Protecting children in New Zealand and overseas

A conversation with Willow Duffy, Chief Executive at Safeguarding Children, and Nicola Robinson, Acting Executive Director of Queensland’s Worker Screening Services What if checking whether someone is safe to work with children was not limited to a one-off police vet? In this special Child Safeguarding Week release, we look across the Tasman at Queensland’s Blue Card system, which has been helping safeguard children for 25 years. Unlike a standard police check, the system assesses a broad range of child safety information, continuously monitors cardholders and alerts linked organisations if someone’s eligibility changes. Nicola explains how the system works and shares that, in the last financial year alone, more than 6,000 high-risk cases were identified where people were prevented from working with children. Willow and Nicola also discuss information sharing, concerning behaviour that may fall below the criminal threshold, organisational accountability, and the importance of connecting separate pieces of information to identify potential risks. With Queensland and New Zealand having similar-sized populations, New Zealand does not need to reinvent the wheel. We have an opportunity to learn from an established system and consider how a similar approach could strengthen safeguarding here. Willow also calls for a cross-party commitment to improving the safety checking of people who work or volunteer with children and young people. Protecting children must extend beyond election cycles and changes of government. Children’s safety is everyone’s responsibility, regardless of political affiliation. Listen to the podcast, share it with your networks and help build momentum for change.

A conversation with Willow Duffy, Chief Executive, and Jess McQuoid, Safeguarding Consultant and Training Lead at Safeguarding Children Safeguarding starts with leadership. The decisions leaders make help shape the culture, priorities and everyday practices that determine how seriously child safety is taken across an organisation. In this episode of Together, Willow speaks with Jess about the role leaders at every level can play in safeguarding, from boards and senior leaders through to managers and team leaders. Their conversation looks beyond having policies and training in place to explore culture, accountability and everyday decision-making, and the practical steps leaders can take to help create safer environments for children.

In conversation with Andrea Nelson, former CEO, and Belinda Randall, Head of Community Sport, Gymnastics New Zealand Creating safer environments for children takes commitment, strong leadership and ongoing work. But what does that actually look like within an organisation? In this episode of Together, Andrea and Belinda share Gymnastics New Zealand’s safeguarding journey and the changes they have helped lead across the organisation and gymnastics community throughout Aotearoa. It’s an open and practical conversation about creating meaningful change, what they have learned along the way, and what other organisations can take from their experience as they work to strengthen safeguarding.

In conversation with Amigene Metcalfe from Sport Waikato Sport is one of the many places children spend time each week, and the behaviour of the adults around them can have a big impact on their experience. In this episode of Together, Amigene shares more about the Positive Vibes Only® campaign, why it was created and what it can teach us about creating safer, more positive sporting environments for children and young people. From coaches and clubs to parents and spectators, this is a practical conversation about the role we can all play in helping children feel safe, supported and able to enjoy their sport.

A practical conversation with the Safeguarding Children team, led by Jess McQuoid, Safeguarding Consultant and Training Lead Parents and caregivers don’t need to be safeguarding experts. But knowing what to look for, what to ask and what to expect from the places your child goes can make a difference. In this episode of Together, Jess is joined by members of the Safeguarding Children team to answer real questions from parents and caregivers about safeguarding. The conversation covers what good safeguarding looks like, questions you can ask, things to look out for and what you can do if something doesn’t feel right. It’s designed to help parents and caregivers feel more informed and confident asking questions about their child’s safety.