[insert school name] operates with the consent of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat and is operated and governed by the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL).

Policy Statement

[insert school] strives to create an open and inclusive school community and encourages parents and carers to be actively involved in their child’s development and education. [insert school] also strives to foster strong partnerships with local community services, schools and other organisations.

The safety and well being of all children and young people in the care of [insert school] is paramount. As [insert school] is private property, the principal has the authority to permit or deny entry to school grounds and encourages all visitors to familiarise themselves with the school’s Statement of Values and School Philosophy, Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Safeguarding Children & Young People Code of Conduct, Volunteers Policy [insert further relevant local school policy here].

From time to time, different members of the public may visit the school. Visitors may include but are not limited to: [please add or amend to suit your school community]

Parents

DOBCEL Board, Consultative Committee members and staff

Volunteers – see our school’s Volunteers Policy for more information.

Prospective parents, students, and employees

Invited speakers, sessional instructors and others addressing learning and development.

Public officials (e.g., members of parliament, local councillors)

Persons conducting business (e.g., uniform suppliers, booksellers, official school photographers, commercial salespeople)

Clergy and religious members

Tradespeople

Children’s services agencies

Talent scouts

Personnel from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Victoria Police

Persons authorised to enter school premises (e.g., Work safe inspectors, health officers)

Other Department of Education (including allied health staff) or contractors

NDIS therapists or other allied health or health practitioners

Others [insert any other relevant categories]

Context

To provide a safe and secure learning and teaching environment for students and staff by establishing processes to monitor and manage visitors to [insert school].

Scope

This policy and procedure outlines the school’s arrangements for visitors who attend school grounds when the school is open for instruction between the hours of [insert hours where children are likely to be present at your school, including before and after school e.g., 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, and when the office is staffed to monitor/receive visitors at reception], including parents, contractors, [insert any other visitors that are common visitors at your school].

Legislative Context

VRQA Minimum Standards and Requirements for School Registration

Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)

Ministerial Order 1359

Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic)

Definitions

TERM	Definition
Child-related Work	Is work in any of the occupational fields (referred to in the Education and Training Reform Act as services, bodies, places or activities), which usually involves direct contact with a child. Further details and a table of services or workplaces that require working with children checks can be found at: https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/about-the-check

Procedure

Visitor Sign In

[This section should be amended to meet the specific requirements of your school. DOBCEL policy requires that all schools, at a minimum, maintain a register of visitors who enter and exit school grounds. The text below is included as a sample only. For schools that have more than one campus, please ensure you include procedures for all campuses, or if they differ, you can choose to have a separate policy or procedure for each campus.]

All visitors to [insert school] are required to report to the school office on arrival (see exceptions below in relation to parents/carers). Visitors must [choose which apply to your school, excluding the first point which is required in all schools]:

record their name, signature, date and time of visit and purpose of visit in [include details, i.e., visitors book, computer system, etc]

provide proof of identification to office staff upon request

produce evidence of their valid Working with Children Clearance where required by this policy (see below)

always wear a visitor’s [lanyard/name tag] [delete if not applicable]

follow instructions from school staff and abide by all the relevant school policies that relate to appropriate conduct on school grounds, including [insert relevant policies e.g., Emergency Evacuation, Child Safety Code of Conduct, Respect for School Staff, Statement of Values and School Philosophy etc] as well DOBCEL policies and procedures

return to the office upon departure, sign out and return visitor’s [lanyard/name tag] [delete if not applicable].

[insert school] will ensure that the school’s Safeguarding Children & Young Code of Conduct is available and visible to visitors when they sign in.

Working With Children Check / Clearance

For Working with Children Check (WWCC) and other suitability check requirements relating to parents/carers and other volunteers working with students, please see the school’s Volunteer Policy.

