Mable believes in the right of all its platform users, especially children, to feel and to be safe while accessing services through the Mable platform. This includes children who are present during support sessions booked via the Mable platform. It is committed to the promotion and protection of the health, safety and wellbeing of all children. It operates on the basis of zero tolerance for all forms of violence towards, exploitation or abuse of, or harm to, children.
Mable Support Providers are required to acknowledge and understand their responsibilities as outlined in the Mable Incidents and Complaints Management Policy and the Mable Codes of Conduct before providing services via the Mable platform. All allegations of child abuse will be treated seriously in accordance with Mable’s policies and procedures. If a Support Provider, or any person using the Mable platform, believes a child is at immediate risk of abuse or harm, they must contact the appropriate authorities immediately as well as notify the Mable Trust and Safety team. The safety, welfare and best interests of the child must always be paramount.
This Policy applies to all users providing or receiving services via the Mable platform. It must be read in conjunction with other relevant Mable policies, including the Mable Codes of Conduct and Incidents and Complaints Management Policy.
This Policy applies to all services provided through the Mable platform at all times. It covers all interactions with children and young people, including: physical and face to face contact; all written and verbal communications (including the “chat” function of the Mable platform); and contact by email, social media or any other electronic means.
‘Child/children’ means a child or young person who is under 18 years of age, unless otherwise defined by law.
‘Child abuse or harm’ means conduct towards, against, with or in the presence of a child, or threatening to engage in such conduct, which includes:
‘Child Safety’ means matters related to protecting all children from child abuse, managing the risk of child abuse, providing support to a child at risk of child abuse, and responding to suspicions, incidents, disclosures or allegations of child abuse.
‘Client’ means a person accessing and/or receiving services via the Mable Platform.
‘Mable Employee’ means any person directly employed by Mable Technologies Pty Ltd.
‘Mable Platform’ means the platform used by Support Providers and Clients to connect.
‘Policy’ means this policy, the Mable Support Provider Child Safety Policy.
‘Support Provider’ means any person providing services or taking payment through the Mable platform, including in the areas of: allied health care, nursing, social support and domestic assistance, and personal care.
‘WWCC’ means the following in each State and Territory:
This Policy aims to equip Support Providers with information to protect children accessing services via the Mable Platform or present during support sessions booked via the Mable platform. It supports the welfare and protection of children by empowering Support Providers and any other adult present during a support session with the knowledge that they should report any and all suspected child abuse or harm to the appropriate authority. It seeks to do this by providing Mable Support Providers with information so that they:
Support Providers must be aware of the steps they can take to ensure the safety and welfare of children. This involves taking steps to eliminate or reduce the risks of child abuse or harm, and extends to identifying signs of abuse or harm where they may be apparent.
Abuse may be physical, emotional, mental or sexual abuse, or neglect. Some signs of possible abuse include:
Mable understands the importance of advising Support Providers about maintaining a safe environment for children and young people at all times. To mitigate or prevent the risk of harm or abuse, Mable requires all Support Providers to comply with all Mable policies and meet their legal obligations as set out by law. Support Providers have an obligation to:
Response and Investigation
Where there are reports of known or suspected abuse and harm, the Mable Trust and Safety Team will provide information to and cooperate with authorities in accordance with the Mable’s Incidents & Complaints Management Policy. Any occasion of a child disclosing an incident of abuse or harm, or risk thereof, should be handled in a manner that is timely, professional and sensitive to the needs of the child.
Support Provider Screening
Mable screens all Support Providers that intend to work with children to verify that they have both a valid Working with Children Check and Police Check before they commence work. Support Providers are unable to commence work on the Mable platform with children until both of these checks have been completed.
Mable Trust and Safety Team
Mable is committed to ensuring that children and young people who access services via the Mable platform are safe from the threat of abuse or harm. In order to keep our community safe and to support compliance with any relevant regulation or guidelines, Mable requires notification of any incident taking place during or in relation to the provision of a service via the platform. This can be done in accordance with Mable’s Incidents and Complaints Management Policy.
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
In addition to this Policy, Support Providers may have a requirement to notify the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission if they become aware of certain reportable incidents. If applicable, incidents must be reported in accordance with the timeframes as set out in the following table.
| NDIS Reportable Incidents | Reporting Timeframe |
| Death of a person with disability | 24 hours |
| Serious injury of a person with disability | 24 hours |
| Abuse or neglect of a person with disability | 24 hours |
| Unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or assault of, a person with disability | 24 hours |
| Sexual misconduct committed against, or in the presence of, a person with disability, including grooming of the person for sexual activity | 24 hours |
| The use of a restrictive practice in relation to a person with disability if the use is not in accordance with a required state or territory authorisation and/or not in accordance with a behaviour support plan | Five business days |
Emergency Authorities
Support Providers are required to take all reasonable steps to maintain a safe environment for children at all times. If a Support Provider, or anyone making use of the Mable platform, suspects that a child may be at imminent risk of harm or abuse, they should immediately contact the relevant authorities (refer below to the authorities in each state and territory and the Mable Trust and Safety Team). In cases of immediate danger to a child, they should call 000 or contact the Police.
Mandatory Reporters
Support Providers who are mandatory reporters must comply with their applicable state or territory requirements for mandatory reporters. For more information on mandatory reporters in each state and territory please refer to this page from the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
State Authorities
If a Support Provider suspects any form of child abuse, they must report it. They should contact the relevant state or territory authority:
Matters of privacy will be governed by the best interests and safety of the child.
Mable protects the identity of the parties involved where practical and appropriate. Personal information will only be used or disclosed in accordance with relevant privacy laws or Mable’s Privacy Policy. There are some limited circumstances where personal information may be disclosed without consent. This may include matters involving allegations of violence, exploitation, neglect, abuse and sexual misconduct, which may be reported to the police and/or external regulators. For further information please refer to Mable’s Privacy Policy.
Support Providers should report any breach or suspected breach of this Policy, or the Support Provider Code of Conduct, to the Mable Trust and Safety Team as soon as possible after becoming aware.
If Mable becomes aware of a known or suspected breach of this Policy, immediate action will be taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of any child who may be at risk as a result of or in relation to the breach.
Any known or suspected breach will be handled by the Mable Trust and Safety Team, in accordance with Mable’s Incidents and Complaints Management Policy. However, Mable may take steps to immediately suspend or terminate a Support Provider from the Mable platform prior to the conclusion of any such inquiry, if considered necessary to ensure the safety of platform users.
Mable will also notify any relevant authorities about reportable incidents or suspicions or allegations of abuse and neglect.
Mable will handle the allegations in a confidential manner to the greatest extent possible.
August 2023
We acknowledge the cultures of our First Nations Peoples and are thankful for the community that we share together now. We pay our respects to our First Nations Peoples and their elders/leaders, both past and present, and those who are rising up to become leaders.
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