Beneath the Surface AU
Version 1.1 : Effective 14 August 2026
Policy Scope
Applies to all BTS AU activities where children (persons under 18 years of age) are or may be present, including in-person workshops, speeches, online sessions, and any other engagement. Governed by the Working with Children (Screening) Act 2004 (WA), formerly the Working with Children (Criminal Record Checking) Act 2004 (WA), and the Children and Community Services Act 2004 (WA), and aligned with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018).
1. Commitment to Child Safety
1.1. Beneath the Surface AU is committed to the safety, wellbeing, and dignity of all children and young people who participate in or are present at its activities. Children have the right to feel safe and to be safe.
1.2. This commitment is unconditional and applies regardless of the setting, organisation, or context. BTS AU will not tolerate abuse, neglect, exploitation, or discrimination against any child in any form.
1.3. BTS AU aligns with the ten National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018) and is committed to embedding child safety in its governance, conduct standards, and delivery practice.
2. Legal and Regulatory Framework
| Instrument | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Working with Children (Screening) Act 2004 (WA) | Requires a valid WW Card for child-related work in WA. Formerly the Working with Children (Criminal Record Checking) Act 2004 (WA) |
| Children and Community Services Act 2004 (WA) | Child protection reporting obligations; definition of abuse and neglect |
| Criminal Code Act Compilation Act 1913 (WA) | Criminal offences against children |
| National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (AHRC, 2018) | 10-principle national framework expected by schools, peak bodies, and funders |
| Commissioner for Children and Young People Act 2006 (WA) | Establishes the Commissioner for Children and Young People WA |
2.1. WA Working with Children Check: Matt Vapor holds a current WA Working with Children Card. The card number, expiry date, and renewal tracking are documented separately in BTS AU’s internal records and are not published in this policy.
2.2. Mandatory Reporting: Under the Children and Community Services Act 2004 (WA), mandatory reporters are defined by professional role (teachers, nurses, police, social workers, psychologists, and others). Matt’s role as an external workshop facilitator does not automatically constitute him a statutory mandatory reporter. BTS AU nonetheless adopts a best-practice position: any reasonable belief that a child is being or has been abused or neglected is reported to the host organisation’s designated safeguarding contact and, where necessary, directly to the WA Child Protection Helpline.
3. Scope and Definitions
3.1. Child / young person: Any person under 18 years of age.
3.2. Child-related work: Any BTS AU activity involving direct contact with children, including workshop delivery, speeches, mentoring conversations, informal engagement during or after a session, and online interactions.
3.3. Settings covered by this policy: High schools; primary schools; alternative education providers (e.g. Fairbridge College, Mandurah); children in care settings; youth detention centres; youth centres; youth homelessness services; community events where children may be present; online sessions with child participants.
3.4. Workshops currently delivered to child audiences:
- Becoming Your Own Role Model: delivered to at-risk youth aged 12–18 at alternative education settings
- Lasting Effects of Homelessness: delivered to high school cohorts
Other BTS AU workshops may be delivered in settings where children are present. This policy applies in all such cases.
4. Working with Children Check (WW Card)
4.1. Matt Vapor holds a current WA Working with Children Card. The card is renewed before expiry, with a reminder set 3 months in advance of the expiry date.
4.2. Any future BTS AU staff member, contractor, or volunteer who will have direct contact with children must hold a current and valid WW Card before commencing child-related work. BTS AU will not engage any person in child-related work without verifying their card status.
4.3. WW Card validity may be verified through the WA Working with Children Check online portal.
4.4. Where BTS AU is required to produce evidence of a current WW Card to a host organisation (e.g. a school, youth service, or government body), Matt will provide the card number and confirm expiry date as requested.
5. Pre-Engagement Requirements
5.1. Before accepting any booking where children will be in attendance, BTS AU requires the following confirmed in writing (email is acceptable) from the host organisation:
- Confirmation that children will be present and the expected age range of participants
- Confirmation that a suitably qualified staff member from the host organisation will be present throughout the session
- The name and contact details of the designated safeguarding lead or responsible staff member for the session
- Confirmation that parents/guardians have been notified of the session topic and content, and that any required consent has been obtained in accordance with the host organisation’s own policies
- Confirmation that the host organisation has a current child safe policy or safeguarding framework in place
- The venue’s emergency contact and evacuation procedures
5.2. Supervision requirement: BTS AU requires that a host organisation staff member is present throughout all sessions involving children. Where a host organisation cannot guarantee this, BTS AU reserves the right to decline the booking. If a supervising staff member must leave during a session, another responsible adult from the host organisation must be present before BTS AU continues delivery. BTS AU will not deliver to a group of children with no host organisation adult present.
