Safeguarding Policy and Reporting

CBM Australia is committed to the protection and safety of all children and vulnerable adults that come into contact with our organisation and programs. If you have a concern, suspicion or know of/have witnessed an incident of abuse, exploitation or harassment to a child or anyone in the community, perpetrated by anyone associated to a CBM Australia program or CBM Australia’s operations, please let us know by:

• Contacting the CBM Australia Safeguarding Focal Person
• Calling CBM Australia on 1800 678 069 (free call in Australia) or +61 3 8843 4500 (International callers)
• Filling in the CBM Australia feedback form

CBM Australia’s Policy states it is mandatory for anyone connected to CBM Australia (employees, volunteers, Board members, visitors to projects, contractors and associates) to immediately report any suspected or alleged child or adult safeguarding incident. 

CBM Australia takes all reports of safeguarding incidents seriously and will investigate and act on reports immediately. The CBM Australia safeguarding focal person ensures the investigation is handled by an appropriately qualified professional, according to principles of confidentiality (as distinct from secrecy), with a victim/survivor-centred approach to uphold safety and impartiality; and with an expedient, fair, accurate investigation and response, respectful of the rights of any alleged victim and alleged perpetrator. The CBM Australia safeguarding focal person will respond to all reports within three business days (except instances where a report was made anonymously).

Safeguarding Policy

Safeguarding is a broad term that CBM Australia uses to describe the organisation’s policies, procedures and practices designed to prevent and protect all people who come into contact with its programs, people, and operations. CBM Australia is committed to protecting people from all forms of harm and abuse, including child exploitation and abuse and sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) caused by CBM Australia workplace participants, partners, operations or programs.

CBM Australia acts on the basis that a child is any person under the age of 18, irrespective of other definition, and an adult is any person 18 years of age or older.

This policy sets out CBM Australia’s commitment to uphold the highest standards of behaviour and integrity to actively prevent incidents of abuse, exploitation and harassment. Where concerns, allegations or known incidents are reported, the organisation is committed to survivor centred and participatory responses that align with the rights, wishes and best interests of the victim-survivor.

CBM Australia seeks to maintain an organisational culture that prioritises safeguarding against child exploitation and abuse and SEAH. This is a priority of the highest order in both our domestic activity and our international activities. This Policy is part of continuously elevating our safeguarding efforts on all fronts and should be read alongside CBM Australia’s suite of Safeguarding Procedures and the CBM Global Safeguarding Policy.

CBM Australia is committed to safeguarding children and adults from harm in all aspects of its work. We have zero tolerance for child exploitation, abuse and harm, and for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH), as well as zero tolerance for inaction to prevent, report or respond to these risks. CBM Australia believes that every child has the right to survival, development, protection and participation, as affirmed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and every person has the right to live free from SEAH.

CBM Australia takes its duty of care seriously, including responding promptly and appropriately to reports and complaints, and aims at all times to provide the safest possible programs, environments and workplaces for all people.
Principles

This policy is underpinned by the seven principles outlined in the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Child Protection and Protection from SEAH Policies.

1. Zero tolerance for harm and inaction: Child abuse and SEAH are never acceptable to CBM Australia. CBM Australia does not tolerate harm of any kind.
2. Victim-survivor needs are prioritised: CBM Australia maintains a ‘do no harm’ approach, prioritising the rights, needs, wishes and best interests of the victim-survivor, while ensuring procedural fairness for all parties.
3. Promote inclusion and equity and recognise diversity: CBM Australia particularly recognises that gender, disability, age and poverty have powerful intersection with the likelihood of child exploitation, abuse and SEAH. Women and children with disability in poor communities have the highest risk of experiencing child exploitation, abuse and SEAH. CBM Australia actions aim to create safe environments that promote gender equality, child protection, accessibility, social inclusion, and accountability as part of a ‘do no harm’ approach.
4. Prioritise prevention: CBM Australia recognises that all organisations, including those in any partnership or other connection with CBM Australia, have a collective responsibility to build capacity to proactively promote the safety of children and vulnerable adults in all contexts. Actions to promote safety and deal sensitively and effectively with child exploitation, abuse and SEAH are set out in policies and procedures and embedded in daily operations.
5. Adopt an empowering and participatory approach: CBM Australia, through our partners, empowers children and adults to understand their rights, express concerns and participate in decisions affecting them in ways that are age-appropriate, voluntary and safe. CBM Australia works to promote the safety and wellbeing of all participants in CBM Australia activities.
6. Reporting incidents is mandatory: CBM Australia sees preventing child exploitation, abuse and harm and SEAH as core obligations of CBM’s work. CBM Australia supports strengthened reporting mechanisms to better monitor child exploitation, abuse and SEAH; understand risks; and improve both systems and assurance. CBM Australia is committed to ensuring that those who raise concerns are protected from retaliation and that all concerns, allegations and incidents are addressed effectively and in a timely and appropriate way. In this, CBM Australia is accountable to DFAT, to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), to all other stakeholders and to all domestic and international communities that connect with CBM Australia.
7. Embed Safeguarding into organisational culture and leadership: CBM Australia leadership, Board and Management, set clear expectations, model respectful behaviour and seek to improve diversity and inclusion. CBM Australia Board and Management invest appropriate resources to support continuous review of organisational policies and practices.

