CENTRE PHILOSOPHY
Professionalism
We are committed to supporting children’s learning journeys and making environmental modifications that are responsive to our children’s growing needs and interests
Community
We pride ourselves on our sense of community – built on reciprocal relationships with children, families and vibrant and multicultural Footscray
Wellbeing
We nourish the wellbeing of all children in our care, acknowledging their physical, emotional and educational needs
Environment
We acknowledge the environment as our ‘Third Teacher’. Our interactions with our physical environment teach us how to be independent, care for the natural world and that we have the power to affect positive change
Respect
A culture of respect has been developed within our working relationships and for the children in our care
Download a full copy of the centre’s Philosophy
COMMITMENT STATEMENT
Our Commitment to Child Safety
Saltwater Child Care is committed to child safety:
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- We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers.
- We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.
- We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.
- We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.
- Saltwater Child Care is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks.
- Saltwater Child Care has robust human resources and recruitment practices to reduce the risk of child abuse by new and existing board members, staff and volunteers.
- Saltwater Child Care is committed to regularly training and educating our committee members, staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.
- We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.
- We have specific policies and procedures in place that support our board members, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.
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WHAT IS A RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN?
A formal commitment to Reconciliation is expressed in a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Its goal is to demonstrate how our service will improve connections, respect, and opportunities within the context of education, around the service, and with the local community. Narragunnawali has offered a framework for developing a RAP that provides a long-term, comprehensive strategy for promoting reconciliation in education by fostering connections, respect, and opportunities. The framework consists of 40 actions, 14 of which are required for us to maintain consistency and high standards across all RAPs. Our specific environment will determine the way our service implements the Actions outlined in our RAP, ensuring it is meaningful and respectful throughout.
To us, Reconciliation entails fostering connections, mutual respect, and trust between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous people in order to ensure that our relationships are respectful and reciprocal. It is about respecting the past and striving for a better future, giving us a chance to collaborate, learning about the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and exposing our children to cultural diversity of First Nations peoples.
We will make sure that we continue to participate in experiences that educate us and respectfully embed these perspectives, histories, and cultures throughout our service. We will continue to provide our staff with this knowledge as we respectfully collaborate with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to promote reconciliation.
As a service, we shall continuously evaluate our cultural sensitivity and commit to deepening and broadening our understanding of First Nations peoples’ perspectives as they evolve.
OUR VISION
