Child Protection Policy

This policy applies to staff members who provide children’s services.

Certain contracts and funding arrangements for the University to provide children’s services require the University to adopt a child protection policy that complies with section 19 of the Children’s Act 2014. The purpose of this policy is to comply with these requirements.

Note - This policy does not cover the safety checking of children’s workers under the Children’s Act 2014 or other legal requirements to obtain Police vets for certain staff members and contractors.

This policy prescribes what needs to be done and the procedures to be followed by staff members who suspect child abuse or have well-being concerns about a child while providing children’s services.

The procedures in this policy notwithstanding, any person may report suspected child abuse or well-being concerns about a child directly to Oranga Tamariki or the New Zealand Police. Provided that a report is made in good faith, such person is protected from any civil, criminal or disciplinary proceedings.

Note: Information and contact details for making a report to Oranga Tamariki under section 15 of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 are at Report of Concern.

1. All staff members involved in delivering children’s services must be aware of relevant child protection practices and must read and follow this policy.

Notes:
- Staff members who provide services at the University’s early childhood centres / Kōhanga must also read and follow the Early Childhood Education Services Child Protection Procedures.

- Staff members with clinical appointments at external organisations who suspect child abuse or have well-being concerns about a child seen in the clinical setting must follow the Child Protection Policy of the organisation that employs or engages the staff member.

Immediate danger to a child

2. Any staff member who believes that a child is in immediate danger should call the New Zealand Police on 111. 

Disclosure by a child

3. Where a child discloses information to a staff member that may raise a concern about child abuse and/or a well-being concern (a disclosure), the staff member must accurately record the information in writing, including:

• the disclosure (as close to verbatim as possible)
• the date and time of the disclosure and who was present
• any other relevant information.

The child must not be questioned about the disclosure.

Reporting and responding to disclosures or suspicions (ECE staff only)

4. Early Childhood Education (ECE) Services staff members must follow the procedures in the Early Childhood Education Services Child Protection Procedures (ECE Child Protection Procedures) for reporting and responding to a disclosure or suspicions of child abuse or well-being concerns about a child.

5. Where the General Manager ECE Centres / Kōhanga receives a report of a disclosure or a suspicion of child abuse or well-being concerns about a child in an early childhood centre / Kōhanga, they must immediately inform the Registrar and keep the Registrar informed throughout the response to the report carried out in accordance with the ECE Child Protection Procedures. 

Reporting and responding to disclosures or suspicions (non-ECE staff)

6. Staff members (except ECE Services staff members) who receive a disclosure and/or suspect child abuse or have well-being concerns about a child must promptly report the matter to any of the following:

• their line manager or another manager
• the Registrar (09 373 7599 ext 89953)
• the Whistleblower hotline (0800 100 526).

Note: Information about possible indicators of child abuse and neglect is available at Indicators of Child Abuse.

7. A person other than the Registrar who receives a report under item 6 must immediately refer the report to the Registrar. The Registrar will:

• determine whether to refer the report to Oranga Tamariki, the New Zealand Police, or another appropriate agency, and/or appoint an investigator;
• refer the report to the appropriate agency (or agencies) and/or appoint an investigator; and
• if the report contains an allegation of child abuse by a staff member, take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of children which may include asking the staff member to carry out alternative duties or suspending the staff member while the matter is investigated.

8. Where an investigator is appointed by the Registrar under item 7, the investigator is to:

• investigate the report
• manage all privacy and confidentiality issues
• gather information as appropriate, including interviews
• prepare a final report for the Registrar.

9. The investigator is to report to the Registrar throughout the investigation as directed.

10. All information collected or received during an investigation must be treated in confidence, except as necessary to protect the child, for the thorough investigation and resolution of the report, to meet the requirements of natural justice or otherwise as required by law.

Note – Part 2 of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 and Part 2 of the Family Violence Act 2018 contain provisions requiring certain people to share information, or to consider sharing information, in certain situations.

11. When the investigation is complete, the investigator is to submit a final report to the Registrar.

12. Where the investigator’s report supports an allegation of child abuse against a staff member, the Registrar must:

• refer the matter to the Director HR to be dealt with under the applicable staff disciplinary policy and procedures; and
• notify Oranga Tamariki and/or the New Zealand Police.

13. In all other cases, the Registrar is to determine how the matter is to be dealt with and/or what action, if any, is to be taken.

Review

14. The Registrar will review this policy within three years of its most recent date of review.

The following definitions apply to this document:

Child means a person under the age of 18 years.

Child abuse means the harm, ill-treatment, abuse, (whether physical, emotional, or sexual), neglect, or deprivation of a child.

Note: Details about what constitutes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect are on page 22 of Oranga Tamariki’s Safer organisations Safer children resource.

Children’s services means:

• services provided to 1 or more children
• services provided to adults in respect of 1 or more children
• services provided to adults living in households that include 1 or more children and that do or may affect significantly any 1 or more aspects of the well-being of those children and are adult addiction services, adult disability services, adult mental health services, family violence services, services to support adult victims of crime, or other services that have been prescribed by an Order in Council by the Governor-General
• services provided in respect of children that have been prescribed by an Order in Council by the Governor-General.
  

Early Childhood Education (ECE) Services staff members means all full and part-time staff including kaimahi/ kaiako, administration, cooks who provide child services, and leaders/ managers who are in positions of governance within the UOA ECE department of the Early learning service and Kōhanga Reo.

ECE Child Protection Procedures means the Early Childhood Education Services Child Protection Procedures. 

Oranga Tamariki means the Ministry for Children.

Registrar is the Registrar of the University.

Staff member means an individual employed or engaged by the University on a full or part time basis and, for the purposes of this policy includes a student who is on placement at a University service.

Well-being concerns means concerns about the well-being (including the welfare) of a child.

University  means Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland and includes all subsidiaries.

Include the following:

• Children’s Act 2014
• Children’s (Children’s Services) Order 2016
• Children’s (Prescribed State Service) Order 2017
• Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
• Family Violence Act 2018
• ECE Child Protection Procedures
• Oranga Tamariki Report of concern
• Oranga Tamariki Safer organisations Safer children

Owned by: Registrar
Content manager: General Counsel
Approved by: Vice-Chancellor
Date approved: 26 April 2018
Reviewed date: 6 August 2025 
Next Review date: 6 August 2028