| Date | 18 March 2026 |
| Time | 12.00pm-3.00pm AEST (Bris time) |
| Venue | Live Online & Recorded Recording Access Expires 18 April 2026 |
| Pricing | $295 Price includes GST. |
| CPD | Addresses 7.2 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers |
Register
Program
12.00 LawSense Welcome
12.05 Chairperson’s Remarks
Craig Merritt, Principal, John Paul College
12.10 Effectively Implementing the New Child Safe Standards, Including Management of Online Safety, and Implementing Optimum Policy Updates to Ensure Compliance
- Examining the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 and what is new for schools with the Child Safe Standards:
- safety is built into leadership and culture
- Universal Principle – cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children integrated across all standards
- children’s voices are heard; families and communities engaged
- staff recruitment and training
- safe physical and online environments
- robust complaints and risk-management procedures
- continuous review/improvement
- Examining key implications for schools in practice:
- governance and leadership accountability
- risk-management and safer environments – physical and online
- child and community voice, inclusion and cultural safety
- mechanisms for complaints, disclosures, harm detection and response
- training, screening and ongoing awareness – staff, contractors, volunteers
- continuous review and improvement
- Examining key changes to implement in affected policies:
- child safety and wellbeing policy,
- behaviour management policies, including peer on peer harmful sexualised behaviors and violence
- inclusion, cultural safety
- online safety, physical environment, supervision policies
- staff and volunteer codes of conduct
- complaints handling policies
Megan Kavanagh, Partner, Colin Biggers & Paisley Lawyers
Jay Keenan, Solicitor, Colin Biggers & Paisley Lawyers
1.25 Break
1.40 New QLD Reportable Conduct Scheme: Navigating Grey Areas, Managing Obligations to Accused Staff, Optimising Investigations and Implementing Best Practice Policies
Overview of Obligations
- Outlining obligations regarding reportable conduct and investigations in QLD schools
- Understanding the applicable standard of proof required regarding allegations
- Understanding grey areas in applying obligations including:
- significant emotional or psychological harm
- significant neglect
- evaluating borderline conduct and investigating internally
- enquiries, preliminary investigations to determine whether a matter is reportable
- requirements to report conduct that did not occur in the workplace, or is outside employment hours
- dealing with former workers or retrospective allegations
Interaction with Other Obligations
- Examining how reportable conduct obligations interact with other obligations, including where there are historical claims, duty of care, and other parallel reporting requirements involving other regulators/agencies
Expectations and Involvement of Regulators
- Understanding current expectations and role, in practice of the Queensland regulators
Obligations to and Impacts on Staff
- Examining your obligation in practice to the staff member, including:
- obligations of procedural fairness
- standing down the staff member
- the extent to which the staff member should be informed of details of the investigations
- the extent to which you can inform other staff about the allegations and investigation
- appeals/reviews – understanding what recourse accused staff have if they dispute findings
Framing Allegations and Investigations
- Framing allegations to meet obligations, including to the staff member, and to optimise the investigation
- Examining best practice reportable conduct investigations, including investigation planning, discussions with staff and interviewing, gathering other evidence, and assessment and balancing of the evidence
Note-Taking and Record-Keeping
- Ensuring you properly document processes and decisions, interviews/discussions and other aspects to fulfil obligation and preserve your legal position
Learnings from Case Studies /Experiences in Other States
- Learnings from school experiences and implementing best practice
Implementing Best Practice Policies
- Exploring and implementing best practice policies to meet obligations and optimise reportable conduct investigation and reporting processes
Ben Tallboys, Principal, Russell Kennedy; Legal Counsel, Association of Heads of Independent Schools Australia
2.55 Closing Remarks
3.00 Event Close
Presenters / panelists include:
 | As part of her education and health care practice Megan Kavanagh provides operational advice regarding child protection, responding to third party court matters, dealing with and responding to parent/client and community complaints. Megan drafts policy and procedure to assist her clients to respond to these matters. |
 | Ben Tallboys provides sector-specific, practical legal solutions to schools across Australia. Ben is a passionate and effective advocate for principals dealing with complex matters relating to parents, staff and students, as well as their own employment. |