Safe Church Training Manual - sps.org.au Church Training... · The SCTA Safe Church Awareness Manual is written by Peter Barnett & Celia Irving and draws its content from their works:

SAFE CHURCHTRAINING MANUAL

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Copyright: Safe Ministry Resources & CMI Vocational Training Pty Ltd © 2012

This document may not be reproduced or stored electronically without the written permission of the copyright

holders. Adapted, with permission by Safe Place Services of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (AUC) Limited.

Disclaimer: This document has been written with due regard to state legislation.This publication is not legal

advice. Legal advice should be sought when responding to individual incidents. The ideas and procedures

herein are based on nationally recognised good practice advice for Safe Church Ministry.

Table of ContentsIntroduction ................................................................................................................................. 4

Module 1: Safe Places – The Foundations ................................................................................. 7

a. Vulnerable People ....................................................................................................... 9

b. Serving Together in Ministry ........................................................................................ 10

c. Duty of Care................................................................................................................ 11

d. Transparency & Accountability .................................................................................... 12

e. Legal and Insurance Implications ................................................................................ 13

Module 2: Protecting Vulnerable People .................................................................................... 15

a. Understanding Abuse and Assault .............................................................................. 17

b. Responding to Abuse ................................................................................................. 19

c. Self-Care and Protection ............................................................................................. 31

Module 3: Safe Leaders .............................................................................................................. 35

a. The Right Type of People ............................................................................................ 37

b. Appointment ............................................................................................................... 38

c. Support and Accountability for Leaders ...................................................................... 39

d. Responding to Misconduct ......................................................................................... 41

Module 4: Safe Programs ........................................................................................................... 45

a. Safety in Programs ...................................................................................................... 47

b. Physical Environments ................................................................................................ 49

c. Emotional Environments .............................................................................................. 53

d. Responding to Incidents ............................................................................................. 55

Appendix – Forms for Implementation ....................................................................................... 57

List of Forms ........................................................................................................................ 59

Local Church Action Plan/Implementation Checklist ............................................................. 60

Safe Ministry Policy .............................................................................................................. 60

Additional Safe Place Services Forms & Brochures ............................................................... 64

Approval for Programs and Events Checklist ........................................................................ 65

Sample Consent to Serve Interview ...................................................................................... 66

Sample Letter to Participants’ Parents .................................................................................. 67

Participant Information Form ................................................................................................. 68

Safety Checklist for Children/Youth Activities ........................................................................ 69

Housekeeping & Risk Assessment Checklist ........................................................................ 70

Food Preparation & Storage Practices .................................................................................. 71

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SAFE CHURCH TRAINING MANUAL

IntroductionThe need to talk about ‘safe’ churches may seem strange. After all, aren’t all churches safe?

In a perfect world this would be the case. However, the church has not always lived up to its calling.

Church history is coloured with wonderful acts of love "owing though God’s humble servants, but also

with some of the most shameful acts of abuse imaginable.

Gillian Calvert, a past Commissioner for Children and Young People in NSW, commented that within

Australia some people have sought to abuse victims, be they children, young people or adults and

these ’predators’ have seen churches as an area where they can exploit the innocent. “Often this is

because, by its very nature, the church has historically been a trusting body and sometimes an ’easy

target’.

This Safe Church Manual 2012 aims to reduce the instances of abuse and duty of care and/or safety

failures by providing procedures for Holistic Safe Church Ministry.

Holistic Safe Church Ministry refers to God honouring, abuse free, harm free, person valuing

and respectful ministry. It is achieved as we ful#l and integrate our pastoral, legal, insurance, risk

management, denominational and ethical requirements as churches. This includes the implementation

of policies and procedures in: duty of care; caring for vulnerable people; positions of power; codes of

conduct; response to allegations of ministry misconduct and/or abuse; incident reporting; monitoring

of practices; safe recruitment; supervision of leaders; and for the preparation and conducting of

spiritually, emotionally and physically safe church ministry.

The SCTA recommends that every leader (volunteer and paid) working with 0-18-year-olds, and all

ministry team leaders, coordinators and senior church leaders responsible for church programs,

attend an SCTA endorsed awareness workshop within their #rst year of ministry and a refresher

workshop every 3 years.

The SCTA seeks to maximise training opportunities by providing facilitation and resources for quality,

accessible Safe Church workshops. We recognise that a workshop alone does not ensure that your

church has safe leaders who conduct safe ministry activities and programs, but that this will be

achieved through the implementation of Holistic Safe Church Ministry policy and procedures.