5.3. Pre-engagement written confirmations are retained by BTS AU for a minimum of 7 years.
6. Conduct Standards During Delivery
6.1. Matt will not be alone with an individual child at any time: in a room, corridor, vehicle, online breakout room, bathroom area, or any other private or semi-private space.
6.2. Matt will not initiate private communication with a child (by phone, email, social media, direct message, or any other platform) during or after a workshop.
6.3. Matt will not accept connection requests from children on social media platforms.
6.4. Matt will not photograph or record any child during any BTS AU activity.
6.5. Matt will maintain professional language and conduct at all times during delivery, including during Q&A, informal conversation, and post-session engagement. This applies even where the workshop content is personal, emotive, or discusses traumatic experiences.
6.6. Where a child attempts to extend the engagement beyond the workshop setting (for example, by following Matt, seeking one-on-one conversation, or asking personal questions outside the session), Matt will redirect appropriately, remain visible to other adults, and inform a host staff member at the earliest opportunity.
6.7. Post-session informal engagement (e.g. remaining at a school for the remainder of the day, as occurred at Fairbridge College) is only appropriate where a host staff member is present and where the host organisation has explicitly welcomed this.
7. Online Delivery
When delivering workshops online to audiences that include children:
7.1. A host organisation staff member must remain logged into the online session throughout.
7.2. Breakout rooms will not be used with child participants unless a host staff member is present in the breakout room.
7.3. Matt will not initiate or accept private calls, chats, or direct messages from individual children during or after an online session.
7.4. If the host organisation requests recording of the online session, Matt’s prior written approval is required under Terms (Quotes) Section 5. Any recording involving children requires the host organisation to manage parental consent independently of BTS AU.
7.5. Matt will follow all platform security settings appropriate to child-safe online delivery (e.g. waiting rooms, host-controlled screen sharing, moderated chat).
8. Sensitive Content, Trigger Warnings, and Parental Notification
8.1. BTS AU workshops, in particular Becoming Your Own Role Model and Lasting Effects of Homelessness, include content addressing domestic abuse, homelessness violence, bullying, sexual assault (mention only, no detail), and suicide (mention only, no detail). These topics are discussed from a lived experience perspective for educational purposes.
8.2. BTS AU will provide the host organisation with a full written list of trigger content topics at the time of booking, and no later than 7 calendar days before the session. The host organisation is responsible for communicating this content list to parents/guardians and for obtaining any required consent in line with their own policies.
8.3. Trigger warnings will be delivered verbally at the start of every session involving children, before any sensitive content is introduced. Participants will be informed they may step outside if needed and will be welcomed back without judgement or question.
8.4. BTS AU’s content is educational and is drawn from lived experience. It is not therapeutic or clinical. Matt will not provide counselling, psychological advice, or ongoing emotional support to child participants during or after a session.
8.5. At the end of every session involving sensitive content delivered to a child audience, Matt will verbally direct participants to available support resources (see Section 11).
9. Responding to Disclosures
Given the topics covered in BTS AU workshops (domestic abuse, violence, homelessness, and trauma), disclosures from children during or after sessions are a foreseeable event. The following procedure applies whenever a child shares information suggesting they are experiencing or have experienced abuse, neglect, family violence, or another harm.
9a. During a Session
9.1. Listen calmly and without judgement. Do not minimise, dismiss, or visibly express shock.
9.2. Do not promise confidentiality. Tell the child that you will need to speak with someone who can help them.
9.3. Do not investigate. Do not ask probing questions, seek additional details, or attempt to assess whether the disclosure is credible. Your role is to receive, not to investigate.
9.4. Escalate immediately. Notify the designated host staff member identified in the pre-engagement process (Section 5). Do this before Matt leaves the premises or ends the session.
