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Safeguarding at YWCA Canberra

At YWCA Canberra Children’s Services, ensuring the safety of children and young people is of paramount importance and core to our mission. Read more to learn about how we create safe learning environments where every child feels confident, secure, and empowered.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

From our Board to our Educators, we’re committed to creating safe, inclusive spaces where children, young people, and vulnerable adults feel protected, respected, and empowered. YWCA Canberra has a zero tolerance of abuse, harm or exploitation. We embed safeguarding into daily practice, respond to concerns with care and accountability, promote rights, dignity, and wellbeing, and deliver trauma-informed, culturally safe services.

Together, we’re building a community where everyone feels safe and heard.

What we do to keep your child safe

From our Board to our Educators, we’re committed to creating safe, inclusive spaces where children, young people, and vulnerable adults feel protected, respected, and empowered. YWCA Canberra has a zero tolerance of abuse, harm or exploitation. We embed safeguarding into daily practice, respond to concerns with care and accountability, promote rights, dignity, and wellbeing, and deliver trauma-informed, culturally safe services.

Together, we stand firm in our dedication to protecting, supporting, and empowering every child. Safeguarding is not just what we do; it is who we are as an organisation. Want to know more about our safeguarding practices?  Get in touch – we’re here to help.

Together, we ensure that safeguarding is not just a policy – it’s a shared responsibility and a core part of how we strengthen communities.

Safeguarding refers to the proactive measures we take to protect children, young people, and vulnerable adults from harm, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. It’s about creating environments—physical, emotional, and digital—where they feel safe, respected, and empowered.

Safeguarding is a shared responsibility. Families, carers, and community members play a vital role in helping children feel safe and supported. When we all understand what safeguarding means, we can work together to build environments where children thrive.

YWCA Canberra has a dedicated Safeguarding Coordinator responsible for leading and overseeing the integration of child-safe practices across the organisation.  This role also includes conducting investigations into any concerns raised regarding an employee’s interaction with a child.

If you have safeguarding concerns, please speak to the Service Manager, a Director, or the Safeguarding Coordinator on 0427 724 188.

YWCA Canberra has a robust recruitment and onboarding process, including police checks, Working with Vulnerable People checks, Working with Children Checks, and mandatory child protection training. 

We ensure that all employees complete a thorough onboarding and induction process with a strong focus on safeguarding principles.

Our Educators are qualified, experienced and passionate and we invest in their ongoing professional development.

YWCA Canberra is committed to continuous learning and development in child safety.  As part of this commitment, staff participate in comprehensive training that explores the Child Safe Code of Conduct.

This training equips staff with essential child safe skills, including identifying inappropriate interactions and breaches of professional boundaries, understanding child safe reporting processes and expectations, supporting children during disclosures of abuse, and fulfilling mandatory reporting responsibilities.

Building consistent, respectful, and trusting relationships that promote listening to children.

Support children to explore and research in safe and supported learning environments.

Recognising and respecting the uniqueness of every child and family, while ensuring everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Providing opportunities for children to develop emotional and physical safety.

Demonstrating honesty, kindness, and accountability in every interaction and relationship with children.

YWCA Canberra does not employ agency staff in our Early Childhood Services or School Age Care programs. Our team consists of dedicated employees who are deeply committed to the children and families we serve. 

For over four years, YWCA Canberra has enforced a strict ban on personal phones and devices across all our early learning sites. All devices onsite are owned and operated by YWCA Canberra for work purposes only. 

Other resources

National Principles for Child-Safe Organisations
UN Convention on the Rights of Child (CRC)
ACT Children's Services Standards
Speak Up and Tell Poster

Chiara Will

Chiara Will is the Director of School Age Care at YWCA Canberra, bringing over 13 years of experience across the early learning and school age care settings. Throughout her career, she has been committed to creating high-quality programs that support children to feel safe, connected, and confident as they learn, play, and grow.

Passionate about child safety and wellbeing, Chiara believes every child has the right to experience environments that are nurturing, inclusive, and responsive to their individual needs. She is a strong advocate for continuity in children’s learning and development, recognising the importance of meaningful partnerships between families, schools, educators, and the broader community in supporting positive outcomes for children.

Chiara is equally passionate about developing and empowering educators. She is committed to mentoring teams, fostering reflective practice, and supporting ongoing professional growth to build confident and capable educators who can make a lasting difference in children’s lives.

Shane McAlpine

Shane is Director of Children’s Services (ECEC) at YWCA Canberra, overseeing eight early learning services with 24 years of experience in the early childhood sector. He brings an extensive understanding of education and care, current practices, and regulatory requirements, with a robust approach to developing high-quality practitioners. 

Shane supports the day-to-day operation of educational practices and curriculum across all our early learning centres, with quality and pedagogical practice at the forefront. He plays a critical role in providing escalation support and mentorship to centre directors and educators alike. 

His professional passions include children’s rights, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and teaching perspectives, and advocacy for the early childhood profession. He is an active representative on the ACT committee of Early Childhood Australia. 

As a father of two children who have experienced the early years system firsthand, Shane brings a deeply personal understanding of the challenges families face in balancing work and parenting. This perspective shapes his inclusive, stakeholder-centred approach to service delivery across every centre he works with. 

Katherine Hellwig

Katherine is the Executive Director of Children’s Services at YWCA Canberra, bringing over 23 years of extensive experience in delivering education and care in ACT and the surrounding areas of the city. Her career spans both not-for-profit and commercial providers, highlighting her versatile and adaptable nature. 

For over 11 years, Katherine has held an executive role within a not-for-profit organisation that experienced significant growth in its early education and care portfolio. Her responsibilities included managing programs and initiatives that fostered engagement within the local community. 

Katherine began her career as an educator, and this hands-on experience has given her a profound understanding of the critical role educators play in the lives of children and families. Her qualifications include an Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services, an Undergraduate Certificate in Service Management, and a Diploma of Leadership and Management. In 2018, Katherine was honoured with the Community for Children’s Award by the ACT Children’s Week Committee, recognising her dedication and impact on the community.  

Katherine is driven by a strong pedagogical belief that all children have the right to access quality early learning in their first five years of life. She focuses on delivering high-quality education and care in both early education and after school care programs, ensuring children receive the best start in life.  

Frances Crimmins

Frances Crimmins is the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Canberra and has led the organisation since 2013, driving significant growth, high-quality integrated service delivery, and stronger corporate efficiency. Under her leadership, the non-profit organisation has become a courageous community advocate, ensuring the needs of vulnerable communities are seen, heard, and addressed locally and nationally. 

Frances brings a diverse background spanning the private and not-for-profit sectors across business, hospitality, healthcare, and community services. She remains a passionate advocate for policy initiatives addressing the root causes of women’s housing insecurity, homelessness, gender inequality, and gender-based violence. 

Frances also currently serves as Chair of Homelessness Australia and sits on the ACT Work Health Safety Advisory Council. Her former board roles include ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS), WESNET, the ACT Ministerial Advisory Committee for Women, and Co-Chair of Anti-Poverty Week in the ACT. 

Her leadership has been recognised with an Edna Ryan Award (2015), ACT Leader of the Year at the Australian Leadership Excellence Awards (2016), and selection into the inaugural Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) program (2021). Frances regularly represents YWCA Canberra at the United Nations Commission for the Status of Women in New York. 

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