For information about the SCTA or where to attend a workshop visit www.safechurches.org.au

Acknowledgements

The SCTA Safe Church Awareness Manual is written by Peter Barnett & Celia Irving and draws its

content from their works: Safe Ministry induction workshop (2011) and Creating Safe Ministries (2011).

Their publications acknowledge that their content has been drawn from the concepts in publications

by: Baptist Unions of NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Anglican Dioceses of Canberra and Goulburn,

Presbyterian Church of NSW, Salvation Army Eastern Territory, State child protection agency

websites, National Child Protection Clearing House, NAPCAN (National Agency for the Prevention of

Child Abuse and Neglect), Australian Institute of Family Studies, NSW Ombudsman, Vic Health, and

NSW Health.

This version for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia has been adapted by Safe Place

Services in conjunction with the North New South Wales Conference.

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Safe Church Training“Seventh-day Adventists af#rm the dignity and worth of each human being and decry all forms of

physical, sexual and emotional abuse and family violence.” (source: <http://adventist.org/beliefs>)

The Seventh-day Adventist statement on The Nurture and Protection of Children (2010) states:

“Seventh-day Adventists place a high value on children. In the light of the Bible they are

seen as precious gifts from God entrusted to the care of parents, family, community

of faith and society-at-large. Children possess enormous potential for making positive

contributions to the Church and to society. Attention to their care, protection and

development is extremely important.”

This statement outlines key strategies for safeguarding children and young people:

• Risk management to minimise the risk for child sexual abuse and violence

• A code of conduct that precludes even the appearance of evil

• Careful supervision and monitoring of children

• Child protection education

• Trained personnel and speci#c protocols at Conference and wider levels of Church

organisation (adapted from <http://adventist.org/beliefs/statements/children.html>).

The Australian Union Conference “Creating a Safe Place Policy” (2010 section 1.1) states “The

Seventh-day Adventist Church is committed to creating and sustaining the Church as a safe place for

everyone. This includes maintaining safe environments within the Church, its Af#liated Entities and all

its programs as safe places for children, vulnerable people, volunteers and Church Workers.” (source

<www.safeplaceservices.org.au/resources>)

Safe Place Services provides the following policies and procedures for establishing and maintaining

safe environments:

Local Church Brochures:

• Child-Safe Policy

• Screening Volunteers who Work with Children and Youth

• Grooming of Children

• Code of Conduct

• Responding to Kids at Risk

• Safety Agreements

Policies and resources for local Churches, Conferences and Unions:

• Union (2010) Creating a Safe Place Policy

• Union (2010) Framework for Investigations

• Union (2011) National Child-Safe Database Policy

• Local Conference (2009) Safe Place Policy

• Local Church (2011) Child-Safe Policy

• Safe Place Services: “Tools for Implementing a Safe Place” Resource kit

• “Sexual Abuse: A ‘How to’ Guide for Victims, Parents of Victims and Congregation” booklet

(2010 edition).

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Visit the website <www.safeplaceservices.org.au> or contact the Safe Place Services free-call

number:

Australia 1800 220 468 or New Zealand 0800 442 458

The Australian Union Conference, through Safe Place Services, supports training that re"ects

recognised standards of effective practice for safeguarding the Church as a safe place for everyone.

Towards this end, in 2008 the Seventh-day Adventist Church became a member of the Safe Church

Training Agreement. This allows the Church to bene#t from inter-denominational training materials that

re"ect a high standard of effective practice and also meet legal and insurance requirements. It also

means there is a consistency for the training that is offered across major Christian faith-groups within

Australia.

Safe Church training should be attended by local Church elders; child/youth-related volunteers;

team-leaders/coordinators of various departments; board members; and local Church Safe Place

Coordinators or committee members. It is also recommended that people complete a refresher

workshop every 3 years.

This manual is intended for use within local Churches throughout Australian and New Zealand. Each

Conference region within this territory has a designated Safe Place Committee, Coordinator, or

administration that assist in the implementation of safe church procedures.

Module 1

Safe Places – The Foundations

9Safe Places – The Foundations

This module aims to develop awareness of:

The biblical basis for safe places

The concept of duty of care

The relevant legislation that guides and underpins Holistic Safe Church Ministry

Foundations are the blocks upon which a house is built. Like the wise man who built his house on the

rock in the parable of the wise and foolish men (Matthew 7:21-27), we wish to build church ministries

on solid foundations.

This module outlines the key concepts or foundations upon which the Safe Place Services policies

and procedures have been built ie, care for vulnerable people (including children), sharing in ministry,

duty of care, accountability, transparency, legal and insurance implications.

A better understanding of the foundations will hopefully help leaders see the Safe Place Services

policies and procedures as opportunities for loving others, rather than hindrance to ministry.

