Carlisle / Victoria Park Toy Library Incorporated

The Carlisle/Victoria Park Toy Library (herein after referred to as ‘Toy Library’), is a non-profit volunteer-based organisation and in order to operate, relies on its community membership. 


1.        Roster Duty, Stocktake and Special Events, AGM

1.1.       I will sign up for and undertake at least 4 roster duties per financial year (July-June). Non-duty, Casual and Family Day Care members exempt. Failure to attend a roster duty will result in a $20 fine and requirement to attend a replacement shift.

1.2.       I will attend the annual stocktake and at least one special event, such as fundraisers or busy-bees (casual members exempt).

1.3.       All toys must be returned to the library on or before the week prior to stocktake to be counted processed. 

1.4.       I will make every effort to attend the AGM in August each year.

2.        Closures (Christmas and Easter)

2.1.       The toy library will close for two (2) weeks over the Christmas break, including the Saturday before and after Christmas.  I will be able to borrow toys to take home over the Christmas break, but the library will not open in this period.

2.2.       Further closures on long weekends will be subject to the availability of roster volunteers, and will be communicated via email and on our Facebook page

3.        Care

3.1.       It is my responsibility to clean toys before returning and to return toys on time in an acceptable condition.

4.        Fines

4.1.       I understand and accept the following schedule of fines, as part of the fundraising required to keep the toy collection well maintained.

Fine

Price 

Clarification 

Missing Part

$5.00 per part*

Fine reimbursed if part is found

Overdue Toy

$2.00 per toy, per week*

 

Missed Roster Duty 

$20.00

No attempt made to swap 

Minor Damage

$5.00*

Puzzle piece or box lid can be sticky taped, teeth marks / paint chipped beyond general wear & tear 

Major Damage

$20.00 / negotiated based on repair cost

 

Lost or Destroyed Toy

Depreciated cost of toy

  

*to a daily maximum of $20.00 (i.e. if you return 6 toys 2 weeks late, and have lost 2 parts, you will pay only $20.00 and not $40.00)

 

4.2.       I understand that my membership may be suspended if fines remain unpaid for more than 2 months. I have the right to dispute a fine by appealing to the Committee.  

5.        Children

5.1.       It is my responsibility to select toys suitable for my child’s age, skill and development and to supervise the use of toys borrowed from the Toy Library.

5.2.       It is my responsibility to supervise my children whilst on the Toy Library premises.

5.3. It is my responsibility to ensure that any toy loaned 60cm or taller (ie:piker frames and slides) should have a soft mat underneath to prevent injury if my child falls. I will ensure full child supervision when using toys that require climbing or are at heights 60cm or above.

6.        Privacy

6.1.       I consent to the details provided above being used for Toy Library purposes only.  This information will not be disclosed to any outside third parties.  I have been informed that all members have access to the members register as outlined in the Associations Incorporation Act 2015.

7.        Liability

7.1.       The Toy Library accepts no liability for any injury or loss arising from the borrowing and/or use of Toy Library toys whether on the toy library premises, in transit, the member’s home or any other location and whether used by a member or non-member of the Toy Library.

8.        Membership Cancellation

8.1.       Membership fees are non-transferable and non-refundable.

8.2.       Should I wish to terminate my membership prior to expiry, I will contact the committee in writing via email treasurer.cvptl@gmail.com  or cvptoylibrary@gmail.com) prior to resignation and ensure that all toys have been returned and all outstanding fines paid. 

Please note: Membership automatically expires two month after the due date of your annual fees, and should you fail to notify the committee of your resignation you will remain a member up until that time of automatic expiry and be subject to conditions of membership to the Toy Library.


9. Carlisle/Victoria Park Toy Library - WAIVER, RELEASE AND INDEMNITY FOR BICYCLE AND SCOOTERS

The Carlisle/Victoria Park Toy Library ("Provider") is pleased to make bicycles and scooters available to subscribers ("the Service").

As a subscriber to the Service you acknowledge that there are dangers and risks inherent with bicycle and scooter riding (the “Activity”) to which any child under your supervision ("Your Child") may be exposed.

The Provider does not provide protective clothing or bicycle helmets and it is your responsibility to ensure that Your Child wears a helmet at all times and is otherwise appropriately attired when participating in the Activity. You agree that Your Child will participate in the Activity at your own risk. You also agree to voluntarily assume responsibility for supervising the Activity and any injury, death or property damage you or Your Child may suffer or cause as a result of participating in the Activity.

