DFAT’s commitment to child safety

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is committed to ensuring that children are protected in all its work. Australia is a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). DFAT takes its obligations under the Convention and under the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework seriously. Australia was the first international donor government to implement a policy (2008) to protect children from exploitation and abuse.

DFAT has a zero‑tolerance approach to child exploitation and abuse. Our commitment to child safety, detailed in our Child Protection Framework and Policy, applies to all our staff and to those we fund. We will continue to strengthen child protection in our work by enhancing prevention and accountability, improving support for children affected, and encouraging cultural change.

DFAT’s interaction with children

DFAT leads the government’s engagement with the world, building relationships to ensure a coherent, consistent and collaborative whole-of-government approach to the conduct of Australia's international relations.

DFAT is the lead agency managing Australia’s international presence at 116 locations across 86 countries in our overseas network. DFAT manages the Australian Government presence overseas, working across portfolios to promote an effective, secure and coordinated approach to Australia's overseas representation.

We sometimes work in remote or difficult locations and in places affected by crises or conflict. Among other things, our work includes the delivery of a range of services to Australians abroad and the delivery of the Australian international development program.

Our work can bring us into contact with children, both directly and indirectly, in a range of ways. These include when providing consular assistance and passport services, during media events and other public diplomacy activities, when providing humanitarian assistance in response to a disaster or crisis, or through medical services for staff (and family members) posted overseas.

Children figure prominently across Australia’s international development program. We support a range of programs and initiatives that benefit children, directly and indirectly, including education and health programs, the advancement of children’s rights, access to clean water and protection from harm.

Child protection risks and mitigation measures

DFAT undertakes an annual risk assessment, identifying, evaluating and managing risks to child safety in all DFAT business. A key risk is compliance with policies and/or domestic and international laws and conventions that seek to protect children. Due to our operating context - the nature of our work and where we work - the child protection risk rating for DFAT is high.

DFAT has a dedicated unit – the Human and Environmental Safeguards Section (HMS) – working on child protection issues. It provides advice and training to raise awareness of child protection issues among DFAT staff and our funded partners (ie those we fund to deliver on our behalf) in Australia and overseas, and to build child safeguarding capacity. It also manages the reporting system for safeguard notifications.

DFAT’s Child Protection Framework applies to all DFAT staff and all funded partners, and sets expectations for conduct, reporting, risk management, recruitment and screening, and training. It requires immediate mandatory reporting of any instance of suspected or alleged child exploitation and abuse. It outlines minimum child protection standards for those we fund who work with or have contact with children. We regularly share the lessons of our experience, and our knowledge, tools and materials with other government agencies and funded partners to improve child protection.

The key elements of our child protection framework include:

For staff:

• An internal Working with Children Check – Screening Policy and Screening Procedure. This ensures all DFAT staff, including locally engaged staff (ie staff, usually foreign nationals, who are employed locally at our diplomatic missions and who are not Australian diplomats) and contracted staff, undertaking child-related work are appropriately screened to confirm their suitability to work with children and are made aware of their responsibilities under the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
• Robust security and integrity checks for DFAT staff posted to Australia’s overseas network.
• Mandatory training - prior to commencing an overseas posting, all DFAT staff must complete DFAT’s Child Protection eLearning (foundation level) as part of their pre‑posting requirements. If working on a development program or filling a position that works with children, staff must also complete Child and Adult Safeguards training (practitioner level).
• A chapter on child protection in the staff Conduct and Ethics Manual.
• Access restrictions to inappropriate websites and an IT Acceptable Use Policy with clear guidelines on inappropriate usage.

Our services:

• Consular Policy and Consular Operations Handbooks that assist staff to manage allegations of child sex offences, forced marriage and other child protection related issues.
• Passport policies, procedures, guidelines and training that clearly outline child protection obligations and reporting requirements in relation to applications for and use of passports and travel-related documents.

For the international development program:

• An Environmental and Social Safeguards Policy for the development program that protects the rights, health and safety of all people including children.
• Due diligence assessments that must be completed before entering into a development program funding agreement with an organisation. Assessments specifically review the program’s integrity and child protection systems and controls.
• A comprehensive accreditation process for non-government organisations involved in development under the Australian Non-Government Organisation Cooperation Program (ANCP).
• A requirement that direct and indirect risks to children must be considered in the design and implementation phases of DFAT development projects.

Other measures:

• Legally enforceable clauses in agreements specifically focusing on child protection.
•  Grant agreements should include a Working with Children Check Statement of Compliance requiring assurance that funded partners and their staff comply with the working with children legislative requirements.

Compliance with the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework and measures to improve compliance

DFAT meets the requirements under the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework.

We are currently updating our safeguards policies, including our Child Protection Policy, and accompanying guidance material to ensure they are current. It is expected that the revised Child Protection Policy will be published in early 2025.

DFAT ensures compliance with the policies through awareness raising and mandatory training, independent assessments of designs and reviews, regular risk discussions with partners, internal audits, and due diligence assessments of partners.

Child safety initiatives undertaken in the reporting year

DFAT undertook several child safety initiatives in the 2023-24 financial year.

During National Child Protection Week (3-9 September 2023) we provided information on child protection to Australia’s global network of diplomatic missions to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect. As part of this, staff were reminded of mandatory reporting and made aware of DFAT’s child protection training courses.

As well as training in Australia, DFAT resumed dedicated training and outreach missions offshore during the year, conducting visits to Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Cambodia and Bangladesh. Foundation level child protection (ie general awareness) training was provided to 804 DFAT staff (899 in 2022-23), and practitioner level (ie more advanced) training to 439 staff (up from 93 in 2022-23) whose work potentially involved more direct engagement with children.

DFAT managed 61 child protection notifications relating to DFAT business in 2023-24 (up from 48 the previous year). Experience from these notifications was used to improve our understanding and handling of child protection issues and to strengthen our training.

DFAT continued to support child protection activities abroad through direct investments under the international development program. We provided funding to child-focussed non-government organisations, like Save the Children, and to international organisations, like UNICEF and UNFPA. We supported placements under the Australian Volunteer Program to positions working with children. Many of the programs which DFAT supports to address gender-based violence also address ending violence against children. Children in several countries benefited from the essential and emergency support Australia provided in response to humanitarian crises.

The Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) is a good example of the Australian Government's international support for child protection. In 2023-24, the ANCP provided over $10 million in funding to 12 Australian NGOs to implement projects with child protection as a key sectoral focus. 22 child protection projects were implemented by NGO partners, with activities in Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Caribbean. Projects focused on addressing key needs of vulnerable children, reducing gender-based violence and violence against children, promoting just and resilient communities and systems, and greater inclusion and empowerment of vulnerable people.