Activity 1.1 What is a Safe Place for Ministry?

Drawing from your knowledge and experience what do you think makes a church a physically,

emotionally and spiritually safe place for ministry?

a. Vulnerable People

God’s heart is for vulnerable people. We see this expressed as He identi#es four classes of vulnerable

people who were to be protected and given special care in the Old Testament: the widow, the poor,

the orphan and the alien (foreigners living in Israel) (eg Deuteronomy 10:18-19). In Luke’s version of

the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says to His friends: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the

kingdom of God” (6:20). Not the poor in spirit, as in Matthew, but the poor. God’s heart is for those

who ‘do not have’ in earthly terms. He says His kingdom is theirs. James 1:27 reinforces this by

reminding us that the, “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after

orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

As the body of Christ we need to share God’s heart for the vulnerable. This is our primary reason for

ensuring and maintaining safe churches.

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Module 1

Activity 1.2 Vulnerable people

Who are the vulnerable people in our churches and communities?

b. Serving Together in Ministry

Church is fundamentally about the people, not the activities, events or ministry programs that a

church may conduct. As the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), we together are called to welcome

all people and make our church a safe place for them. This is not an individual or solo effort but rather

a function of the body of Christ as a unit.

We are called to nurture people, minister to them, enter into relationship with them, protect them and

receive ministry from them. We might refer to these actions as sharing together in ministry, as we

exercise the gifts God has given us.

Activity 1.3 Serving together in ministry

What are some of the ways you receive ministry from and enter into relationships with the people

in your ministries?


When a church appoints a leader (helpers included) to a position of leadership, they are saying, “We

trust this person to represent God for us.” “We trust this person to not make the good news of Jesus

into bad news by harming others.” When a leader understands their position properly they will no

longer see themselves as “just a helper” but rather as a minister of reconciliation, empowered by God

to spiritually lead others. Rather than a job to be done, ministry will be a privilege, a calling not to be

entered into lightly.

Given the spiritual nature of sharing in ministry, the motive for a person wanting to be in leadership is

crucial. Impure motives, or the lack of good motivation for a role, can lead to problems for both the

program and the team running the program.

Activity 1.4 Motivation for sharing together in ministry

What motivates you to share in ministry?

c. Duty of Care

Duty of care is a term we may be more used to hearing in relation to workplace safety, and is less

thought of in the church context. However, duty of care #nds its origins in Jesus’ directive to “Love

your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31) and is therefore foundational for our provision of Holistic Safe

Church Ministry.

A general description of duty of care is to do everything reasonably practicable to protect others from

harm.

This applies equally to buildings, kitchens, car parks and to all people in our congregations. Our duty

of care does not end when “our program” is over. Rather, it applies to all people from the time the

gates of the car park are unlocked and/or the building is opened, until the last person has left, and the

gate is locked. This also relates to acts of negligence, lack of care or attention, or acts of inattention or

omission.

What is important in terms of legal implications is to be able to show we have done all that we could

have reasonably done to ‘discharge’ our duty of care. In other words, have we done all we can

to ensure that harm and/or distress have not occurred? Discharging duty of care then, includes

implementing policies and procedures in order to protect people in our care from potential abuse or

injury, and leaders from potential allegations of abuse or injury.

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Module 1

From a congregational perspective, there is an expectation that those in leadership will be diligent in

discharging their duty of care by ensuring:

• Those leading programs have been recruited, screened, appointed, inducted and are

supervised appropriately.

• Safe spiritual, emotional and physical ministry environments are provided.

• Complaints or allegations are addressed according to good practice.

To properly discharge our duty of care and in so doing meet community expectations, we need

to ensure that all church-authorised programs are well planned, having had all foreseeable risks

identi#ed, reduced or negated. Duty of Care means that we think through what is safe, then put plans

in place to ensure that we act safely. The procedural recommendations herein re"ect duty of care.

Activity 1.5 Discharging Duty of Care

What needs to be done to discharge duty of care in the establishment and conducting of the

following programs (by way of example)?

• One-on-one mentoring program.

• Home Bible study (cell) or network groups.

• Providing a ‘soup kitchen’ type meal to socially/#nancially disadvantaged people.

• Seniors ministry (including the transport of seniors to the church).

• Church camps. Your church has several elderly people, some people in wheelchairs and

also a growing group of young parents with toddlers.

• Youth/Path#nder activities.

• Saturday-evening youth group for ages 12-18 years, includes several high-risk events (e.g.

rock climbing, outdoor adventure) every term and off-site excursions.

