Table of Contents
First created | 30 May 2012 |
Last reviewed | 10 June 2020 |
Review cycle | Two years |
Approver | Senior Leadership Team |
Owner | Principals |
Stakeholders | Staff, students, parents |
Child Safety | National Principles 1-10 |
Principals and teachers owe a common law duty of care to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all students attending Rehoboth. This duty of care is delegated to teachers who directly supervise students. The duty of care extends to all staff when they have been given this responsibility by the Principal.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all staff comply with a common law of duty of care to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all students attending Rehoboth Christian College.
There is an increasing need for staff to be well-informed in areas of the law which affect their profession, and the incidence of people undertaking action through the courts is increasing. However, with a little forethought and basic common sense, a staff member can easily reduce the likelihood of being involved in a legal action.
There are two distinct areas of law:
Duty of Care falls under the area of common law. This sometimes means that “straight” answers are not always possible.
This policy applies to all staff members of the College’s Primary Schools.
Duty of care means that principals, teachers and other staff members are expected to act like good and reasonable parents and to take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to protect students from reasonably foreseeable and significant risks of injury. The duty springs from the relationship itself.
A reasonable standard of care is defined as “what a reasonably prudent and careful parent would be anticipated, before the danger that arose or injured the child, and would not have permitted the child to engage in that particular activity without supervision”. In ascertaining what a reasonable teacher would have foreseen, the Courts enquire into:
A duty of care may exist in unusual circumstances or in circumstances which a staff member might consider unusual. For example:
For more information on this area, please refer to the College’s Child Safety Policy and Sexual Harassment Policy.
The following areas of the Kenwick Campus are considered to be the most dangerous. Consequently, teachers should always ensure that safe behaviour is practiced in their vicinity:
The following areas of the Wilson Campus are considered to be the most dangerous. Consequently, teachers should always ensure that safe behaviour is practiced in their vicinity:
From the moment you call or walk into one of our offices, we aim to make it as straightforward and pleasurable an experience as possible.
Whether you prefer to send your child to Wilson or Kenwick Primary, we are able to offer consistent educational programs between both campuses.