Group Visitor Plan

As an IHC Educator, protecting children from harm and hazards is the most important part of your role. You must determine how you will keep the children safe and supervised at all times during a session of education and care. Children are likely to engage informally or socially during outdoor play or excursions, with people who live or work across the broader property or surrounds (e.g. musterers, shearers, ringers, vet staff, donger or staff quarters residents, station staff, seasonal workers, local Indigenous community members).

• Children must remain supervised at all times by the Educator
• Incidental greetings are okay, but not prolonged engagement unless assessed as low risk

• Prior to care commencing
• Updated at seasonal change or major roster/staff change
• Logging of visits is not required
• Plan must be maintained and reviewed quarterly or as needed

While the Educator and child were feeding the poddy calves one afternoon, a seasonal worker approached and offered to give the child a new cap, inviting them to “come grab it from my donger.”

The child had seen and chatted with this particular worker several times over the last few weeks and had even seen their dad sharing a knock-off drink with him after work. The child had become familiar and relaxed enough that they immediately started to follow the worker towards the staff quarters, assuming it was safe.

The Educator acted quickly, stepping in with calm, clear words: “Oops - just a reminder that the children aren’t allowed in the staff quarters, and they can’t be supervised by anyone other than me or a pre-approved family member. You’re welcome to bring the cap out here if you like, though!”

Although the child hadn’t been in immediate danger, the situation raised concerns about over-familiarisation, blurred boundaries, and the very real risk of children becoming too trusting in environments where many adults come and go.

Later that day, the Educator built a gentle safety activity into the learning session. They introduced a “Trusted Tree” activity, inviting the children to help create a big poster covered in branches. On each branch, they glued printed photos of people on the approved visitor list, helping the children recognise who was safe to go with, and who they needed to check with an adult about.

They followed this with a short video about “tricky people”, not scary strangers, but people who might seem friendly and familiar while doing the wrong thing. They talked about how even nice people sometimes ask us to do unsafe things, and that no matter what someone offers, a cap, a lolly, a game - the rule is always the same: “I don’t go anywhere unless my trusted grown-up says it’s okay.”

At the end of the day, the Educator spoke to the family and asked if the seasonal staff could please be reminded of the service’s child safety rules, especially around entering staff areas and interacting with children one-on-one. The Educator also completed a Near Miss Incident Report to document the event and the action taken.

A team of shearers was due to stay on the property for two weeks. One of the older children told their Educator that their mum had said they could help serve dinner to the shearers each night. While this was outside the official education and care session, the Educator immediately thought about what the child might overhear, especially the kind of language that can sometimes fly around after a long, hard day in the sheds.

Rather than ignoring it, the Educator gently spoke with the child about rubbish bin words, the kind we might hear but do not need to repeat. They laughed about how sometimes grown-ups accidentally drop words that belong in the bin, and talked about better choices we can make when little ears are listening.

The Educator also reached out to the mum and asked if it would be okay to add some fun, visible reminders near the kitchen. Together, they came up with signage that was playful and respectful, not to shame anyone, but to keep the space child-safe and mindful. These included:

• “Little Ears, Kind Words Here!”
• “Watch Your Words, The Kids Are Listening”
• “Rubbish Bin Words? Leave Them Outside!”
• “We Use Knock-Off Words After Knock-Off Time”
• “This is a Kind Voices Zone – Let’s Keep it Nice”

It was a small, respectful step, but it showed how thinking ahead, working in partnership with families, and being child-aware even outside of care hours can make a huge difference. With just a few laminated signs, a gentle conversation, and some creativity, the Educator turned a potential risk into an opportunity to build a stronger, safer, and more respectful environment for everyone on the property.

A local Indigenous community of around 500 people regularly connects with the station - often to wait for emergency services, seek refuge, ask for support, or simply check in and say hello. While these visits are usually calm and familiar, there are times when emotions run high, especially if someone is injured, unwell, or in crisis. In those moments, children may be exposed to behaviours or language that are loud, aggressive, or emotionally charged.

One Educator noticed the children becoming unsettled after a particularly intense visit. Instead of avoiding the topic, she decided to use the next day’s learning session to create a safety-focused routine the children could practise regularly. They made up a “safe space” song together, learned how to check the front door was locked, and role-played what to do if someone knocked and the Educator wasn’t right there, including how to say “I’m going to get my grown-up now” and walk away calmly.

They also read picture books about emotions and made drawings about “what safe feels like,” which gave the children a chance to ask questions and feel more in control. The Educator finished the week by creating a visual reminder near the front door, a laminated stop sign and a “Visitors need a grown-up” poster, to reinforce the message that, even if we know the people, it’s never okay to let someone into the house without checking first.