Everyone’s Driving School
Child Safe Policy

1. Legislative Framework and Child Safe Standards

Everyone’s Driving School provides driving instruction to children and young people under the age of 18 and is therefore required to comply with the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (Qld), the Queensland Child Safe Standards, and the Universal Principle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety.

The 10 Queensland Child Safe Standards are:

1. Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.

2. Children and young people are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

3. Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

4. Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.

5. People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

6. Processes to respond to complaints and concerns are child focused.

7. Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.

8. Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.

9. Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.

10. Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.

Everyone’s Driving School recognises the Universal Principle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety and is committed to providing an environment that promotes and upholds the right to cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

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2. Child Safety Policy

Everyone’s Driving School is committed to providing a safe, respectful and supportive environment for all students, including children and young people under the age of 18. The business does not tolerate child abuse, harm, exploitation or inappropriate conduct.

Driving instruction involves one-on-one interaction between an instructor and a student, often in a vehicle and outside a traditional classroom environment. For that reason, our business maintains clear professional boundaries, structured booking systems, supervision controls, and documented procedures to minimise risk and support student wellbeing.

This framework applies to all instructors, contractors and any person engaged by the business who may work with, instruct or communicate with students under the age of 18.

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3. Recruitment, Screening and Suitability

All instructors and any person delivering services to students under the age of 18 must be assessed as suitable to work with children. Screening and suitability checks form part of the business’s recruitment and engagement process.

Where required by law, instructors must hold a valid Working with Children Check (Blue Card) before providing services to children or young people. The business also records identification checks, relevant qualifications, instructor accreditation details, driver licence verification, and any declarations relating to criminal history or investigations that may affect suitability.

No instructor may deliver services to children where required screening has not been completed, has expired, or has become invalid. Where a person becomes ineligible, the business will immediately remove that person from duties involving children and young people.

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4. Instructor Code of Conduct

All instructors are required to maintain clear and appropriate professional boundaries at all times. Lessons must remain focused on driving instruction and interactions with students must be appropriate to a professional learning environment.

Instructors must not form personal or intimate relationships with students, engage in sexualised, secretive or inappropriate conversations, seek emotional dependency, offer special treatment, or initiate contact with students outside approved business systems.

Communication with students must occur through approved business channels, including the booking system, business phone or business email. Personal social media contact is not permitted. Where appropriate, and particularly for students under 18, communication may include a parent or guardian.

Any concern relating to conduct, safety, wellbeing, boundaries or possible harm must be reported to the business as soon as practicable.

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5. Child Safety Procedures

All lessons must be pre-booked and recorded through the business’s booking system. Lesson records must include the instructor, date, time, duration, and agreed pick-up or meeting arrangement.

For students under the age of 18, parent or guardian contact details must be recorded. The business will take reasonable steps to ensure that a parent or guardian is aware of lesson arrangements and can contact the business if needed.

Lessons are to be conducted in a manner that is structured, appropriate and consistent with the purpose of driving instruction. Unscheduled lessons, undocumented lesson changes, or informal off-system arrangements are not permitted.

If an instructor becomes aware of a safety concern during a lesson, the instructor must take reasonable steps to protect the immediate safety of the student, modify or end the lesson if required, and report the matter promptly to the business.

If a student discloses harm, the instructor must remain calm, listen without judgement, avoid asking leading questions, avoid promising confidentiality, and record factual details as soon as possible after the conversation. The matter must then be reported to the business immediately for assessment and, where necessary, escalation.

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6. Incident and Complaint Handling Procedure

Everyone’s Driving School maintains child-focused processes for responding to complaints, concerns, disclosures and incidents. Students, parents, guardians and instructors may raise concerns by phone, email or direct contact with the business.

The business will acknowledge a complaint or concern within 48 hours where practicable, complete an initial assessment within 3 business days, and provide an outcome or update within 10 business days unless the matter requires external investigation or urgent escalation.

The business will respond in a calm, respectful and supportive manner, document relevant information, and take appropriate action based on the seriousness of the issue. This may include changing lesson arrangements, removing an instructor from duties, conducting further investigation, or referring the matter to relevant authorities.

A child or young person may raise a concern directly or with support from a parent, guardian or trusted person. The business will seek to minimise distress, avoid unnecessary repetition of the concern, and maintain confidentiality to the extent possible while meeting legal and safety obligations.

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7. Operational Controls

Because driving lessons are conducted one-on-one and in a mobile environment, the business uses specific controls to manage risk. All lessons must be booked in advance. Lesson duration must match booking records. Pick-up and drop-off arrangements must be appropriate, safe and agreed in advance.

Changes to lesson time, location, instructor or vehicle must be managed through the business and recorded. Instructors are not to make private or undocumented arrangements directly with students.

Communication records must remain traceable. Instructors must not use disappearing-message functions, delete relevant business communications, or move communication to personal or unapproved platforms.

Instructors must not give gifts, provide special treatment, or create situations that could reasonably be interpreted as favouritism, grooming or a boundary breach.

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8. Training and Competency Framework

All instructors must complete child safety induction before delivering lessons to students under 18. Training is intended to ensure instructors understand the legal framework, business procedures, professional boundaries, and reporting expectations.

Mandatory training includes: an overview of the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (Qld); the 10 Queensland Child Safe Standards; recognising indicators of harm; responding to disclosures; complaint and incident reporting; professional boundaries; communication rules; cultural safety obligations; and the specific risks associated with one-on-one driving instruction.

Refresher training must be completed annually, and additional training must be provided when policies, procedures or legal requirements change. The business will maintain a record of induction, refresher training, dates of completion, delivery method, and verification.

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9. Training Register

The training register is to be used to record the specific child safety training completed by each instructor.

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10. Instructor Screening and Blue Card Register

The Instructor Screening and Blue Card Register is to be used to record screening and suitability information relevant to instructors or other workers who may have contact with students under 18.

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11. Risk Management Register

The business will review and update a risk register periodically, and after any significant incident, complaint or operational change.

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12. Incident Report Form – (

The Incident Report Form will be completed as soon as practicable after any child safety concern, complaint, disclosure, boundary issue or other incident.

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13. Child and Parent Information Statement

Everyone’s Driving School is committed to child safety. Students and families are entitled to raise concerns about safety, conduct or wellbeing at any time. Concerns can be raised directly with the business by phone or email.

Students under the age of 18 and their parents or guardians will be provided with clear information about who to contact if something does not feel right, how concerns will be handled, and what steps the business will take to respond.

The business will take all concerns seriously and will respond respectfully, promptly and appropriately.

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14. Annual Review and Self-Assessment Checklist

This checklist should be completed at least annually, and also after any major incident, complaint, legislative change or material change to business operations.

• All instructors and relevant workers have current screening and suitability checks in place.

• Blue Card details, expiry dates and verification records have been reviewed and updated.

• All instructors have completed required child safety induction and annual refresher training.

• Training records identify the specific modules completed, dates, method and verifier.

• The Child Safety Policy, Code of Conduct and Procedures remain current and reflect how the business operates.

• Complaint and incident handling processes remain child focused and are understood by relevant workers.

• Incident reports and complaint records from the review period have been examined for trends, gaps or risks.

• Operational controls relating to one-on-one lessons, locations, lesson changes and communication remain appropriate.

• Parents and students have access to clear information about how to raise concerns.

• The risk management register has been reviewed and updated.

• Cultural safety considerations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have been considered in policy and practice.

• Any corrective actions identified during the review have been assigned, documented and followed up.​​​​​​​​​​​

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