Haircuts

The decision about whether the child in your care needs a haircut is yours to make. But there are some things to think about before you make this decision.

• If they’re old enough let them make the decision in partnership with you
• Don’t perm or colour hair, cut long hair short or dramatically change a hairstyle without the child’s consent, no matter what their age
• If you and the child are considering a significantly different hairstyle, check with your care team first
• Discussion with the child’s parents, or in some cases parental consent, might be required
• For some Aboriginal children and children from other cultures a child’s first haircut can be an important part of their cultural rights
• A baby’s first haircut is significant in most cultures - a haircut could cause significant problems for the child or family

See the links below to your state or territory based carer resource for more information.