Child Safety
IMPORTANT:
In Australia, the legal age of adulthood is 18 years of age. Anyone younger than that is legally considered a child. RMIT University has a Child Safety Framework that applies to everyone at RMIT - including RUSU (the Student Union) and all RMIT student clubs.
Clubs may not accept membership from anyone under the age of 16. Clubs must meet all RMIT student club safety requirements before they can accept U18 members or allow them to attend club events.
Even clubs that do not open their clubs to under 18s must meet some key RMIT child safety requirements: Club Leaders must have Working With Children Checks (WWCC) and be familiar with RMIT's Child Safety Framework and how to respond to child safety issues at RMIT.
Read below for further detail.
Under 18's Parental Consent Form
Here is the RUSU Club permission form which must be completed by a parent or legal guardian before a person under the age of 18 can become a club member and/or participate in a club and/or club event. The club is responsible for ensuring these are completed and securely stored/filed.
Under 18's Consent and Release Form for Images, Audio and/or Recorded content taken by a RUSU Affiliate Club
Essential Child Safety Information for RUSU Clubs - U18 Club Involvement
All RUSU Clubs must be aware of their responsibilities regarding participants under 18 years of age, and of RMIT requirements around child safety.
Even if you do not have club members who are under 18, you need to be aware your club's child safety responsibilities and how to respond to child safety concerns .
Working With Children Checks - Club Leaders
Even if your club is not open to membership by people who are under 18 years of age, all executive members of a RMIT club leadership team must have valid Victorian Working With Children Checks (WCC). These should be the senior members, and must include the President and Secretary (or equivalent role).
Volunteer Working with Children Checks are free. They are needed for most volunteering roles at RMIT and also look good on your CV.
The Club President is responsible for ensuring that at least four Executive members hold valid volunteer working with children checks, and for ensuring that the Club retains a copy of these.
Please note that some club leaders may need to visit an Australian Post Office to complete their Check because of identification requirements.
Apply as a RMIT Volunteer - RMIT's details are:
Address: 124 Latrobe Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Phone number: (03) 9925 5000 ABN: 49 781 030 034
To Apply for a Working with Children Check, visit the Working With Children Victoria website:
Working With Children Checks - Club Suppliers/Performers/Partners
If your Club ON CAMPUS events will involve external people (suppliers, performers, partners) OR if such external people may interact with under 18 RMIT students at OFF CAMPUS events, RMIT requires those externals to have a valid, current Working With Children Check (unless otherwise exempt), and they must comply with RMIT’s Child Safe Policy and Child Safe Code of Conduct.
Essentially, if the supplier/performer/partner remains at the event in these circumstances, they must have WWCC. It's not required for suppliers who are just making a delivery then leaving the event.
RUSU has a special form you can use for externals to confirm they/their people have WWCC coverage and will follow required policy/requirements . Add your club/event info. Then email it to your external to complete and return it to the club before the event.
ON CAMPUS - this will include (but is not limited to) caterers/portable bar hire providers, performers, guest speakers, workshop hosts/trainers, industry personal who attend club events (panel events, industry days/nights etc), staff and volunteers from linked external organisations that may assist with your club activities, equipment hire staff and operators that remain at the event etc.
OFF CAMPUS - this will include (but is not limited to) all of the same types of externals as on campus events but also, industry personnel involved with off-campus sites visits, staff and volunteers at linked external organisations that may be involved with your off campus events, camp staff, drivers of bus hire buses etc.
Photos, Videos, and Online Meetings
Where clubs are delivering activities in an online environment, they need to actively consider child safety in the online space and ensure the environment is child safe.
Where clubs are delivering activities in an online environment, they need to actively consider child safety in the online space and ensure the environment is child safe.
Note: Online meetings or activities are recorded a permission form will also need to be completed for under 18 students by their parents/ guardians.
There are also extra requirements for photography and under 18s. Clubs leaders need to be mindful that no photos or videos should be taken of children/young people, except if there is prior written permission from parents/guardians, in line with the Child Safe Image Instruction.
Other Child Safety Resources
RMIT University has a range of information and resources related to Child Safety. For further information, please refer to the following:
