At St John of God Health Care, we are committed to providing the highest standard of care for children, young people, and adults at risk within our hospitals and services. We strive to create safe, supportive environments where every individual is respected, protected and able to thrive.
The Trustees, Board and leadership of St John of God Health Care recognise that all children, young people, and adults at risk have a fundamental right to safety and protection from harm, particularly within health care and community settings.
We uphold this right through a strong, organisation-wide commitment to safeguarding and to ensuring the wellbeing of every person in our care.
Our Child, Young Person and Adult at Risk Safeguarding Framework is aligned with the 10 National Catholic Safeguarding Standards and places responsibility for safety and protection on every member of our organisation.
In addition to these national standards, our framework incorporates leading practices and insights from healthcare systems internationally, strengthening our approach to safeguarding across all settings.
To support this commitment, we have implemented a range of measures designed to promote the safety and wellbeing of children, young people, and adults at risk across our hospitals and services:
- Our Caregiver Code of Conduct includes explicit standards of behaviour and practice to ensure the appropriate care of these vulnerable groups.
- We have strengthened our recruitment process, conducting thorough assessments and comprehensive background checks, including Working with Children (WWC) and police checks for all caregivers, volunteers, students, contractors and relevant health care practitioners. These checks are regularly renewed as required.
- All caregivers are required to participate in mandatory learning that covers child, young person, and adult at risk safety principles, as well as reporting obligations for caregivers and volunteers.
- We conduct annual safety-specific risk assessments for children, young people, and adults at risk, taking necessary actions based on these assessments under the oversight of senior management.
- We actively involve children, young people, adults at risk, and their parents/guardians/carers in decision-making processes regarding their care and in the planning of health services.
- A designated safeguarding caregiver, with comprehensive knowledge of policies and approaches related to the safety of these vulnerable groups, oversees the effective implementation of safety measures on-site.
- We have established a responsive and easily accessible complaints and feedback process that prioritises the needs of children, young people, and adults at risk, ensuring their concerns are promptly addressed and taken into consideration.
- We are expanding the membership of our consumer advisory committees to include services such as paediatrics and disability services, providing greater opportunities for input from children, young people, adults at risk, and their parents/guardians/carers.
- We have implemented stronger visitor oversight, allowing children, young people, adults at risk, and their parents/guardians/carers to have input into visitation during their time in our care.
