For National Child Protection Week, we reflect on what safeguarding really asks of us as a daily, deliberate practice.
This National Child Protection Week (6 to 12 September 2026), the national conversation turns on a simple but demanding idea: every conversation matters, and conversations must become action. Coordinated by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, this year’s theme is one we recognise deeply. Protecting children is not the work of specialists alone. It is a shared responsibility, built day by day through the choices we make.
At Mary MacKillop Today, that conviction runs deep. Saint Mary MacKillop opened her first school to children who had been overlooked, insisting that every child deserved dignity, learning and a fair chance. More than 160 years on, we continue in Mary’s footsteps across Australia, Timor-Leste, Fiji and Peru and safeguarding sits at the very heart of that mission.
Turning commitment into practice
On 2 September 2026, we brought that commitment to life once again. We completed the second of two comprehensive safeguarding trainings a program developed by our Director of Programs and reviewed by an external safeguarding consultant to ensure it reflects current best practice. The sessions were attended by our entire Leadership Team, programs team members, our Safeguarding Focal Points and members of our Board of Directors. Together, we worked through how we recognise potential signs of harm, how we respond to and report concerns, and how each of us shares responsibility for the safety of the people we walk alongside.
The involvement of our Board matters. Safeguarding is strongest when leadership models it from the top, rather than delegating it downward. We warmly thank our Board Directors for making the time to take part, and for the thoughtful contributions they brought to the discussion. Their presence sends a clear message across our organisation: keeping people safe begins with those who govern.
From conversation to action
This is where the National Child Protection Week theme resonates most. A safeguarding policy, however carefully written, protects no one on its own. What protects children and adults is what people do and how readily they recognise a concern, how confidently they speak up, and how reliably every report is acted upon.
Our Safeguarding Policy names this directly, through a principle we hold firmly: zero tolerance of inaction. That does not mean we expect zero reports. When people are well informed and trust the process, reports often rise which is a sign that safeguards are working, not failing. Zero tolerance of inaction means that every concern raised is taken seriously and responded to. Training is how we turn that principle from words into instinct.
Held to a standard, and holding ourselves higher
Rigour like this is not optional in our sector, and nor should it be. As a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Mary MacKillop Today works to ACFID’s Code of Conduct, including Commitment 1.4: we advance the safeguarding of children. As a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) accredited agency, our systems are reviewed by the Australian Government, and we also uphold the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.
We are proud, too, that our Safeguarding Policy is published in ACFID’s Good Practice Toolkit as an example for the wider sector. We hold that recognition as encouragement to keep lifting our own standard, not to rest on it. Our policy is reviewed at least once a year, and refreshed whenever legislation, sector standards or our own learnings tell us it should be. Safeguarding is never “finished”.
Importantly, this is not work we do to children, but with them. Our approach makes space for children and young people to be heard and to share feedback about our people and services, to learn about their right to be safe in child-friendly ways, and to help shape the decisions that affect them. Communities are partners in safeguarding, not passive recipients of it.
An invitation this National Child Protection Week
Mary MacKillop wrote of the courage to do what is right, even when it is hard. Safeguarding asks exactly that of us – practically, compassionately and without flinching. It is unglamorous and one of the truest ways we live our purpose, and Rise With Courage: helping people, especially children, to thrive in safety and dignity.
This National Child Protection Week, we invite you to turn conversation into action with us:
- Read our Safeguarding Policy to see how we protect the people at the heart of our work.
- Know how to raise a concern. Anyone can report a safeguarding concern through the channels set out in our policy, and every report is handled with care, confidentiality and respect.
- Partner with us. Your support helps us continue programs that are safe, dignified and led by the communities we walk alongside.
Every conversation matters. Together, we can ensure it leads to action.
