Duty of care and school community work
Schools have a general duty of care to take reasonable steps to protect their students from any reasonably foreseeable injury. This duty extends beyond school grounds to include school-approved activities such as school community work. In order to fulfil their duty of care in these circumstances, schools should address all the matters in sections one to 10 outlined below to reduce the risk of injury to students.
The principal is responsible for managing the risks of school community work. Schools must take all reasonable steps to ensure that volunteer student workers are safe when participating in with host organisations.
For more information on risk management, see Risk Management in Schools.
Guidance chapter explaining duty of care obligations in relation to students doing school community work
Reviewed 27 May 2020