Code of Conduct

Camp Quality is committed to providing a safe environment for everyone and any form of child abuse, neglect or disrespect will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

This Code of Conduct applies to employees, contractors, volunteers and ‘involved persons’/ individuals who represent or attend Camp Quality events. Ethical behaviour is essential to the way we conduct our business and provide services to children, families and all individuals associated with Camp Quality, in a safe and supportive environment.

As an employee, volunteer, contractor or individual who represents Camp Quality or attends Camp Quality events, you are responsible to read, understand and agree to act in accordance with this Code of Conduct and all associated policies. Individuals who do not meet this Code, may be subject to disciplinary action appropriate to the situation and their role (including dismissal).

Camp Quality culture

We are a not-for-profit organisation giving kids facing cancer the chance to be kids again. Camp Quality’s services and programs specifically support children aged up to 15 years, dealing with their own cancer diagnosis, or the diagnosis of a parent, carer or sibling. You will act with decency, dignity, respect and responsibility; in a manner supporting Camp Quality’s objectives and reflecting our values of optimism, integrity, celebrating life, accountability and excellence.

Legislation

You must comply with all applicable Australian laws, including any Act or law of a state or territory and any instrument made under an Act or law. You must seek guidance from your manager, or Camp Quality representative if unsure your behaviour breaches any laws.

Follow direction

You will comply with reasonable directives from your manager / Camp Quality representative and adhere to the scope / boundaries of your role.

Safety culture

You will take responsibility and reasonable care to ensure risks / hazards are identified and mitigated to avoid injury, illness or offence to you or others.

Child protection

Camp Quality has a legal and moral responsibility to protect children and young people in our care, ensuring they feel safe. In line with Camp Quality’s safeguarding children-related policies, you agree to the following guidelines:

Discrimination

We expect personnel to treat all children and young people fairly, equally and with dignity. Our organisation abides by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child. All actions and behaviours from our personnel must be non- discriminatory and always in the best interests of the child or young person.

Everyone has the right to feel safe and be free from discrimination. No one within our organisation will be discriminated based on age, gender, race, colour, language, disability, religion, political or other opinion, sexual orientation, national or social origin or their ability to live at home.

Our organisation does not tolerate discriminatory behaviours, and prejudiced attitudes will be challenged. Our Personnel must have working knowledge of our complaints handling processes to provide support and access to information, should any child, young person or family in our service require it.

Promoting equity and diversity

Personnel must ensure their approach and interactions with children and young people are sensitive, respectful and inclusive of all backgrounds and abilities. Our personnel must actively anticipate children and young people’s diverse circumstances and respond effectively to those with additional vulnerabilities.

Where our organisation is involved with children and young people who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, from culturally and / or linguistically diverse backgrounds, have a disability, LGBTQIA+ and those who are unable to live at home, our personnel will promote their safety (including cultural safety), participation and empowerment.

Our organisational culture is inclusive and respectful of the different ways that families are formed and structured. Our personnel are to respect decisions that people make about their gender identity and consult and support children and young people to feel, and to be, safe.

Positive guidance

We strive to ensure that children and young people participating in our activities, programs, services and / or facilities are aware of the acceptable limits of their behaviour so that we can provide a positive experience for all participants.

Children and young people are encouraged to feel safe and be safe and have positive relationships and friendships with their peers.

Children and young people are informed of their rights and are encouraged to have their say and participate in all relevant organisational activities and decisions, particularly in relation to matters affecting them. Children and young people are given information about the behaviour our organisation expects from them, the behaviour they can expect from our personnel, their right to safe participation in activities and access to information about child abuse prevention programs.

However, there are times when personnel may be required to use appropriate techniques and behaviour management strategies to ensure:

an effective and positive environment; and
the safety and / or wellbeing of children, young people or personnel participating in our activities, programs, services and / or facilities.

We require our personnel to use strategies that are fair, respectful and appropriate to the developmental stage of the children or young people involved. The child or young person needs to be provided with clear directions and given an opportunity to redirect their misbehaviour in a positive manner.

Under no circumstances are our personnel to take disciplinary action involving physical punishment or any form of treatment that could reasonably be considered as degrading, cruel, frightening or humiliating.

Sexual misconduct

Under no circumstances is any form of sexual behaviour to occur between, with, or in the presence of children or young people participating in any of our activities, programs, services and / or facilities. Engaging in sexual behaviour with children and young people (or former clients/members) participating in our programs and services is prohibited, even if the young persons involved are above the legal age of consent.

Sexual behaviour needs to be interpreted widely, to encompass the entire range of actions that would reasonably be considered sexual in nature, including but not limited to:

contact behaviour – such as sexual intercourse, kissing, fondling, sexual penetration or exploiting a child through prostitution; and
non-contact behaviour – such as flirting, sexual innuendo, inappropriate text messaging, inappropriate photography or exposure to pornography or nudity.

