Child safe compliance
Updated: 8 November 2024
The Commonwealth Child Safe Framework 2022 (CCSF) sets minimum standards for creating and maintaining child safe culture and practices for Australian Government entities, and is mandatory for all Commonwealth non-corporate entities.
Under Requirement 4 of the CCSF, Commonwealth entities are required to publish an annual statement of compliance with the Framework, including an overview of the entity’s child safety risk assessment. Entities with minimal interaction with children may have a simple, high level statement of commitment.
Statement of compliance
Our commitment to the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework
The Productivity Commission (PC) is committed to the safety of children and young people, and safeguarding children from abuse, neglect and exploitation. The Commission seeks to create and maintain behaviours, practices and an organisational culture that acknowledges the importance of child safety and wellbeing.
As part of our commitment, the PC acknowledges the importance of being a child safe organisation. The PC has adopted and progressed implementation of all National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. The PC:
- conducts an annual risk assessment to evaluate the risk of harm to children and young people
- has recently introduced new project management oversight processes embed a risk management approach into each inquiry or project, to ensure that any risks to children are proactively identified and managed
- has a pro-integrity culture, with oversight of child safety arrangements centrally managed, and identified controls/treatments proportionate to identified risks
- provides information, training and guidance to ensure staff are aware of, and comply with, our child safety requirements.
The PC’s interactions with children and young people
The nature of the PC’s work, being an independent research and advisory body, means that we have minimal and infrequent direct interactions with children across our activities and functions. Where there is a likelihood of interaction with children, either directly in the course of PC activities or through broader community engagement, we are committed to considering and actively managing any potential risks.
Throughout the reporting period *, on the limited occasions we engaged with children, we ensured that this was done respectfully, sensitively and responsibly.
- We have been guided by experts when engaging with children to ensure that children’s safety and wellbeing is our highest priority – including working with, or engaging, qualified experts to consult with children using age-appropriate research methods.
- We also undertake pre-employment criminal history screening, and employees are subject to an enduring integrity framework.
Annual risk assessment as at 30 October 2024
In October 2024, the PC undertook our annual risk assessment of our operations as they relate to our engagement with children. Control measures are in place to ensure we both operationalise our commitment to the safety and protection of children and young people and meet our obligations under the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework.
Using our Enterprise Risk Management Framework, the child safety risk assessment suggests it is unlikely that the PC’s limited activities may expose children to harm or abuse due to the steps taken through our control measures, however, the PC recognises that there could be significant consequences to individuals should this occur, and therefore assigns an overall risk rating of moderate.
Over the next 12 months, the PC will continue to refine our approach to project management to fully embed consideration of child safe risks in all PC projects. We will continue to embed child safety and wellbeing in our leadership, governance and culture.
* The reporting period is 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024.