ARPANSA Statement of Compliance 2025

The Commonwealth Child Safe Framework (the Framework) aims to protect children and young people from the risk of harm or abuse. The Framework sets minimum standards for Commonwealth entities to create and maintain behaviours and practices that are safe for children.

Under Requirement 4 of the Framework, 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.

ARPANSA’s Commitment to Child Safety

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has a zero-tolerance approach to child exploitation or abuse and we are committed to promoting and maintaining a culture that provides a safe environment for all. The agency is committed to protecting and safeguarding children from abuse, neglect and exploitation. We recognise that all adults share the responsibility of preventing the exploitation and abuse of children. 

ARPANSA’s Interactions with Children

ARPANSA's purpose is to protect people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation through research, the services we provide and regulation of Commonwealth entities that use radiation. The nature of this work means there is limited interaction with children across the scope of our business activities and functions.

ARPANSA staff will only incidentally interact with children at school presentations, or when attending public events, possibly through procurement processes, when travelling and through our Talk to a Scientist program. ARPANSA no longer accepts requests for work experience placements, other than for university students (above the age of 18 years), recognising that such placements had exclusively arisen in recent years in relation to relatives of staff members. Staff may bring their children into the workplace for short periods of time. In these instances, the child is always accompanied by a parent and is only permitted in common rooms with open doors. 

Annual Child Safety Risk Assessment

ARPANSA has undertaken a risk assessment of our operations and given the nature of the interactions with children, ARPANSA has assessed the risk to child safety as Low. The Office of the General Counsel engaged with ARPANSA’s Risk Management team to ensure that a thorough risk assessment was renewed, including implementing child safe risk assessments into our operational risk assessment process for each business area. Risk assessments evaluating the risk of harm to children and young people from ARPANSA’s operations and functions were incorporated into our business and risk planning process. 

ARPANSA complies with the key requirements of the Framework as it applies to our operations in the context of our risk profile.

Notwithstanding this, ARPANSA has the following measures in place to enhance the protection of children during any interactions with ARPANSA staff, which are considered actions taken to mitigate risks:

  • ARPANSA requires all personnel to undergo a pre-employment screening
  • agency staff must obtain and maintain a minimum baseline security clearance from the Australian Government Vetting Agency (AGSVA) or similar
  • ARPANSA staff are required to adhere to ARPANSA’s policies, procedures and the APS Code of Conduct and APS Values
  • the agency has a Child Safe Policy that clearly outlines employee and contractor responsibilities to ensuring child safe practises
  • ARPANSA monitors official device use to ensure compliance with its policies
  • the Office of the General Counsel regularly presents training online or via our intranet page for awareness of the Framework and how it applies to ARPANSA staff
  • ARPANSA staff are required to complete training on the Framework when they commence employment during the induction process
  • working with children checks (WWCC) are required where appropriate as per ARPANSA’s Child Safe Policy.

Improving Compliance with the Framework 

During 2024/2025, ARPANSA further strengthened their compliance with the Framework and minimised key risks including by:

  • undertaking agency wide training on internal communication channels (including online presentations and intranet articles)
  • mandating Framework training for new starters upon induction with Human Resources monitoring staff completion rates
  • engaging in Community of Practice sessions
  • making information, education and training available for our staff as this creates a child-focused, transparent and safe organisational culture
  • improving staff awareness of the agency’s Child Safe Policy and their obligations under the policy by intranet articles and training
  • our senior executive continuing to support the application of the policy across ARPANSA by endorsing changes to the policy
  • ensuring the agency has a child safe champion who can promote the importance of child safety at the agency
  • ensuring relevant staff maintain WWCC where appropriate
  • ensuring that this statement is brought to the Executive Group meeting annually to ensure the Executive Group, including the Accountable Authority, are aware of what the agency is doing to comply with the Framework
  • commenced monitoring of inappropriate use of equipment and online interactions with children on official devices.

ARPANSA will continue to improve compliance with the Framework including with these future initiatives:

  • our senior executive continuing to support the application of the Child Safe Policy across ARPANSA
  • ensuring child safe clauses are included in procurement documents where required and staff handling procurement are aware of their responsibilities under the Framework and Policy
  • the agency will identify staff that may have contact with children either directly or indirectly and conduct a review of roles to determine whether a WWCC should be obtained by staff
  • staff who are identified as having the potential to engage with children either directly or indirectly, will be contacted to ensure they have undertaken the online training
  • identify any role/s which must have a WWCC and make it a condition of employment
  • the Communications Team and Privacy Team at ARPANSA will draft a new photography consent form and privacy collection notice to provide to children to ensure that the agency has their consent (if above the age of 15), as well as their parent or caregiver’s consent (if under the age of 15)
  • Human Resources and Office of the General Counsel to undertake training on child focused complaint handling procedures
  • update online safety protocols and procedures (e.g. online communications policy and ICT policy) including responding to a breach of ARPANSA’s relevant policies
  • create a process for ensuring the use of child safety third party clauses in all relevant grants, contracts and procurement activities. 

 

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