Adhere to professional role boundaries

Personnel must adhere to their professional role boundaries including:

not providing unauthorised transportation, for example picking a child up from home by themselves;
not engaging in activities with children or young people outside Camp Quality organised activities;
not providing any form of support to a child or young person, or their family, unrelated to Camp Quality for example, providing child-minding;
not seeking contact with children or young people outside our programs, this includes any social media forums;
not accepting an invitation to attend any private social function at the request of a child or young person (or at the request of their family) who has participated, or is participating, in our programs;
not developing any relationships with children who could be seen as favouritism or grooming (for example offering gifts at programs or special treatment for specific children); and
not engaging in open discussions of a mature or adult nature in the presence of children (for example, conversations detailing personal social activities);

If any of our personnel become aware of a situation in which a child or young person requires assistance that is beyond the confines of that person’s role, or beyond the scope of our organisation’s usual service, they should at the earliest opportunity; seek advice from management, refer the matter or child or young person to an appropriate support agency, or contact the child or young person’s parent / care giver.

Gift giving

The practice of personnel giving gifts to children and young people participating in our services and programs is strongly discouraged and should not be common or frequent in occurrence.

Personnel are not to give gifts of a personal nature that encourages children and young people to think they have an individual and special relationship. The singling out of an individual child or young person within our organisation to give a gift to, is not permitted.

Appropriate language and tone of voice

Language and tone of voice used in the presence of children and young people should be:

fair and appropriate to their age;
provide clear direction, boost their confidence, and encourage; and
not harmful to children, discriminatory, racist, sexist, derogatory, belittling, or negative, threatening, profane or sexual.

Photography

Photographs of children and young people can only be taken by a Camp Quality assigned photographer with consent obtained from the parent/guardian before every program or event.

Appropriate physical contact

Any physical contact must be appropriate to the delivery of our activities, programs and services and based on the needs of the child or young person. For example, assisting or comforting a distressed child, after permission has been sought from the child or when initiated by the child.

Under no circumstances should physical contact involve:

inappropriate touching;
overly physical touch (for example, wrestling, horseplay, or other roughhousing);
unnecessary touch (for example, assisting with toileting when a child does not require assistance);
initiated touch against the wishes of the child or young person, except if such contact may be necessary to prevent injury to the child or young person or to others, in which case:
- physical restraint should be a last resort;
- the level of force used must be appropriate to the specific circumstances, and aimed solely at restraining the child or young person to prevent harm to themselves or others; and
- the incident must be reported to management as soon as possible.

Our personnel are required to report to management any physical contact initiated by a child or young person that is sexual and/or inappropriate, for example, acts of physical aggression, as soon as possible, to enable the situation to be managed in the interests of the safety of the child or young person, our personnel and any other participants.

Supervision

Personnel are responsible for actively supervising the children and young people which our organisation provides overnight camps, programs & events, to ensure all children and young people:

engage positively;
behave appropriately toward one another; and
are in a safe environment.

One-to-one supervision

Our personnel are required to avoid one-to-one unsupervised situations (including unsupervised online activities, such as one-to-one online tutorials or meetings) with children and young people to whom we provide services, and (wherever possible) are to conduct all activities and/or discussions with children and young people in view of other personnel.

In deciding on the nature and extent of supervision required, regard needs to be given to:

age, level of maturity, ability, number, nature and characteristics of the children and young people,
the nature and timing of the activity, and
the physical and online environment.

Standards of conduct that must be observed by staff and volunteers during an overnight stay include:

providing children and young people with privacy when bathing and dressing;
not changing when children and young people are present;
observing appropriate dress standards when children and young people are present – such as no exposure to adult nudity;
not entering any room with children present without prior approval and ensuring two adults are always present;
not allowing children or young people to be exposed to pornographic material, for example, through movies, television, the Internet or magazines;
not leaving children under the supervision or protection of unauthorised persons such as accommodation staff or activity providers;
appropriate sleeping arrangements that do not compromise the safety of children and young people – adults and children must not sleep in the same bed;
the right of children to contact their parents, or others, if they feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or distressed during the stay; and
parents being able to contact their children if they wish.

Bathroom / change room arrangements

Personnel are required to supervise children and young people in bathrooms and / or change rooms while balancing that requirement with a child or young person’s right to privacy.