Definitions

CBM Australia adopts Safeguarding definitions contained in the DFAT Child Protection and Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policies, accordingly.

Child or children: a person below the age of 18.

Child abuse: includes physical abuse, emotional abuse, ill treatment, neglect and online or digital abuse. It also includes a child or children witnessing such abuse against another child or adult.

Child exploitation: refers to one or more of the following actions:

• Committing or coercing another person to commit an act or acts of abuse against a child
• Possessing, controlling, producing, distributing, obtaining or transmitting child exploitation material
• Using a child for profit, labour, sexual gratification, trafficking, forced labour, or any other personal or financial advantage.

Harm: refers to any detrimental effect on a child’s physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing. Harm may be caused by financial, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, and or sexual abuse or exploitation whether intended or unintended.

Sexual exploitation: Any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust for sexual purposes. It includes profiting monetarily, socially or politically from sexual exploitation of another.

Sexual abuse: The actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. It covers sexual offences including but not limited to: attempted rape (which includes attempts to force someone to perform oral sex); and sexual assault (which includes non-consensual kissing and touching). All sexual activity with someone under the age of consent (in the law of the host country or under Australian Capital Territory law [16 years], whichever is the greater) is considered to be sexual abuse.

Sexual harassment: A person sexually harasses another person if the person makes an unwelcome sexual advance or an unwelcome request for sexual favours, or engages in other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, in circumstances in which a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated the possibility that the person would be offended, humiliated or intimidated. Sexual harassment can be obvious or indirect, physical or verbal, repeated or one-off and perpetrated by any person of any gender towards any person of any gender.

Victim-survivor: a term used to describe a person who is, or has been, abused, exploited or harmed. ‘Victim-survivor’ acknowledges both the harm suffered (victim) and the resilience or agency of the person in coping with the aftermath (survivor). This term emphasises a supportive, rights-based approach to addressing their needs and upholding their dignity throughout the reporting and response process.

People and Culture responses within Australia

CBM Australia ensures that all recruitment, including of volunteers, contractors and consultants, includes reference and background checks. CBM Australia’s commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults is communicated to candidates throughout the recruitment process.

CBM Australia will not hire or engage any person with a history of perpetrating child exploitation, abuse and harm or SEAH in any form or who is otherwise not safe or suitable to work with or be in contact with children or vulnerable adults.

All CBM Australia workplace participants are required to sign the organisation’s Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Commitment on commencement. CBM Australia conducts annual training, in the most appropriate form for particular cohorts, to build awareness, understanding and engagement with safeguarding and the prevention of SEAH relevant to their role. This includes refreshment of individual commitment to the CBM Australia Safeguarding Commitment. Each Commitment signatory is expected, upon becoming aware, to immediately report any concern, suspicion or allegation of SEAH or any breach of this Policy to the organisation’s Safeguarding Focal Person.

All employment contracts and other workplace participant agreements include the provision for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal for serious misconduct, including matters involving breaches of the Safeguarding Policy, Safeguarding Commitment or Code of Conduct.

Additional measures are in place for roles assessed as likely to involve contact with children or vulnerable adults through the organisation’s activities. These include behavioural and safeguarding focused questions in interviews and referee checks as appropriate to the role.

CBM Australia maintains an appropriate Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment Standard, and other equal employment and diversity provisions in accordance with legislation. Further relevant internal Standards and Procedures are available to employees on the CBM Australia intranet.

Program responses globally

In accordance with DFAT requirements and international good practice, CBM Australia works closely with CBM Global Country teams to ensure the standards set out in the CBM Global Safeguarding Policy are applied across all areas of CBM Australia’s program and advisory work.

CBM Australia works with CBM Global Country Teams to support partners as they develop their Safeguarding practices.

CBM Australia seeks to strengthen risk-based approaches that help prevent safeguarding incidents while also supporting partners to strengthen compliant and reporting mechanisms that enable effective survivor centred and trauma informed responses.

CBM Australia ensures that CBM Global Country Teams overseeing CBM Australia programs are supported by a Safeguarding Focal Person responsible for supporting best practice and coordinating safeguarding and PSEAH training, risk assessment, incident management and reporting systems.