Xavier College has appointed the people listed below as the College's Child Safety Leads. Each Child Safety Lead is available to answer any questions that you may have with respect to our Child Protection and Safety Policy and the Child Protection Program.
Child Safety Leads are selected based on a number of considerations, namely:
- their personal attitudes, experiences and beliefs, for example, a person who is nonjudgmental, calm, resilient and demonstrates a high degree of integrity and respect for confidentiality;
- their role within the College, for example, a person who has seniority and experience working with complex student and family issues at the College and someone who is readily accessible and available to all members of the College community;
- and their personal profile within the College, for example, a person who is approachable, who students and staff trust and who is willing and able to respond to issues personally and sensitively.
The College's Child Safety Leads can be your first point of contact for reporting child protection issues within the College. They receive special training that allows them to deal with child protection concerns both sensitively and effectively.
‘Child Abuse’ includes:
- sexual offences;
- grooming;
- physical violence;
- serious emotional or psychological harm;
- serious neglect;
- and family violence, or exposure to family violence.
If you have any concern that a child may be experiencing any form of abuse, whether or not you have formed a belief on reasonable grounds that the abuse has occurred, you should immediately raise your concerns with one of our Child Safety Leads. Please be aware that consulting with a Child Safety Lead does not change any obligation you have under legislation to report to an external authority.
The welfare and best interests of the child are paramount. Whenever there are concerns that a child is in immediate danger the Police should be called on 000.
Our Senior Child Safety Leads
Xavier College has appointed the following staff members as the College's Senior Child Safety Leads. The Senior Child Safety Leads have an important role in the promotion and maintenance of our child protection culture at the College. Each campus of the College has appointed a Senior Child Safety Lead.
The Senior Child Safety Leads are identified in our publicly available Child Safeguarding and Wellbeing Policy as a contact for the wider community when they have child protection concerns relating to the College.
The Senior Child Safety Leads at each campus is contactable by phone or email. Please refer to their contact details above.
Senior Child Safety Leads on each campus:
- Head of Students - Senior School - Mrs. Catherine White
- Junior School - Burke Hall - Ms. Catherine Newman
