Listen Up: A Guide to Supporting Children’s Voices and Strengthening Your Organisational Culture
By Kim Porter
Beyond Compliance: A New Framework for Child-Safe Cultures
We often hear about the need to shift organisational culture, especially in sectors dedicated to protecting children. But what does that really mean in practice? It’s more than just updating policies or running a yearly training session. True cultural change is deep, intentional, and woven into the very fabric of an organisation. It’s about moving from a reactive, compliance-focused model to one that is proactively safe, preventative, and genuinely child-centred.
My work in investigations and capability building has shown me that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for creating a safe culture. However, a useful framework for guiding this transformation is to consider three interconnected elements: Mindset, Skillset, and Toolset. This approach, inspired by thought leaders like Gary A. Bolles, provides a clear path for organisations to assess where they are and where they need to go. Let's explore how this framework can revolutionise safety, using the child care sector as a prime example.
The Three Pillars of a Child-Safe Culture
A truly preventative culture is built on these three pillars working in harmony. If one is missing, the entire structure is weakened. You can have the best tools in the world, but without the right mindset, they become a box-ticking exercise. You can have a passionate mindset, but without the right skills, good intentions can fall short.
1. Mindset: The "Why" Behind Our Actions
Mindset is the foundation. It’s the shared beliefs, values, and attitudes that define your organisation’s culture. It’s the collective understanding that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, not just the job of a designated officer. A powerful mindset shift involves moving from a culture of fear (of getting it wrong) to a culture of curiosity and courage (to get it right).
In a child care setting, this means every educator, administrator, and volunteer believes that children are competent communicators and that their voices matter. It’s an unwavering commitment to seeing the world from a child’s perspective and prioritising their emotional and physical safety above all else.
Example: Hearing the Voice of the Child
A common challenge is figuring out how to genuinely listen to children, especially those who are pre-verbal.
Wrong Mindset: "Children this young can't tell us what's wrong. We just have to watch for obvious signs of distress." This is a passive and limited approach.
Right Mindset: "Every child communicates, even if it’s not with words. Our job is to be curious and skilled observers of their behaviour, play, and interactions to understand their experience." This proactive mindset opens the door for meaningful connection and insight.
2. Skillset: The "How" of Our Actions
Once the mindset is in place, your team needs the practical skills to bring those beliefs to life. Skillset refers to the specific abilities and competencies required to create and maintain a safe environment. These are tangible, teachable skills that empower your staff to act confidently and appropriately.
These skills go beyond basic mandatory reporting. They include active listening, observational awareness, trauma-informed communication, and de-escalation techniques. It's about equipping your team with the "how-to" for navigating complex and sensitive situations.
Example: Hearing the Voice of the Child
Building on the right mindset, a child care centre would invest in developing specific skills:
Observational Skills: Training educators to interpret changes in a child’s play, drawings, or social interactions as potential communication. Is a child who used to be social suddenly playing alone? Is their imaginative play showing themes of fear or aggression?
Trauma-Informed Interaction: Teaching staff how to create a calm and predictable environment, how to respond to challenging behaviours with empathy, and how to build trusting relationships that make children feel safe enough to express themselves.
Engagement Techniques: Using tools like puppets, storyboards, or drawing to help children express feelings and experiences they may not have the words for.
3. Toolset: The "What" We Use to Support Our Actions
Toolset refers to the resources, processes, and systems that support the desired mindset and skillset. Tools are the practical infrastructure that makes your safeguarding culture tangible, consistent, and accountable. They should be designed to support people, not replace their critical judgement.
In a child care centre, tools are not just policy documents sitting on a shelf. They are living resources that are used daily to guide practice and promote safety.
Example: Hearing the Voice of the Child
To support the mindset and skillset for listening to children, a centre might implement the following tools:
"All About Me" Journals: A simple log where educators can note a child’s daily mood, interests, and interactions. This tool helps track patterns over time and can be shared with parents to build a holistic view of the child.
Child-Friendly Feedback Systems: A "feelings wall" with different emoji faces where children can place their photo to show how they are feeling, or a "wishes and worries" box where older children can post notes.
Structured Observation Checklists: A simple checklist that prompts educators to reflect on specific things during playtime, such as: Who is the child playing with? What is the nature of the play? What emotions are being displayed? This transforms passive supervision into active observation.
An Organisational Checklist for Cultural Change
How does your organisation stack up? Use this checklist to reflect on your current practices and identify areas for development across the three pillars.
Mindset: Our Core Beliefs
Do our leaders consistently model and communicate that child safety is our highest priority?
Is there a shared belief that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, from the board to volunteers?
Do we foster a culture of curiosity, where staff feel safe to ask questions and raise concerns without fear of blame?
Do we genuinely believe that children are reliable sources of information about their own lives and experiences?
Is our focus on "doing what's right" rather than just "staying out of trouble"?
Skillset: Our Team's Capabilities
Are staff trained to recognise and respond to the subtle behavioural indicators of abuse or distress?
Does our training include practical, trauma-informed communication and de-escalation techniques?
Are managers equipped with the skills to have sensitive conversations with staff, parents, and children?
Do we practise and rehearse our response to different safeguarding scenarios?
Are staff skilled in using creative methods (play, art) to communicate with and understand children?
Toolset: Our Supporting Systems
Are our policies and procedures written in plain language, easy to access, and regularly reviewed with staff?
Do we have clear, simple, and multiple pathways for children and staff to report concerns?
Do our incident reporting systems help us learn and prevent future harm, rather than just assign blame?
Do we use supervision and team meetings as a tool for reflective practice on safeguarding issues?
Are our physical spaces designed to maximise visibility and minimise risks, creating a safe environment for all?
Shifting an organisation's culture is a journey, not a destination. By using the Mindset, Skillset, and Toolset framework, you can move beyond a compliance-driven checklist and build a living, breathing culture of safety where children are not only protected but are also empowered to thrive.
Download the Companion Guide
If you want to explore these ideas in more detail and strengthen the way your organisation listens to children, Kooyoora has created a practical resource to support you. Listen Up: A Guide to Supporting Children’s Voices and Strengthening Your Organisational Culture is available for download and includes step-by-step strategies, conversation tools, observation methods, and improvement checklists. It’s designed to help you turn this framework into daily practice. It’s available as a downloadable resource below.
Related Articles
The Voice of the Child: How Listening to Children Is Essential in Safeguarding
Beyond Compliance in Safeguarding: Lessons from the Childcare Sector for Every Organisation
Other Safeguarding Resources
Kooyoora’s Abuse Prevention Through Culture Change Framework helps organisations safeguard against abuse, harassment and misconduct. Informed by research (literature review), lived experience, and sector expertise, the framework offers practical tools to reflect on organisational culture and strengthen safeguarding practices.