This page provides guidance and resources for organisations, students, and parents/carers engaged in vocational learning activities.

We offer this information for reference only. Please note that DECYP is not a regulatory body.

For regulatory matters or further inquiries, please refer to the Office of the Independent Regulator, Registration to Work with Vulnerable People, and WorkSafe Tasmania.

For Tasmania’s young learners to thrive and succeed, they need to feel safe and supported – both in our community and workplaces.

Everyone has a role in helping keep young people safe, and we all benefit from a positive, inclusive environment.  

Contacts

Police: Criminal Incident – 000 General – 131 444  

Office of the Independent Regulator: 1800 754 728 

WorkSafe Tasmania: 1300 366 322 

Strong Families Safe Kids 1800 000 123 

We encourage students to engage in external vocational learning activities that help them explore career options and build pathways to success. These external learning activities are not on DECYP sites, are not supervised by DECYP staff, and are for young people (under the age of 18). Activities include: 

While participating in these external activities, it is important that our young students are safe and empowered in these environments. This includes being able to speak out against disrespectful or inappropriate behaviour.  

As an employer or service provider, you have a significant opportunity to foster a culture of safety and respect. By adopting the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework, your organisation can play a vital role in shaping a workplace that supports young people’s development while keeping them safe.

Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework 

In 2017, Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended strong action to make organisations across the country safe for children. In response, the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations  were developed. 

The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations have been adopted in Tasmania’s Child and Youth Safe Organisations Act 2023. The Act was introduced as a measure to protect Tasmanian children and young people. Under this Act, the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework (the Framework) was created.  

The Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework provides guidelines for creating a supportive and respectful workplace culture. It outlines a best-practice model for prioritising the safety and wellbeing of young people in workplaces.  

By following this framework, you help protect young people (under 18) and ensure they feel safe and valued, both in the workplace and beyond. 

The Framework establishes: 

  • the Child and Youth Safe Standards (based on the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations) and the Universal Principle for Aboriginal Cultural Safety.  
  • the Reportable Conduct Scheme  
  • information sharing provisions 
  • the Independent Regulator. 

The Framework 

Organisations who provide vocational learning services to people under 18 years of age may be required to adopt the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework. 

To check whether your organisation is required to adopt the Framework, please visit the Office of the Independent Regulator’s  ‘Who Must Comply’ page.   

Whether required to or not, we encourage all organisations to adopt the Framework. It is a best-practice guide for keeping young people safe in the workplace. 

The Framework does not replace an organisation’s existing Work Health and Safety practices. Instead, it acts as an important extension with a focus on children and young people. 

How to adopt the Framework? 

To adopt the Framework, organisations will need to implement these elements: 

These are the building blocks that support a workplace culture of safety and wellbeing for young people.  

If you have any questions or would like support on how to implement this framework, please reach out to the Office of the Independent Regulator.

Direct employers of apprentices/trainees 

If your organisation directly employs an apprentice or trainee under the age of 18, you: 

What next? 

  • Learn more about the Framework at the Office of the Independent Regulator’s site. 
  • Consider how to incorporate the 10 Child and Youth Safe Standards into your everyday practice 
  • Use the templates for a Child and Youth Safe Code of Conduct and Child and Youth Safe Policy – if you don’t already have them (find below in ‘Useful Resources’). 
  • Have a look at the ‘Standards in Action’ documents for examples of how to embed the Standards in your work practices (find below in ‘Useful Resources’).  

Useful Resources 

RTO / GTO

If your organisation is a Group Training Organisation or a Registered Training Organisation who engages with DECYP students under the age of 18, you: 

What next? 

  • Learn more about the Framework at the Office of the Independent Regulator’s site.
  • Consider how to incorporate the 10 Child and Youth Safe Standards into your everyday practice
  • Use the templates for a Child and Youth Safe Code of Conduct and Child and Youth Safe Policy – if you don’t already have them (find below in ‘Useful Resources’) 
  • Have a look at the ‘Standards in Action’ documents for examples of how to embed the Standards in your work practices (find below in Useful Resources) 
  • Use the Reportable Conduct Scheme for reportable incidents.  

Useful Resources 

Work-based Learning and vocational placements 

If your organisation provides work experience or Work-based Learning placements to students under the age of 18, you: 

  • may need to adopt the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework. Please check your status at the Office of the Independent Regulator’s  ‘Who Must Comply’ page.
  • are encouraged to adopt the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework as a best-practice approach for keeping young people safe in the workplace.
  • are encouraged to adopt a Child and Youth Safe Code of Conduct and a Child and Youth Safe Policy (see below in ‘Useful Resources’)
  • must adhere to the Work-based Learning Agreement 

What next?  

  • Learn more about the Framework at the Office of the Independent Regulator’s site.
  • Consider how to incorporate the 10 Child and Youth Safe Standards into your everyday practice
  • Have a look at the ‘Standards in Action’ documents for examples of how to embed the Standards in your work practices (find below in ‘Useful Resources’)
  • Use the templates for a Code of Conduct and Youth Safe Policy – if you don’t already have them (find below in ‘Useful Resources’). 