• Music team (worship band) that practises midweek and includes some children (under 16

years).

• Children’s program (Sabbath school) — before the morning service for ages 4-12 years, with

an average attendance of between 20 and 30 children.

d. Transparency and Accountability

Transparency in ministry relates to the practice of being willing and able to show others how you are

caring for people. Being transparent means not only doing the right things, but also being seen to do

the right thing.

For example: Historically, the church in Australia has been seen by many as the moral police.

However, when some church leaders failed morally, these failings were rarely spoken about and

sometimes swept under the carpet.

As people who offer programs to vulnerable people, it is essential that churches are transparent

in their motives and actions. We need transparency both in our relationships and in our policy and

procedures.

Accountability within a Christian framework, implies a willingness to be called to account.

Accountability occurs best in the context of teams. This is the idea of sharing in ‘our’ministry, rather

than doing ‘my’ ministry. When a person is part of a team by which they are supported, encouraged

and provided with an appropriate level of accountability, people are more protected from actions that

may cause harm.


Good practice suggests, that for accountability purposes, leaders are given clear expectations in

relation to their role and understand what they are responsible for and who they will report to when

they have completed their tasks.

Our Safe Place Services policies and procedures as outlined in the introduction section provides

leaders with tools for accountability and understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Many of

these have been formatted so as to enable distribution to the maximum number of people.

Team Re!ection

(suggested discussion question/s for teams at a future team meeting)

How are you currently using policy and procedures to ensure transparency and accountability in

your church?

e. Legal and Insurance Implications

The growing demands on churches to comply with safety regulations, legislation around child

protection, and insurance requirements for discharging our duty of care make it important that

we have a quality policy and procedures for church safety. Denominations often provide these for

congregations. It is important that we make leaders and congregations aware of these and how they

are to follow them.

Legally church congregations need to ensure that they: discharge their duty of care; practise

due diligence in relation to leaders; are free from violence and exploitation; foster people’s health,

developmental and spiritual needs (ie, self-respect and dignity); and have a process for responding to

grievances, allegations of abuse and misconduct (including child protection and sexual harassment).

Organisations that are ful#lling their legal obligations will have in place the following strategies:

policies, procedures, recruitment processes, supervision of leaders, codes of conduct

and information about services provided. As we implement these safety strategies, we will be

protecting and valuing all people in our churches.

Safe Place Services Recommendations

That local Church elders; child/youth-related volunteers; team-leaders/coordinators of various

departments; board members; and local Church Safe Place Coordinators or committee members

attend Introduction to Safe Place Training or the equivalent Safe Church SCTA endorsed

workshop and attend a refresher workshop every three years.

That leaders attend additional ministry-speci#c departmental training as provided by the

Conference.

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Module 2

Protecting Vulnerable People

17Protecting Vulnerable People


Understanding abuse and assault

Responding to abuse and assault (legal and denominational procedures)

Helping people protect themselves

a. Understanding Abuse and Assault

Abuse is a serious and complex problem. It often occurs in environments that are isolated and

stressful and affects those who are most vulnerable (Reporting Child Abuse, 2003). Abuse often

occurs in situations where trust is involved by a person known to, and trusted by, the person.

When it comes to understanding what is and is not abuse, it is helpful to #rst acknowledge that we

are in"uenced by a number of factors. Which is to say, we may not all think the same way in relation to

what is and what is not an abusive situation.

Activity 2.1 Is this abuse/assault?

Read the scenarios on the screen, ask yourself Is this an abuse situation?

Factors In!uencing Our Understanding

Perception: When we are faced with a situation, our perception of that situation is in"uenced by a

number of factors. These may include: our upbringing, and perception of our parents’ behaviour;

experiences we have had at the hands of in"uential people around us; our values; our attitudes

concerning what constitutes abuse; our views on people’s rights, and our responsibilities to protect

vulnerable people. Whilst there are some areas that constitute abuse to most people, there are some

“grey” areas that will vary depending upon individual perception. There could also be variations in

perception depending upon the nature of the activity or setting.

Myths: There are also a number myths related to abuse. Myths result in a range of views on how to

treat a certain class, gender, race or age. Examples: as spiritual head of the household, husbands

can do whatever they want to their family; children are abused by strangers rather than people that

are known to them; the most commonly reported type of child abuse is sexual abuse. All myths are

unhelpful when it comes to responding appropriately to abuse situations.

Abuse and Power

In all relationships there is a power balance between the parties in the relationship. Relationships are

either equal in power, ie, relationships in which two or more parties have the same amount of power,

or alternatively, they are unequal or there is a power imbalance, as is the case between adults and

children.