To the maximum extent possible at law, you (both in your personal capacity and on behalf of Your Child) agree to release, hold harmless and indemnify the Provider and its respective officers, employees, servants, agents and contractors (the “Indemnified Persons”) against all actions, claims, suits, costs, expenses, demands and damages suffered or incurred by the Indemnified Persons or any one or more of them by reason of, or in respect of, or in any manner whatsoever arising out of, or caused by, your use of the Service or Your Child's participation in the Activity.

You agree that you are subscribing to the Service on the express condition that the Provider:
(a) will, under no circumstances be liable or responsible in any manner whatsoever for any death, loss, accident, damage or injury to you, Your Child or any of your servants, agents, contractors, visitors or invitees or any other person whatsoever (“Related Party”) which may happen as a result of your use of the Service or Your Child participating in the Activity; and
(b) will not incur or be under any liability whatsoever to you, Your Child, or to any Related Party for any loss, damage or injury to or in respect of any of your property or of any Related Party’s property.

The Provider is not liable to you, Your Child or any Related Party in respect of any indirect or consequential loss. For the avoidance of doubt, ‘consequential loss’ means loss or damage arising from a breach of contract, tort (including negligence), under statute or any other basis in law or equity of an indirect or consequential nature including, but without limitation, loss of profits, loss of revenue, loss or denial of opportunity, loss of goodwill, loss of business reputation, future reputation or publicity, damage to credit rating and indirect, remote, abnormal or unforeseeable loss, or any similar loss whether or not in the reasonable contemplation of the parties.

 

Many thanks!


Carlisle Victoria Park Toy Library

Child Safety Policy and statement of commitment

Our commitment to child safety 

Our organisation is committed to child safety.

We want children to be safe, happy, and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers, and embrace all children regardless of their abilities, sex, gender, or social, economic or cultural background.

We are committed to the safety of all children, including the cultural safety of Aboriginal children.

We have zero tolerance of child abuse and racism, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.

We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously. 

Our organisation has robust recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.

We have policies, procedures and education in place that support our staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments. 

If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000.

Our staff and volunteers

This policy guides our staff and volunteers on how to behave with children in our organisation. 

Children should never be left unsupervised in the care of toy library staff or volunteers. Parents/guardians should always supervise their children at the toy library. Wherever feasible toy libraries should implement the ‘two-person rule’ – ensuring there are two people present when the toy library is open.

All our staff and volunteers must agree to abide by our Code of Conduct, which specifies the standards of conduct required when working with children.

Our organisational culture aims for all staff and volunteers to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns. Education is important to ensure that everyone in our organisation understands that child safety is everyone’s responsibility. All staff receive training on our code of conduct.

Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported through appropriate channels, including the relevant government department or police, depending on the severity and urgency of the matter.

Training and supervision

Training and education are important to ensure that everyone in our organisation understands that child safety is everyone’s responsibility. We train our staff to identify, assess, and minimise risks of child abuse and to detect potential signs of child abuse.

New employees and volunteers will be supervised regularly to ensure they understand our organisation’s commitment to child safety and that everyone has a role to play in protecting children from abuse, as well as checking that their behaviour towards children is safe and appropriate (please refer to our Code of Conduct to understand appropriate behaviour further). 

Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported through appropriate channels, including the relevant government department or police depending on the severity and urgency of the matter.

Recruitment

We take all reasonable steps to employ appropriately skilled people to work with our members. We develop selection criteria that clearly demonstrate our commitment to child safety and an awareness of our social and legislative responsibilities.

We carry out reference checks and working with children checks for any paid staff members to ensure that we are recruiting the right people. Please see https://workingwithchildren.wa.gov.au for further information 

Fair procedures for personnel

The safety and wellbeing of members is our primary concern. We are also fair and just to personnel. The decisions we make when recruiting, assessing incidents, and undertaking disciplinary action will always be thorough, transparent, and based on evidence. 

We record all allegations of abuse and safety concerns using our incident reporting form, including investigation updates. All records are securely stored.

If an allegation of abuse or a safety concern is raised, we provide updates to children and families on progress and any actions we as an organisation take. 

