Grants guide: child safety and protection
Find out if your City of Sydney grant application needs a child safety policy, what counts as child-related work and how to meet child protection requirements.
This page explains when your City of Sydney grant application needs a child safety or child protection policy, what counts as child-related work, and what you may need to provide as part of your application.
Keeping children and young people safe is everyone’s responsibility. We’re committed to being a child safe organisation and we expect funded projects to support this commitment, in line with our policies.
When child safety applies to your project
If your project involves working with children or young people under 18, you must show how you’ll keep them safe. This is required when you apply for a grant.
You’re responsible for the safety and wellbeing of any child or young person who comes into contact with your project. This includes identifying risks and taking steps to prevent harm.
Children’s safety, rights and best interests must always come first. This applies when you plan your project, manage risks and run your activities.
What counts as child-related work
Child-related work includes paid, volunteer and contracted service work that involves providing services to children or young people under 18.
This applies when contact with children is more than occasional or incidental. Contact may be in person or online.
Child-related work is defined under legislation and includes work in the following areas:
- education, care and child-minding services
- child health, child protection, youth work, disability, development and family welfare services
- teaching, coaching, instructing, tutoring and mentoring
- clubs or organisations providing programs and services for children
- entertainment services for children, including sporting, cultural or other venues mainly used by children
- transport services for children.
Examples of projects that involve child-related work
- A supervised weekend space for young people aged 11 to 18
- A food security project supporting families through an outside school hours care service
- A free school holiday program for children and families
- Providing refurbished smartphones, tablets and laptops to young people
- An all-ages, family-friendly street dance festival with children’s entertainment or face painting
- A coding program for young people
- A gardening program that includes cooking activities with children
- A program for young children with disability or learning support needs
- Supervised excursions, camps or outdoor education programs for young people.
Working with children check
Staff, including volunteers in child-related work, must have a working with children check in NSW.
Organisations must determine if work is child-related, who requires a working with children check, or which roles qualify for an exemption. They must also verify working with children check details and keep records of staff in child-related work.
Visit the Office of the Children’s Guardian for more information.
What you need to do in your application
When you apply, you’ll be asked if your project involves child-related work.
If it does, you must answer yes.
You’ll then need to:
- upload your child safety or child protection policies and procedures
- include a risk assessment or detailed explanation of how you’ll manage child safety during your project.
If you don’t have child safety or child protection policies and procedures
Contact us
If you have questions, we’re here to help. Contact us on 02 9265 9333 or email [email protected].
