Cultural safety key for Child Safe Standards Workshop

Catholic Education Queensland’s First Nations Education Forum facilitated a Child Safe Standards Workshop on Friday 20 February to support Catholic School Authorities in meeting the legislative requirements of the Child Safe Standards and the Universal Principle of Cultural Safety.

The Workshop showcased two groundbreaking examples of the Universal Principle in practice: Townsville Catholic Education’s Pedagogy of Difference Framework and the Yuuingan Yari Young Mens Program at St Laurence’s College, South Brisbane.

A program highlight was hearing insights from St Laurence’s College’s Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Support Officer Kelsey Doyle, Year 11 student Cooper and his mother Angela, as they shared how the Program was co-designed by First Nations students and families and in turn supports their academic, cultural, emotional and social aspirations.

The Workshop was also an opportunity for CEQL’s First Nations Education Forum to present a draft of their Cultural Safety Framework, which defines cultural safety for Catholic schools in Queensland and outlines the guiding principles for its implementation.

The Queensland Family and Child Commission (which oversees the Child Safe Standards and Universal Principle of Cultural Safety) also participated in the day and will continue working with CEQL’s First Nations Education Forum on this important work.