Protecting vulnerable people.

Central Counselling Services' policy objective is to ensure that children, young people and adults at risk, collectively known as vulnerable people, are safe from abuse and harm during their interaction with our Services. Everyone, regardless of age, gender, religion, or ethnicity, has the right to live their lives free of fear, abuse or neglect. Safeguarding protects the health, wellbeing, and rights of vulnerable individuals. It is primarily aimed at protecting people from harm. Harm can come from many different sources, including other vulnerable people, carers, family members, or even the individuals themselves. 

Vulnerable people

While all people must be protected from harm, additional legislative and ethical considerations exist for protecting vulnerable people.

Vulnerable people can include:

• children and seniors
• people with impaired intellectual or physical functioning
• people with mental health diagnoses that impair their thinking
• people from a low socioeconomic background
• people who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders
• people who are not native speakers of the local language
• people with low levels of literacy or education
• people subject to modern slavery, which involves human exploitation and control, such as      forced labour, debt bondage, human trafficking, and child labour.

Risks and consequences

Safeguarding is a matter of concern for everyone.  Incidents of harm may include:

• Sexual harassment, bullying or abuse
• Serious sexual offences, such as rape
• Threats of violence or actual violence
• Verbal, emotional, or social abuse
• Cultural or identity abuse, such as racial, sexual or gender-based discrimination or hate crimes
• Coercion and exploitation
• Abuse of power.

Mandatory Reporting

All counsellors employed with Central Counselling Services are mandatory reporters under the Children and Young People Act 2008 (ACT). 

Voluntary reporting allows any person who is concerned about a child or unborn child to make a Child Concern Report to CYPS if they believe or suspect a child is:

• being abused, or
• being neglected, or
• exposed to family violence, or
• at risk of abuse or neglect.

Mandatory reporting is a legal requirement for certain professionals to make a Child Concern Report to CYPS if, through the course of their work (paid or unpaid), they believe on reasonable grounds that a child may be:

• being or has been sexually abused, or
• experiencing or has experienced non-accidental physical injury (physical abuse).