The League seeks your assistance to check and improve its child protection practices.

The Council of the League (COL), in 2018 placed the prioritisation of child safety above all other matters, in the operations of the League, so I am pleased to announce the launch, in conjunction with “Bravehearts”, of the 2021 AAL Child Protection Initiative.

Bravehearts is an organisation known Australia wide and is engaged by entities like the AAL for their extensive expertise in the area of Child Safety Protection.

This initiative comprises a number of steps which will lead to a full audit of the League’s current child protection policies, perceptions and actions, and a plan to update any aspects of the organisation which will (under our obligations going forward) need improvement and enhancement.

Other outcomes include an online course for all members, first contemplated in 2018, (on which they will need to initially complete and refresh on a regular basis) and an online course for Officers Commanding Units which is now considered by the AAL to be mandatory.
Part of the preliminary work will involve an effort to map the opinions of members (on the way they perceive things happen in the League) against the perceptions of the COL and the agreed requirements for this type of organisation. All members can, and are strongly encouraged to, have direct input into this process.

I therefore invite you to participate in this effort by responding to the survey which you will receive on Thursday 28 January. The results will go directly to Bravehearts and any identifying data for responses will be removed.

There will only be a couple of weeks for you to respond and Bravehearts advise that the higher the response rate (target 80%), the better the outcome, so the efficacy of the survey is mission critical to the AAL.

So, I strongly urge you to participate with sincere responses at your very earliest convenience. In this way you will be making your contribution to the betterment of the League, especially in the area of child safety.

Any queries on this initiative may be directed to me, your Group Executive Commissioner or the Project Director at immpast.chiefcomr@airleague.com.au .

I thank you in anticipation of your action to assist in making the League even safer for our Cadets.

Yours Sincerely,

Ray King
Acting Chief Commissioner
24th January 2021