Useful Resources 

Students and families

This information is for students (and their parents/carers) taking part in vocational learning. 

We are committed to all students being safe, respected and engaged with learning while they are in the workplace. 

We are committed to keeping parents/carers informed about their child’s involvement in Vocational Learning activites (such as Apprenticeship, Work-based Learning, and Work Placements).  

There are many support services available to students taking part in workplace activities.

Download a printable list of contacts (PDF, 176KB)

Preparing students for the workplace 

We have created an online training module to prepare students for the workplace. The module – “Appropriate Behaviours in the Workplace – what’s ok and what’s not?! – teaches students: 

  • about appropriate and inappropriate behaviours in the workplace 
  • how to spot inappropriate behaviours 
  • where to go for help and support. 

Your school’s VET Coordinator or Apprenticeships Facilitator will make sure that students complete this module before entering the workplace. 

Work-based Learning 

Your school’s VET Facilitator will coordinate students’ Work-based Learning placements/experiences. They will provide pastoral care and support, and help students make the most of their off-site learning experience. They will regularly check in and are available to provide ongoing support.  

School-based and part-time Apprenticeship/Traineeship 

Your school’s Apprenticeships Facilitator will coordinate your training and provide pastoral care. They will regularly check in and are available to provide ongoing support.  

Full-time apprenticeship/traineeship 

Students who are exempted from attending school and are doing an apprenticeship as an Approved Learning Program will be provided support and assistance from their Apprenticeship Connect Australia Provider. 

Definitions

Apprentice Connect Australia Provider (ACAP)
The first point of contact to get started. They connect apprentices and trainees with employers and support students throughout their apprenticeship. 

ARL
Strong Families Safe Kids Advice and Referral Line, phone 1800 000 123. 

Australian School-based Apprenticeship (ASbA)
A collective term used in this policy referring to a school‐based apprenticeship or traineeship. A school-based apprenticeship is a paid employment-based training program for full time school learners who are in a minimum of Year 9 at the commencement of the school year.

A school-based apprenticeship must be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Tasmanian Traineeship and Apprenticeships Committee Policy 2 – “School-Based Traineeships and Apprenticeships”. 

Direct employment 
Is when an apprentice or trainee is hired directly by an employer (rather than through a Group Training Organisation). The employer is responsible for the apprentice/trainee’s on-the-job training.   

Group Training Organisation (GTO)
Their role is to connect learners with host employers. They employ apprentices and trainees, place them with a host business and manage the HR, administrative and training requirements. 

Learner/Student 
Under the Education Act 2016 (Tas) a student is a child, youth or person: 

  1. enrolled at a school; or 
  1. provided with home education; or 
  1. participating in an approved learning program. 

Parent (Carer)
Has the same meaning as in the Education Act 2016 (Tas) which is: 

  1. a legal guardian of a child and 
  1. another person who has the care, control, or custody of a child and 

another person who generally acts in the place of a parent of a child and has done so for a significant length of time 

Placement 
A Work-based Learning activity where a student is under the supervision of a Primary contact rather than a DECYP employee. This includes a vocational placement, work placement, work experience, or internship. 

Registered Training Organisation (RTO) 
Registered training organisations (RTOs) deliver nationally recognised training in the VET sector. 

Safeguarding Framework 
The Framework describes the department’s approach to safeguarding children and young people from abuse, with particular emphasis on child sexual abuse. 

Supervisor 
The person nominated to undertake direct supervision of a student under a Workplace Agreement. 

Vocational Education and Training (VET)  
The vocational education and training and attainment of associated qualifications or statements of attainment, under level 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 of the Australian Qualifications Framework.   

WbL Placement Agreement 
The mandatory agreement for a student work placement that is completed and approve by the Principal or Assistant Principal, Employer, Student, and Parent/Carer and which ensures that the student is covered by DECYP’s insurance. 

Work-based Learning (WbL) 
Learning that occurs through the participation in, or observation of, stimulated and/or authentic work activities that allows learners to become aware of, explore, and experience the world of work in preparation for their future career. 

On this page
+

  1. Contacts
  2. Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework 
  3. Direct employers of apprentices/trainees 
  4. RTO / GTO
  5. Work-based Learning and vocational placements 
  6. Students and families
  7. Definitions

About us

  1. Alerts and closures
  2. Contacting us
  3. Our department
  4. Careers and employment
  5. News
  6. Events
  7. Our strategies and frameworks
  8. Policies, legislation and data
  9. Working with our Communities
  10. Infrastructure Projects
  11. Our websites
  12. Using this website
  13. For service providers
    1. Partnering with External Organisations
    2. Youth safe workplaces
    3. Strong partnerships with Education and Care providers
    4. Community Language School grants
    5. Communicate with schools – Infostream
    6. Strong Families Safe Kids: Next Steps
    7. Under 16 Lighthouse Project