In addition:

personnel should avoid one-to-one situations with a child or young person in a bathroom and / or change room area;
personnel are not permitted to use the change room area to, for example, undress, while children and young people are present;
personnel need to ensure adequate supervision in public bathrooms /change rooms when they are used;
personnel need to provide the level of supervision required for preventing abuse by members of the public, adult service users, peer service users, or general misbehaviour, while also respecting a child’s or young person’s privacy;
when monitoring bathroom and / or change room area, personnel are to knock loudly / identify themselves prior to entering the area and where possible take another supervising adult;
female personnel are not to enter male bathrooms / change room and male personnel are not to enter female bathrooms / change rooms; and
personnel are to use bathrooms and change rooms specific to their identified gender.

Transport

Camp Quality recognises that some families may require transport assistance, so their children are able to attend Kids Camps. Where possible, Camp Quality will organise a central pickup area for the children and volunteers. In this case, there will always be at least one child protection trained employee or volunteer present. If a central pick-up point is not feasible then Camp Quality will arrange for the child/ren to be transported unaccompanied via a regional bus service or via a plane.

Children and young people are to be transported only with prior authorisation from our Team Leaders, Program Managers or General Manager-Programs & Services as required and from the child/young person’s parent/care giver. Gaining approval involves providing information about the proposed journey, including:

the form of transport proposed, such as private car, taxi, self-drive bus, bus with driver, train, plane or boat;
the reason for the journey;
the route to be followed, including any stops or side trips; and
details of anyone who will be present during the journey, including our personnel who are involved in delivering the camp or event.

Electronic and online communication

Camp Quality prohibits the use of Electronic Communication (eg. email, text) to communicate with a child. Electronic communication can only be directed to the parent or caregiver of the child.

Use, possession or supply of alcohol or drugs

While on duty, personnel must not:

use, possess or be under the influence of an illegal drug;
use, possess or be under the influence of alcohol;
supply or purchase alcohol or drugs (including tobacco and tobacco related products) or restricted substances to children or young person within our organisation; or
be incapacitated by any other legal drug such as prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

Use of legal drugs other than alcohol is permitted, provided such use does not interfere with your ability to care for children and young people involved in our service.

Reporting Obligations

A report must be made if you have reasonable grounds to suspect a child is at risk of harm (whether the suspected perpetrator is within or external to Camp Quality). Reasonable grounds to report means:

a child or young person discloses abuse;
someone says they know or believe a child / young person has been abused;
there is physical signs of abuse; or
a child or young person displays behaviours with no satisfactory explanation

You are required to immediately report this to Camp Quality’s safety and child protection hotline on 1800 CQ SAFE (1800 277 233). If you are a Mandatory Reporter, make a report to the relevant government agency and advise Camp Quality Child of the report.

If a child or young person is at imminent risk of harm or in immediate danger, you are required to report the situation directly to the Police. However, to ensure the safety and welfare of all parties, Camp Quality requires a subsequent notification is made to the Child Protection Officer using the child protection hotline on 1800 CQ SAFE (1800 277 233) or [email protected]. Please also refer to Camp Quality’s Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy.

Human rights and equal opportunity

You agree to treat all people involved with Camp Quality in a respectful and fair manner and to not engage in any form of discriminatory behaviour, against another person, whilst representing Camp Quality.

Criminal convictions, police record and prohibited persons

You agree you will report any criminal convictions or charges against you to Camp Quality as and when they occur. You agree you will notify Camp Quality if you are a prohibited person.

Personal property

Is the responsibility of the owner in all reasonable circumstances.

Behaviour

You agree that you will:

role model positive behaviours;
not participate in behaviour that threatens, endangers, intimidates or interferes with the participation of others;
not use illicit drugs, participate in ‘substance abuse’ or be intoxicated by any substance while representing or attending Camp Quality events;
not smoke cigarettes or consume alcohol on any Program or Camp;
not use inappropriate language;
be sensitive, respectful and inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures, religions and abilities; and
follow instructions of Camp Quality employees.

Cash handling

You agree to:

act honestly and transparently when handling cash;
submit accurate expenses and report any fraudulent activities you may become aware of to a Camp Quality representative; and
follow the prescribed processes for cash handling.

Confidentiality

You agree to keep any sensitive or confidential information strictly confidential, except to the extent you may be required, by law, to disclose it. You will take all reasonable and necessary precautions to prevent the disclosure of any confidential information and will not disclose confidential information to any third party without first obtaining the written consent of Camp Quality, except in the ordinary and proper course of your role with Camp Quality.

Social media

You agree you will not:

befriend or engage with Camp Quality children under the age of 18 years on social networking sites; and
publish / upload photos of Camp Quality children on personal social networking sites.

Media

Authorised Camp Quality employees or representatives are responsible for all media activity. You are not permitted to contact the media or release any names, photographs or articles to any media organisation without first securing the written permission of the CEO or the National Media & Communications Manager. All written articles must be viewed / authorised by Camp Quality prior to release.

Code of Conduct effective date: May 2021

Code of Conduct review date: May 2023