“Children have a right to know about their rights.”
Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 4.
We are very excited to share our new Child Friendly Complaints poster:
All classes were involved in developing this document. A number of students contributed images which are displayed on the final design.
At Kerry Street Community School we promote children’s agency and recognise that our students have a right to make choices and decisions. All students contribute to creating classroom and whole school agreements. Students are actively involved in making decisions, solving problems, working in teams and taking shared responsibility in a variety of settings:
- Classroom agreements
- Class meetings
- Kids Council Meetings
- Student RAP working Group
- Community Gatherings
“Complaints systems are a fundamental part of ongoing organisational development to meet the needs of its intended consumers. They are also an important mechanism for correcting mistakes and for protecting people from abuse and mistreatment. Independent inquiries into child abuse, in Australia and internationally, consistently cite the same reasons children and young people give for not reporting abuse. These include not knowing how or who to complain to, and fear of not being believed or other repercussions if they do make a complaint.”
Commissioner for Children and Young People WA 2013
Posters have been printed and will be discussed in classrooms and displayed for reference around the school grounds.
The Commissioner for Children and Young People’s website has some great tips for how to make a complaint.