Kalwun is a Child Safe Organisation committed to empowering children and families. We uphold Child Safe Standards through governance, policies and practices.
In 2025, the Kalwun Development Corporation Ltd (Kalwun) CEO was assigned as the delegated authority for the region and entrusted with overseeing critical decisions that ensure the safety, wellbeing, and cultural connectedness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. The delegated authority role strengthens community voice by enabling Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to lead policy, design and reform advising government elevating Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to lead policy, design and reform advising government elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices to governance-level leadership. This event clearly defined Kalwun as a leader in the space and recognised the tangible impacts being made by the organisation, specifically how we design programs that support children and young people.
Kalwun is committed to providing the community and its members, specifically children and young people, with a space where they are heard, valued, supported and safe. We have and will continue to create environments where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are protected from harm, respected, and nurtured in connection with their families, kin, communities, and culture.
Here at Kalwun, our services and processes are grounded in strong cultural governance. The Kalwun Development Corporation Board of Directors provides overarching governance, cultural leadership, and strategic direction for the organisation.
Our child and family services workforce is predominantly made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and community members who represent the local community voice. This representation is critical in child safety work, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners bring cultural knowledge, lived experience, and community connections that strengthen decision-making, ensure culturally safe practice, and lead to better outcomes for children and families. Their leadership helps maintain cultural identity, prevent unnecessary separation from family and Country, and uphold the rights and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
We continue to commit to providing young people and children with every opportunity to thrive both culturally, physically, mentally and emotionally. This is reflected in our service provision and the care that our staff, service providers and partners provide across the organisation. We recognise that child safety is everyone’s responsibility. This includes organisations, community members, families, educators, staff and organisations alike.
The recent changes to Queensland’s Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 introduces a system to protect children from harm in organisational settings. Kalwun has adopted the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework and aligns with the mandatory Child Safe Standards that commenced from 1 October 2025.
To keep children safe, we commit to:
- Implementing the 10 Child Safe Standards
- Providing a safe and supportive environment for all children
- Making sure that children are not exposed to any form of harmful conduct or abuse
- Empowering children to participate in decisions that affect them and share any concerns they may have
- Making sure children know who to approach if they feel unsafe or have any child safety concerns.
As a child safe organisation, we commit to:
- Educating everyone involved in our organisation about what it means to be a child safe organisation, so we can prevent, detect and effectively respond to child abuse
- Making sure everyone involved in our organisation knows how to appropriately respond to complaints, allegations, disclosures and breaches to our child safe code of conduct
- Welcoming feedback to continuously improve our child safe policies, procedures and practices
- Making sure that when family and community members interact with our organisation, they are aware that child safety is everyone’s responsibility, and their behaviour aligns with our child safe practices.
Additional Resources
-
Kalwun Child Safe Organisation Policy Manual, this document includes:
- Kalwun Statement of Commitment to Child Safety
- Kalwun Child Safety Code of Conduct
- Kalwun Child Safe Organisation Policy
- Kalwun Child Safe Risk Management Strategy
- Kalwun Child Safety Reporting and Complaints Policy
- Kalwun Child Safe Recruitment Induction and Training Policy
- Child Safety Child Reporting Poster ‘We Care About You’
- Voice and Choice - My Rights in Care Booklet
- Kalwun Child, Youth and Family Services
Allegations, concerns and complaints
Contact Queensland Police Service (QPS) If you believe a child is in immediate danger or a life-threatening situation, call Triple Zero (000). During normal business hours contact the Regional Intake Service 1300 679 849. After hours and on weekends contact the Child Safety After Hours Service Centre on 1800 177 135. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have a reason to suspect a child in Queensland is experiencing harm, is at risk of experiencing harm or being neglected, contact Child Safety Services Centres and talk to someone about your concerns.
Here at Kalwun we take allegations, concerns and complaints seriously. If you have any information or concerns regarding the safety of children across our organisation, do not hesitate to contact us directly on 07 5578 3434. You can ask to speak to the Kalwun child safety representative about your concerns.
