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Njernda is committed to the safety, wellbeing and cultural safety of every child and young person who comes to us, whether they are here for health care, family services, early childhood education, or because they have come along with someone else.

We have zero tolerance for child abuse of any kind. Every child has the right to be safe, to be listened to, and to be treated with respect.

Cultural safety is not separate from child safety

Njernda is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. We are led by Aboriginal people, governed by an Aboriginal Board, and accountable to the community we come from. We respectfully acknowledge the Wollithiga and Yorta Yorta Peoples as the traditional custodians of the land our services are delivered on.

For Aboriginal children, being safe and being strong in culture are the same thing. A child who is disconnected from family, community, country and identity is not a safe child, whatever else is in place around them.

So cultural safety at Njernda is not an add on to child safety. It is how we do child safety. That means:

• Aboriginal children are supported to be proud of who they are, and their culture, identity and connection to family and community are actively encouraged and respected.
• Children are able to express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights here without having to explain or defend them.
• Racism is not tolerated at Njernda, from anyone, and a child who experiences racism will be believed and supported.
• We work with families, Elders and community rather than around them, because the people who know a child best are usually already in the room.

Every child is welcome and every child is safe here

We pay particular attention to the safety of children who may be more at risk of harm or less likely to be heard, including children with disability, children who are unable to speak or who communicate differently, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex, and children living away from home.

Children and young people have a say

Children and young people are told about their rights, are asked what they think, and are taken seriously when they speak up. We are currently consulting with children, young people, families and community to shape our full Child Safe Policy, and what they tell us will change what we do.

What families and community can expect from us

• Everyone who works or volunteers at Njernda is screened before they start, including a Working with Children Check.
• Our staff are trained in child safety and know what to do if they are worried about a child.
• Everyone who works here follows a code of conduct that sets out clearly what is expected of adults around children.
• Concerns about a child are acted on, recorded, and reported to the authorities where the law requires it.
• We involve families in decisions about their children wherever we can.

Speaking up

If you are worried about the safety of a child at Njernda, or about the behaviour of anyone who works or volunteers here, please tell us. You can speak to any staff member, or contact us using the details below.

You will be listened to. You will be taken seriously. You will not be treated differently for raising a concern, and neither will your child.

You do not need to be certain. If something does not feel right, tell us and let us look into it.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 000.

Contact

  Njernda Aboriginal Corporation: (03) 5481 0610

  Email: CorpReception@njernda.com.au

  In person: 51-55 Heygarth Street, Echuca VIC 3564

  Chief Executive Officer: Timothy Mitchell

You can also contact the Social Services Regulator, which oversees the Child Safe Standards in Victoria, or Victoria Police.

Our policy

Our Interim Child Safe Policy sets out in full how we meet the Victorian Child Safe Standards. It is available on our website and at any Njernda site. It is an interim policy because we are consulting with community before finalising it, and it will be replaced within six months with a policy shaped by what community tells us. It applies in full in the meantime.

Approved by the Chief Executive Officer, 29 September 2026.