Staff Responsibilities

Officers of Cadets (OOC) and Instructors of Cadets (IOC) Rights

OOC and IOC have the right to:

Ongoing training and information on all aspects of child protection
Access to support agencies
Fair and equitable treatment from the AAFC
Be protected from abuse by cadets
Be protected from abuse by other adult supervisors and parents
Have any complaint of unacceptable behaviour actioned swiftly, sensitively and confidentially.

OOC and IOC are responsible for:

Working as a team to ensure the safety of cadets in their care
Using appropriate youth behaviour management
Believing and responding to cadet members’ statements concerning alleged abuse
Ensuring the rights and responsibilities of cadets are enforced
Reporting suspicions of child abuse to the Air Force Liaison Officer (AFLO) or their delegates
Trying to prevent abuse of cadets physically, emotionally or sexually
Only disclosing sensitive information to appropriate authorities and/or designated internal personnel, on a ‘need to know’ basis.

The AAFC has the right to:

Expect all OOC, IOC and adults who become involved with the AAFC to comply with policies
Expect all adult supervisors and cadets to keep within the bounds of general community standards of reasonable behaviour
Take appropriate action if members contravene its policies
Expect that its members will not harass other members physically, emotionally or sexually
Take appropriate action in the event of malicious accusations
Acquire Police checks with regards to convictions in relevant areas.

The AAFC is responsible for:

Providing maximum safety to its members
Widely promoting this policy to members and parents
Continuing to develop policy and training to reduce and eliminate the likelihood of harassment occurring
Encourage open discussion of child protection issues
Providing support to members who report suspicions of child abuse
Providing appropriate referrals for members who report suspicions of child abuse
Treating information of suspected child abuse with confidentiality and disclosing information only to those who need to know
Taking appropriate action if any member of the ADFC or ADF involved in AAFC activities, contravenes who needs to know
Making every effort to identify potential abusers via Police checks and interviews
Assisting cadets, OOC and IOC to resolve any complaint of unacceptable behaviour and supporting them during the process