Matt's experience on safety reporting

Queensland Ambulance Service announced its support for Queensland Health’s commitment to become a Child Safe Organisation in July this year and as a result, has developed a series of processes to ensure we protect the state’s most vulnerable people – children and young people with a disability.

The Medical Circular outlines how it’s now mandatory for all adults in Queensland to take positive and proactive steps to protect children under 16 years and people with an impairment of the mind, from sexual and physical abuse, including neglect, and harm.

Our child protection policy statement was developed in line with the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Principals for Child Safe Organisations, and collectively, these principles provide guidance for our staff and volunteers to create a culture promoting the wellbeing of children and proactively adopts and implements harm prevention strategies.

QAS Paramedic Matt Bidgood is a Springfield-based ACP who has had a couple of cases which have stayed with him.

While neither case was a child safety sexual offence concern, Matt was certainly worried about the overall health and wellbeing and safety of his patients, noticing some potential signs of neglect and inadequate care.

As members of the community, and as QAS employees and volunteers, regardless of role, we all have a legal duty to protect children from abuse, and this includes if there is a reasonable belief someone may be at risk of sexual abuse.

For more information about our Child Protection policy, how to report and who to contact, see our Child Protection Framework on our Portal. For Clinicians, please refer to the CPG for Suspected Abuse.

Click here [ https://bit.ly/3W4t89W ] or scan the QR code on the right to listen to the discussion which includes an introduction from QAS’s Mental Health Response Program Director Sandra Garner.