When we think about what makes a great Outside School Hours Care program, we often picture the things children come home talking about. It might be the friendships they’ve made, the exciting activities they’ve tried or the Educator who remembered exactly how they like to build their LEGO creations.
These are the moments that make childhood special, and they’re what we strive to create every day at TeamKids.
Supporting those moments is an entire organisation with one shared commitment: keeping children safe, supported and able to thrive. Every person at TeamKids has a role to play, and together we work to create a culture where children’s wellbeing is at the centre of everything we do.
Child safety begins with the people we choose to join our team and continues through the way we train, support and work together every day. It shapes the way we recruit, lead, communicate and care for children across every TeamKids service.
Recruitment & Screening
We believe that creating safe environments starts with having the right people.
Every Educator, Director of Service and Head Office team member joins TeamKids through child safety-focused recruitment and screening processes. While skills and experience are important, we also look for compassion, professionalism, integrity and a genuine commitment to working with children.
The people who care for your child have been selected not only for what they can do, but for the values they bring to the role.
Training & Development
Child safety remains an ongoing priority throughout every TeamKids career.
Our teams receive regular training to help them recognise concerns, respond appropriately and uphold the high standards expected when working with children.
As legislation, research and best practice continue to evolve, we continue to invest in our people. Through ongoing professional learning, our teams stay informed and equipped with the latest knowledge to provide safe, high-quality care for every child.
Our Child Safeguarding & Wellbeing Manager and Specialist Support Teams
Our commitment to child safety is also supported by dedicated specialists who help ensure TeamKids continues to provide the safest possible care for children.
Our Child Safeguarding & Wellbeing Manager provides expert guidance on all matters relating to child safety, supporting our teams, overseeing safeguarding processes and ensuring the right actions are taken whenever concerns arise.
Working alongside them are our Quality & Compliance Team, who stay up to date with changing legislation and best practice, continually strengthen our policies and provide guidance to services across the country.
Together, these teams are always looking for ways to improve how we protect and support children, so you can feel confident that child safety remains at the heart of everything we do.
A Culture of Speaking Up
Keeping children safe relies on people feeling confident to raise concerns when something doesn’t seem right.
At TeamKids, we actively foster a culture where speaking up is encouraged and expected. Every Educator has a responsibility to advocate for children, and we provide clear pathways for them to do so.
Our See Something, Say Something initiative gives Educators direct access to our Child Safeguarding & Wellbeing Manager through a dedicated reporting pathway, ensuring concerns can be raised quickly and appropriately. This sits alongside our reporting processes and reinforces the message that every concern deserves attention, and every child deserves an advocate.
Our TeamKids Educators
Our Educators are at the heart of child safety at TeamKids. While you might see them leading games, helping with homework or joining in creative activities, there is so much more happening throughout every session.
Our teams are continually supervising children, communicating with one another and making sure every child is accounted for, included and supported. They know that every child is different, so they take the time to understand their personalities, interests and individual needs.
Perhaps most importantly, they build genuine relationships with children. When children feel known, respected and listened to, they’re more likely to ask for help, share concerns and feel confident that there is always a trusted adult they can turn to.
While fun is what children remember about TeamKids, safety is what allows that fun to happen.
Our Directors of Service and Leadership Teams
Our Educators are supported by an experienced network of leaders who help ensure every TeamKids service provides the highest standard of care for children.
At each service, our Directors of Service lead and support their team every day. They oversee the operation of the service, ensure safe practices are consistently followed, mentor Educators and continually reflect on how the care provided can be strengthened and improved.
Regional Managers and Operations Leaders work closely with services, providing guidance, coaching and another layer of support to help ensure the high standards you expect as a parent and/or guardian are delivered consistently across TeamKids.
Supporting all of this is our Executive Leadership Team, which continually reviews and strengthens the policies, resources and systems that help keep children safe.
Together, these layers of leadership provide ongoing support and accountability, ensuring child safety remains a priority across every TeamKids service.
Families Are Part of the Team Too
Child safety is strongest when families and TeamKids work together.
You know your child better than anyone else, and the information you share helps our Educators understand their individual needs and provide the best possible care. Open communication, mutual trust and a shared commitment to your child’s wellbeing allow us to work together as one team.
So, who looks after safety at TeamKids?
The answer isn’t one Educator, one leader or one department.
It’s the people who carefully recruit our team, the Educators who build trusted relationships with children, the leaders who guide and support our services, the specialists who continually strengthen our practices and the families who partner with us every day.
Because keeping children safe isn’t one person’s responsibility. It’s a commitment shared across the entire TeamKids organisation, in every interaction and every decision we make.