[Schools have the discretion to decide which visitors, if any, will be required to have a WWC Clearance above the legal minimum requirements set out in the Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic). This Act requires all people engaged in child-related work (see definition below) to hold a WWC clearance. The Department of Education has a useful flowchart to assist schools in relation to making decisions about suitability checks.

All visitors who are engaged in child-related work must have a valid WWC Clearance.

In some circumstances, visitors to [insert school] who are not engaged in child-related work will also be required to produce a valid WWC Clearance, depending on the circumstances of their visit. For example, [insert school] will require a valid WWC Clearance for:

visitors who will be working when children are present during the time they are visiting, even though direct contact with children is not a central part of their normal duties.

visitors (e.g., contractors) who will be performing unsupervised work at the school during school hours or any other time when children are present. Further background checks, including references, may also be requested at the discretion of the principal.

Visitors who will be working in areas away from students (e.g., a visiting auditor who will be in the front office with administration staff) or who will be supervised and accompanied by a staff member during their visit (e.g., a member of parliament, a journalist, a newspaper photographer, a prospective parent on a school tour) will not be required to have a WWC Clearance.

Sworn Victoria Police officers or sworn Australian Federal Police officers are exempt from requiring a WWC Check but may be asked to verify that they are sworn officers by providing proof of identification.

Invited Speakers and Presenters

On occasions, [insert school] may invite external speakers or providers to deliver incursions, presentations, workshops, and special programs for the students. Consistent with DOBCEL requirements, [insert school] will ensure that the content of presentations and programs by external providers contributes to the educational development of the students and is consistent with curriculum objectives.

Parent Visitors

It is understood that there may occasionally be a reason why a parent or carer may want to speak to or see their child at school during school hours.

If there is a particular pressing or unavoidable issue that cannot wait until the end of the school day, parents or carers are required to call the school office to make the request to speak to or see their child.

Parents are requested to avoid arranging to visit their children at school, wherever possible, as this can cause inappropriate disruptions to the school day.

All parents or carers who visit the school during school hours, other than for the purposes of school pick-ups and drop-offs or for specific school events (e.g., parent–teacher interviews, concerts, assemblies), are required to sign in as a visitor at the school office.

Parents or carers who are prohibited from entering the school under a court order or the direction of the principal are not permitted to visit the school under any circumstances. The following procedures apply [insert the school’s procedures for managing parents/carers restricted from attending the school] maintain and provide office staff with a list of restricted parents/carers which may include identifying photographs and any other information as required depending on the level of risk posed.

DOBCEL Staff

Occasionally DOBCEL staff may visit [insert school]. As all DOBCEL staff have received WWCC clearance and formally agreed to theSafeguarding Children & Young Code of Conduct during their employment process, they will not be required to show a valid WWCC Clearance, nor re-sign the [insert school] Safeguarding Children & Young Code of Conduct when signing in.

DOBCEL Board Directors

Occasionally DOBCEL Board Directors may visit [insert school]. As all DOBCEL Board directors have received WWCC clearance and formally agreed to the Safeguarding Children & Young Code of Conduct during their induction process, they will not be required to show a valid WWCC Clearance, nor re-sign the [insert school] Safeguarding Children & Young Code of Conduct when signing in.

Other Visitors

All business operators, tradespeople, and other visitors attending the school to conduct work must on arrival, report to the school office for instruction and follow the signing-in procedure outlined above.

Supporting Documentation

Safeguarding Children & Young Code of Conduct

Statement of Values and School Philosophy

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Parent Code of Conduct

Volunteers Policy

Working with Children Check Procedures

DOBCEL Principles of Governance

All DOBCEL policies are founded on and reflect the Principles of Governance stated in the Document: DOBCEL Principles of Governance.

Policy Category	Child Safety
Responsible Directorate member	Deputy Director: Stewardship
Policy Owner	Manager: Safeguarding & Standards
Assigned Board Committee	Wellbeing and Safeguarding Consultative Committee
Ratification Date	June 2023
Review Date	May 2026