Child Wise Accreditation

In 2019, Dilworth sought the expertise of Child Wise, an Australian-based organisation designed to help institutions develop their child safety processes and culture by embedding the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (referred to at Dilworth as the Child Safe Standards).

Child Wise supported Dilworth as we reviewed our safeguarding policies, and guided a programme of change to enable our school to meet best-practice standards. In September 2022, Dilworth became the first school in Aotearoa, New Zealand to become Child Wise accredited.

Some of the key initiatives our school has introduced to enhance the safety and wellbeing of our students include:

Updating the Student Protection Policy and Student Safeguarding Policy, and creating a Student Safety Code of Conduct for Staff
Implementing accessible pathways for students and families/whānau to give feedback, raise concerns, and make complaints to Dilworth, including establishing a web-based anonymous reporting tool for students
Creating a dedicated Safeguarding Committee to oversee the implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures
Appointing a full-time Safeguarding Officer who ensures systems, processes, and practices have a strong safeguarding and protection focus
Hiring a full-time registered psychologist to support all Dilworth students
Safety improvements to the physical environment of our organisation, including changes to buildings to ensure there is a line of sight so that movement around our campuses is visible and safe
Establishing a role for a Director of Health and Safety, who works across all campuses and the Trust Board.