Privacy

All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved, whether they are staff, volunteers, parents, or children, unless there is a risk to someone’s safety. We have safeguards and practices in place to ensure any personal information is protected. Everyone is entitled to know how this information is recorded, what will be done with it, and who will have access to it.

Responsibilities

Our organisation takes our legal responsibilities seriously, including:

  • Failure to disclose: Reporting child sexual abuse is a community-wide responsibility. All adults who have a reasonable belief that an adult has committed a sexual offence against a child under 16 must report that information to the police.
  • Failure to protect: People of authority in our organisation may commit an offence if they know of a substantial risk of child sexual abuse and have the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, but negligently fail to do so.
  • Any personnel who are mandatory reporters (e.g. teachers, doctors) must comply with their duties. 

Risk management

Organisations are required to protect children when a risk is identified (see information about failure to protect above). In addition to general occupational health and safety risks, we proactively manage risks of abuse to our children.

We have risk management strategies in place to identify, assess, and take steps to minimise child abuse risks, which include risks posed by physical environments (for example, any doors that can lock), and online environments (for example, no staff or volunteer is to have contact with a child in the organisation on social media). 

Regular review

This policy will be reviewed every two years and following significant incidents if they occur. We will ensure that families and children can contribute to the review. Where possible we do our best to work with local Aboriginal communities, culturally and/or linguistically diverse communities and people with a disability.

Allegations, concerns, and complaints

Our organisation takes all allegations seriously and has practices in place to investigate thoroughly and quickly.

We work to ensure all families, staff and volunteers know what to do and who to tell if they observe abuse or are a victim, and if they notice inappropriate behaviour.

We all have a responsibility to report an allegation of abuse if we have a reasonable belief that an incident took place.

If an adult has a reasonable belief that an incident has occurred, then they must report the incident. Factors contributing to reasonable belief may be:

  • A child states they or someone they know has been abused (noting that sometimes the child may in fact be referring to themselves)
  • Behaviour consistent with that of an abuse victim is observed
  • Someone else has raised a suspicion of abuse but is unwilling to report it
  • Observing suspicious behaviour. 

 

Last reviewed: July 2022

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Carlisle Victoria Park Toy Library

Code of conduct

All staff, volunteers and committee members of our organisation are required to observe child safe principles and expectations for appropriate behaviour towards and in the company of children, as noted below.

All staff, volunteers and committee members are responsible for supporting the safety, participation, wellbeing and empowerment of children by:

  • always adhering to our child safe policy and upholding our statement of commitment to child safety at all time
  • taking all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse
  • treating everyone with respect
  • listening and responding to the views and concerns of children, particularly if they are telling you that they or another child has been abused and/or are worried about their safety or the safety of another
  • promoting the cultural safety, participation, and empowerment of Aboriginal children and children with culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds
  • promoting the safety, participation, and empowerment of children with a disability 
  • ensuring that adults are not left alone with a child
  • supporting children to express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights
  • reporting any allegations of child abuse to our Child Safety Officer and ensure any allegation to reported to the police or child protection
  • reporting any child safety concerns to our Child Safety Officer or the President 
  • if an allegation of child abuse is made, ensure as quickly as possible that the child(ren) are safe

Staff and volunteers must not:

  • develop any ‘special’ relationships with children that could be seen as favouritism (for example, the offering of gifts or special treatment for specific children)
  • exhibit behaviours with children which may be construed as unnecessarily physical (for example inappropriate sitting on laps). Sitting on laps could be appropriate sometime, for example while reading a storybook to a small child in an open plan area)
  • put children at risk of abuse (for example, by locking doors)
  • engage in open discussions of a mature or adult nature in the presence of children (for example, personal social activities)
  • use inappropriate or racist language in the presence of children
  • express personal views on cultures, race or sexuality in the presence of children
  • discriminate against any child, including because of culture, race, ethnicity or disability
  • have any online contact with a child or their family (unless necessary, for example providing families with e- newsletters)
  • ignore or disregard any suspected or disclosed child abuse.

By observing these standards you acknowledge your responsibility to immediately report any breach of this code to Carlisle Victoria Park Toy Library’s Child Safety Officer - committee CVPTL. If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000.

I agree to adhere to this Code of Conduct: 

Name: electronic signature on sign up.

Signature: agree to COC on sign up..

Date: on sign up