Australian Government

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

For Official Use Only

Appropriate Interaction with Children SUPPORTING MATERIAL

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For Official Use Only

Background Departmental staff and contracted service providers interact with children in a variety of situations in the delivery of our services.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection's (the Department's) Professional Standards Framework sets out the standards of integrity and ethical behaviour required by all departmental staff and contracted service providers. While taking a sensible approach to each situation, the following guidance will assist departmental staff and contracted service providers to understand what behaviour is appropriate when interacting with children .

Who can use this guide? This guide is intended to support all departmental staff and contracted service providers involved in the support, care and welfare of children and their families in Australia's immigration programmes.

Guiding principles When interacting with children the following should be considered:

• Always treat children with respect and with regard to the dignity and rights of each child regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion , political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status.

• Create a positive, non-confrontational communication environment where the child feels safe and comfortable to interact.

• Always speak to children with respect. Raised voices, yelling, blaming, criticising and verbal abuse are not acceptable ways of communicating with children.

• Put in place clear professional boundaries so your interactions with children cannot be misinterpreted.

• Be mindful of the age of the child with whom you are interacting with, and tailor your communication accordingly.

• Be aware of cultural norms and sensitivities as well as the different practices and routines used by various families and their underlying cultural or personal rationale.

• Be sensitive when interacting with children who may misinterpret your actions, such as those children who may have been traumatised by abuse or adolescents seeking attention from a member of the opposite sex.

Managing interactions with children

The following are a range of appropriate protocols for departmental staff and contracted service providers to follow when interacting with children:

• Never provide your personal contact details to a child.

• Records of all interactions with children must be retained according to the Department's record keeping policies and made available to the Department and your supervisor.

• The collection and storage of photographs of children must be in line with departmental guidelines (see the Department's Filming and Photographing Children guide) and must not be for personal use under any circumstances.

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• Principles regarding giving and receiving of gifts to and from children in the Department's programmes must be consistent with the Department's Accountable Authority Instructions.

o Generally, the Department considers it inappropriate for officials to accept gifts; however, there are exceptions where refusal of gifts could cause offence. For example, in the case of children, it may be appropriate for a departmental staff member to accept a drawing offered by a child in one of the Department's programmes.

o Departmental staff should not give children gifts of a personal nature that encourage them to think they have an individual or special relationship with you . Any gift given must be given only as a representative of the Department, and prior approval from the Department to purchase or present a gift is required . All contracted service providers should have a gift policy to which their staff can refer for guidance.

o This guide does not apply to incentives associated with behavioural management plans.

Appropriate physical contact

In your interactions with children, you should always be alert to cues from the child/children about how comfortable they are in your proximity and respect their need for personal space. Appropriate physical contact should make children feel comfortable and safe, and should be appropriate for their age, developmental level , cultural background, maturity and level of care required . Appropriate physical contact will most often occur when assisting younger children; however, do not presume that physical contact is always acceptable to a young person or child .

The following are generally considered forms of appropriate physical contact:

• Supporting and guiding a distressed child or a child who is experiencing grief with a non-intrusive gesture, for example, a hand on the upper arm or back.

• Supporting children who are settling into a new environment or requiring additional physical comfort with a non-intrusive gesture, for example, a hand on the upper arm or back.

• Shaking hands or a congratulatory pat on the back or a high five.

• Gently guiding young children or holding their hand for assistance and/or reassurance.

• Supporting and administering first aid to children who are hurt.

• Holding/comforting the baby of a parent or carer who is distressed .

In the case of children with disabilities, additional physical contact may be required , for example, to assist with toileting. In such cases, any additional physical contact or care for the child should be consistent with the child 's individualised case plan .

Non-physical intervention

Non-physical intervention is the recognised means of managing the behaviour of children and young people.

Where a problem with a child or young person's behaviour becomes apparent, non-physical interventions should be used . Examples of non-physical intervention include:

• Directing other children and young people to move away from the situation to a safe place.

• Talking with the individual child or young person (asking the child or young person to stop the behaviour, and telling the child or young person what will happen if he/she does not stop).

• Asking for assistance from other staff, or in extreme cases, the police.

Use of verbal directions is always preferred to physical intervention. It is not appropriate to make physical contact with a child or young person (for example, pushing, grabbing, poking, pulling, blocking), in order to ensure they comply with directions. Under no circumstances should departmental staff or contracted service providers engage in any form of conduct that might cause physical or emotional harm to children .

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Reasonable use of force on minors

It is departmental policy that use of force on minors should be avoided or minimised, but may be necessary in some circumstances as specified in the Detention Services Manual. In such circumstances appropriate standards and procedures must be followed. In the case of held and community detention, specific guidelines can be found at: PAM3: Detention services manual -Chapter 8 - Safety and security- Use of reasonable force in immigration detention.

Physical restraint

Physical restraint must only be used where a person's (child or adult) immediate safety is threatened .

Use of legitimate physical restraint is a last resort when non-physical interventions have been exhausted or are impractical in the circumstances and a child or young person is attacking another person or posing an immediate danger to themselves and/or others .

Suggested guidelines for use of physical restraint

You should continue talking with the child or young person throughout the incident. It is important to make clear to the child that the physical restraint will stop when it ceases to be necessary to protect them or others.

When physical restraint is required, you must:

• grip clothing rather than the body, whenever possible

• document and report incidents promptly

• inform parents, legal guardians or the Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Delegate (IGOC Delegate) (in cases where the child is under the Minister's guardianship) promptly with a detailed report of any incident involving the physical restraint of the child

• provide parents, legal guardians or the IGOC Delegate with the opportunity to discuss the incident

• provide or offer confidential debriefing, counselling support and Workplace Health and Safety documentation to all staff involved in incidents of restraint.

Use of restraint should never involve:

• force applied to the head or neck

• restrictions to breathing

• punching

• kicking

• gripping wrists or joints

• holding by the hair or ear

• confining a child or young person in a locked room or limited space.

Unless someone's safety is clearly threatened , departmental staff should not use physical restraint in response to:

• property destruction

• disruption to an activity

• refusal to comply

• verbal threats

• leaving a required location.

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In these circumstances, departmental staff should seek to achieve desired objectives by using other techniques such as discussion, negotiation, or verbal persuasion.

Further information If you require further information, please contact

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This guide should be read in conjunction with the Department's Child Safeguarding Framework.

References Information for this guide came from the following sources:

Department of Immigration and Border Protection 2016, Accountable Authority Instructions.

Department of Immigration and Border Protection 2015, Procedure Advice Manual 3: Detention Services Manual.

Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Professional Standards Framework.

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