9.5. Where no host staff member is available or reachable: If Matt has a reasonable belief that a child is in immediate risk, he will contact the WA Child Protection Helpline (13 78 88) for guidance.
9b. During an Online Session
9.6. Matt will privately message the host staff member present using the platform’s direct message function.
9.7. If the child appears to be in immediate risk, Matt will remain in the session, contact the host organisation by phone, and if necessary contact emergency services (000) or the Child Protection Helpline (13 78 88).
9c. Documentation
9.8. As soon as practicable after the session, ideally the same day, Matt will prepare a confidential factual record documenting: what was said, in what context, at what time, what steps were taken, and who was notified. The child must not be identified by name in stored records; use “child participant” and, if needed, a session reference.
9.9. Disclosure records are stored securely and separately from the main vault. They are not accessible to third parties except where required by law.
9.10. Matt will follow up with the host organisation’s safeguarding lead within 24 hours to confirm the disclosure has been appropriately managed.
9d. Key Contacts
| Service | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| WA Child Protection Helpline | 13 78 88 | 24 hours |
| Emergency Services | 000 | 24 hours |
| Kids Helpline | 1800 55 1800 | 24 hours |
10. Photography, Recording, and Images
10.1. BTS AU does not photograph or record children at any time during or after workshops, speeches, or any other activity.
10.2. BTS AU does not use images of children in its marketing, website, social media, or any other published or promotional materials.
10.3. Where a host organisation wishes to photograph or record a session in which children are present, this is entirely the host organisation’s responsibility. The host organisation must manage parental consent, compliance with its own child safe media policy, and all associated data protection obligations independently of BTS AU.
10.4. BTS AU’s workshop slides contain personal photographs of Matt Vapor. These do not include images of any other person without that person’s consent.
11. Post-Session Support Resources
11.1. After delivering sessions with sensitive content to child audiences, Matt will verbally communicate the following support services at the close of the session and will provide this list to the host organisation in writing at the time of booking.
| Service | Contact | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kids Helpline | 1800 55 1800 | Free, confidential, 24/7 (ages 5–25) |
| 1800RESPECT | 1800 737 732 | DV and sexual assault support |
| Lifeline | 13 11 14 | Crisis support, 24/7 |
| headspace | 1800 650 890 | Youth mental health |
| ReachOut | reachout.com.au | Online mental health support for young people |
11.2. The host organisation is responsible for ensuring appropriate pastoral care and follow-up for participants who may have been affected by session content. BTS AU encourages host organisations to have a counsellor, school chaplain, or wellbeing officer available on the day of delivery.
12. Complaints About BTS AU’s Conduct
12.1. Any child, parent or guardian, host organisation staff member, or community member may raise a concern about BTS AU’s conduct with respect to child safety.
12.2. Complaints may be directed to:
- Email: privacy@beneaththesurface.au
- Post: PO Box 48, Ballajura, Western Australia 6066
12.3. BTS AU will acknowledge all child safety complaints within 2 business days and respond fully within 10 business days.
12.4. Where a complaint relates to potential criminal conduct or immediate risk to a child, BTS AU will refer the matter to WA Police (000 or 131 444) immediately and will cooperate fully with any investigation.
12.5. Concerns about organisations’ child safe practices may also be directed to the Commissioner for Children and Young People WA: www.ccyp.wa.gov.au / 08 6213 2297
13. Record Keeping
13.1. BTS AU maintains a record of Matt’s current WW Card number and expiry date in its internal records, which are not published.
13.2. Disclosure records (see Section 9.8) are stored securely and separately from the main vault. They are not accessible to third parties except where required by law or legal advice.
13.3. Pre-engagement written confirmations from host organisations (Section 5) are retained for a minimum of 7 years.
13.4. All records relating to a child safety incident, disclosure, or complaint are retained indefinitely, or until legal advice confirms destruction is appropriate.
14. Policy Review
14.1. This policy is reviewed annually, or earlier if any of the following occur:
- A change to relevant WA or Commonwealth legislation
- BTS AU expands into new child-related delivery settings or contexts
- An incident, near-miss, complaint, or disclosure triggers a review
- A school, peak body (e.g. WAAEH), or funding body requests updates or raises concerns