Safeguarding Experts
Accommodation and Residential Services
Organisations that provide accommodation or residential services to children and young people take on a significant duty of care. From boarding houses and school camps to student accommodation, homestay programs and short-term or crisis accommodation, children are often away from their parents or carers and rely on staff to keep them safe day and night.
Expert legal services to accommodation and residential services
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Child Safety in Accommodation and Residential Services
Accommodation and residential settings involve circumstances where children and young people may be particularly vulnerable: overnight stays, shared sleeping and bathroom facilities, staff living on site, and limited contact with parents or carers. These settings can also create risks of harm between children and young people.
Organisations that provide accommodation or residential services for children are generally required to comply with the Child Safe Standards in their state or territory. Staff, volunteers and, in some cases, adults living in homestay households may need to hold Working with Children Checks, depending on the jurisdiction and the nature of their role.
Depending on the type of service and the jurisdiction, providers may also be captured by Reportable Conduct Schemes, requiring allegations involving staff, contractors or volunteers to be notified and investigated within set timeframes.
Regulators expect accommodation providers to have clear supervision arrangements, appropriate physical environments, accessible ways for children to raise concerns and robust processes for responding to incidents at any time of the day or night.
Our Services
Child Safety Policies
Developing child safety policies, codes of conduct, and complaints handling processes for accommodation and residential services
Child Safety Investigations
Independent, trauma-informed workplace investigations into allegations involving staff, contractors and volunteers, compliant with Reportable Conduct Schemes
Audits
Audits and gap analysis against the Child Safe Standards with practical safeguarding recommendations for accommodation and residential services
Child Safety Training
Tailored child safety training for boarding staff, camp leaders, residential staff, homestay coordinators and volunteers
Legal Advice
Expert safeguarding legal advice for accommodation and residential services, including compliance obligations, complaints and critical incidents
Incident Management
Root cause analyses of critical child safety incidents with crisis management and regulatory compliance support