff and volunteers fairly. Recruitment, incident assessment, and disciplinary actions are thorough, transparent, and evidence-based.
All abuse allegations and safety concerns are documented using our incident reporting form and securely stored. We keep children and families informed of any progress and actions taken in response to concerns.
PRIVACY
All personal information gathered will respect the privacy of staff, volunteers, families, and children, unless there is a safety risk. Individuals have the right to know how their information is recorded, used, and who has access to it. This approach protects those who report concerns and ensures that all members of OSAN Ability feel safe to raise any child safety issues without fear of repercussions.
LEGISLETIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
OSAN Ability takes its legal responsibilities seriously under NSW law. Any adult who believes a child is at risk must report it to the Department of Communities and Justice or NSW Police. Mandatory reporters, such as teachers, police, and healthcare professionals, are legally required to report child abuse or neglect.
Managers in our organisation may face legal consequences if they fail to address known risks of child abuse.
The head of the organisation must report any allegations of misconduct, abuse, or neglect to the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian.
If a child is abused by someone linked to our organisation, we are presumed to have breached our duty of care unless reasonable steps were taken to prevent it.
RISK MANAGEMENT
In NSW, organisations must protect children when a risk is identified. Beyond general workplace health and safety, we actively address risks of child abuse.
We have risk management strategies to identify, assess, and reduce these risks, including those in physical and online environments.
ALLEGATIONS, CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS
- A child says they or someone they know has been abused (sometimes indirectly referring to themselves)
- Behavior consistent with abuse is observed
- Someone expresses suspicion of abuse but is unwilling to report it
- Suspicious behavior is noticed.
CODE OF CONDUCT
(a) instances of another staff member having—
The principal officer of an entity providing specialised substitute residential care must—
(a) ensure all staff of the entity—
(b) enforce the code of conduct, and,
(c) take action to address breaches, or suspected breaches, of the code of conduct.
REGULAR REVIEW
This statement will be reviewed every year and following significant incidents if they occur. We will ensure that families and children have the opportunity to contribute. Where possible we will do our best to work with local Aboriginal communities, culturally and/or linguistically diverse communities and people with a disability.
