The RDWA provides the workforce to enhance the health and wellbeing of rural communities in South Australia (SA).

The RDWA believes that:

• Sustainable rural communities need sustainable rural health services
• Every person living in rural and remote SA has a right to have access to a general practitioner (GP)
• GPs are the cornerstone of rural health services in SA
• It is crucial that the GP workforce is capable, competent and confident
• Excellent primary health service needs a workforce of doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals working together

The RDWA is an organisation that:

• Acts with transparency and integrity
• Makes decisions in a timely and fair way
• Forms partnerships to enrich and improve rural health services
• Responds to the individual needs of its constituents as well as corporate and community needs
• Fosters innovation in rural health services

RDWA’s Strategic Direction for 2023-2026 provides a comprehensive overview of the organisation.

If you have an issue you would like to discuss, please contact us anytime.

Children and Young People’s Safety Statement

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency (RDWA) provides a range of services and programs to children (people under the age of 18 years) which include medical services, outreach health services and programs that support young people to consider careers in medicine and health.

RDWA recognises children and young people have the right to feel safe and protected when accessing RDWA’s services, be safe from harm at all times, be informed about and actively participate decisions that affect them, and to have their views and concerns listened to and responded to in accordance with child safe organisation principles.

RDWA is committed to child safe environments for all children and young people who use RDWA’s services and programs. This is achieved through establishing and promoting an organisational wide commitment to maintaining safe, child friendly environments where protecting children is embraced and embedded in appropriate principles, behaviours and practices.

This policy provides the mandatory requirements for the protection and support of children and young people through the establishment and maintenance of child safe environments across RDWA’s services in accordance with:

• National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
• Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017
• Sections 114 – 115 of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017
• Sections 64 – 65 of the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935
• Sections 50E and 50F of the Civil Liability Act 1936.

RDWA’s approach to child safe environments is underpinned by the following principles:

• We ensure all staff take responsibility to support and protect children and young people.
• We are responsive to the feedback and concerns of children, young people, and their families/carers.
• We ensure staff understand that children and young people have a right to feel safe and protected when accessing RDWA’s services.
• We ensure staff have a preventative, proactive and participatory stance on child protection issues.
• We ensure systems are in place to supervise, train and support staff to ensure they understand and adhere to their legal obligations to protect children from harm.
• We ensure that children, young people, and their families/carers are given the opportunity to actively participate in their treatment and care.
• We recognise and ensure the right to self-determination for Aboriginal peoples to meet their social, cultural, and economic needs as the First Peoples of Australia.
• We ensure that to mitigate risks to children and young people we have effective clinical and corporate governance frameworks in place to facilitate the provision of child safe environments.
• We ensure accurate and up-to-date records regarding all measures undertaken to ensure child safe environments are established and maintained.

If you would like to discuss a child safety issue or find out more about how RDWA is applying the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, please contact our our CEO.