Safeguarding Children

We take our responsibility for keeping children and young people safe very seriously.

At the Y we believe in the power of inspired young people. For young people to be inspired, we know they need to feel safe and be safe. That is why the Y is independently reviewed by the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) to ensure our services are safe for all children and young people.

The ACF ‘Independently Reviewed’ stamp is a sign of assurance that the Y is a safe place for your children and young people.

On this page, you will find links to our policies, staff/volunteer code of conduct, and parent/carer information brochure.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding Children and Young People.

Y Australia is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable people as a priority. We have extensive Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy and Procedures which help us to continually embed a safe culture.

“Y Australia is dedicated to empowering children and young people to feel safe and be safe at the Y, in their homes and in their communities. Our Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, serves as our commitment to achieving this goal and provides insight into how we can and will do this."

We encourage you to reach out to the Y Queensland Safeguarding team if you have any safeguarding concerns at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The 'Stay Safe, Tell Someone' program is specifically designed for children, young people, and adults, this program encourages everyone to #TellSomeone if they see, hear or feel something that makes them feel worried or unsafe to speak up and tell someone.

The Y Queensland recognises that all children and young people have the right to develop and reach their potential in environments that are caring, supportive and safe.

The Y Queensland considers any form of child/young person abuse, neglect or harm as inexcusable under any circumstances and that the protection, supervision and safety of children and young people is the forefront of our practices.

Feel Safe, Be Safe at the Y

We have established Y Safeguarding to drive our collective national approach to safeguarding Children and Young People and have developed our own Feel Safe, Be Safe Framework which aspires to ensure that all Children and Young People are safe and feel safe at the Y, in their Families and in their Communities. Our Feel Safe, Be Safe Framework aims to develop:

A safe culture nationally which empowers Children and Young People by promoting Children and Young Person focused leadership and governance;
Safe environments at the Y and in Communities which empower Children and Young People to thrive; and
Safe operations to ensure Y People have the right policies, processes and practices to keep Children and Young People safe.

Policy Downloads

Useful Links

Report A Safeguarding Concern

We encourage parents/guardians to report any concerns relating to the safety or wellbeing of their own or other child(ren) or young person in a YMCA facility. This can be done:

by speaking to our staff in person; or
by contacting the YMCA’s Child Protection Team on 07 3253 1700 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or
by writing to the YMCA Child Protection Team - PO Box 669, Spring Hill Qld 4004.

Safeguarding Children and Young People Framework

The YMCA has a culture of awareness and vigilance supported by:

Staff and volunteer screening, training and code of conduct
Clear documented policies and procedures
Incident reporting, management and analysis
A focus on staff and volunteers documenting any concerns they may have
A culture of ‘if you see something … say something’
A consideration of facility design

Local Safeguarding team + National Safeguarding Unit

Child protection is embedded into the YMCA both on a local and national level. YMCA Queensland has its own dedicated safeguarding team, and on a larger scale the Y founded the YMCA National Safeguarding Unit – a body which ensures the highest standards of safeguarding practices, policies and procedures are in place across Australia.

The Y is also independently reviewed by the Australian Childhood Foundation.