Abuse occurs when one person misuses the power they have in a relationship with a less powerful

person. In some relationships it is appropriate that the more powerful takes steps to redress the

balance of power. In other relationships the more powerful person needs to consider how their actions

will empower the less powerful person, whilst retaining the power imbalance.

The power balance can be impacted by a number of factors;

eg, SIZE EXPERIENCE KNOWLEDGE POSITION

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Module 2

Positional Power

In relationships where a person’s position gives them power over another in order that the less-

powerful person might be protected or educated (eg, teachers and pupils), it is inappropriate to

change the balance of power. Positions where one is charged with upholding the law of the land,

or an organisational structure, or positions where a person’s health is being attended to, are also

positions of power where the power imbalance is appropriate.

In a church context positions of leadership also contain the power to in"uence others for God. In

the eyes of those under their authority, leaders may be seen as representing God’s authority and

in some cases God’s will for their lives. Therefore, those in positions of power must have a sound

understanding of and uphold appropriate relationship boundaries so as to protect the less-powerful

person.

Unfortunately in the past, some abuses of positional power were treated solely as moral failures. In

many of these cases, the leader was suspended for a short period and then given another position

of leadership without addressing the abuse of power that occurred. Abuse is in essence a violation

of ‘personhood’, the ‘robbing’ of a person’s rights. Abuse results in a robbing of personal ‘power’ to

act in healthy, life-enriching ways. Those who abuse their position of power may have done so either

because they have failed to understand boundaries, or because they enjoyed the feeling of crossing

the boundary.

These descriptions may be helpful when exploring spiritual, #nancial, physical, emotional, language,

sexual and other social boundaries (adapted from Breaking the Silence, 1997).

NON-OFFENDER (BOUNDARY RESPECTER)

Discovers that a boundary is approaching, or that they have overstepped a boundary, and makes a

deliberate correction.

WANDERER (BOUNDARY RIDER)

Approaches boundary and engages in inappropriate behaviour without boundary awareness (eg,

gossip). NB: Education can achieve good results with #rst-time wanderers.

PREDATOR (BOUNDARY VIOLATOR)

Heads straight for a boundary and crosses it without hesitation. Their aim is to break down a person’s

boundaries,

Activity 2.2 Positions of Power in Ministry

How might these verses apply to you using your position of power appropriately in ministry?

2 Corinthians 6:3 – We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be

discredited.

2 Timothy 4:2 – Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and

encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 – Such con#dence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are

competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He

has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for

the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Romans 12:6-8 – We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in

proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the

giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.


NOTE: The existence of positional power in church leadership makes a code of conduct for leaders

important. To the wanderer they are helpful in clearly de#ning behavioural expectations. To the

predator they say, “You will not be able to act that way as a leader of our program.” Churches need to

ensure that all those given positions of power/authority exercise leadership appropriately (see Module

3).

b. Responding to Abuse

Anyone working with vulnerable people regularly may come face-to-face with what may be cases of

abuse. However, when our limited knowledge of a situation is combined with the factors that in"uence

our perception, it can be dif#cult to be objective in our judgment.

To assist our decision-making we need to look at the guidelines that have been provided by state

government legislation and our denomination for responding appropriately when we have concerns

that someone may be being, or has been, abused.

Vulnerable Adults

It has become evident to both governments and to the church that children are not the only vulnerable

group of people in need of protection. This focus can be seen in the use of such language as elder

abuse in relating to mistreatment of the frail aged.

The Safe Places Services de#nition for vulnerable persons recognises that certain people in the

church, in addition to children, may be considered to be susceptible to abuse or exploitation based on

factors such as their health status (mental or physical), age, grief, social isolation or #nancial hardship

(AUC Creating a Safe Place Policy 2011).

In the church context another vulnerable group are those who ‘follow’ or who are being ‘led by’

church leaders. The understanding of the need to protect congregation members, church employees

and volunteers has come to light through the increased number of reports to denominational

professional standards units of pastoral misconduct against congregation members. In these cases

ministers and/or other church leaders have misused their ‘positional power’ to cause harm to people

who are under their leadership. These might be also called personal boundary violations, and can

cause lasting emotional and spiritual damage.

Reporting Abuse and other Wellbeing Issues in Adults

How to report incidents of abuse and other health issues in vulnerable adults is a complex question.

Sometimes it will be very clear what to do, for example, allegations of criminal activity toward an

adult; eg, rape, physical assault or where a person is self-harming. Other times this means utilising

the local health services and working with the person and their family to provide the comfort, support

and access to resources and services. Allegations of bullying, sexual harassment, spiritual abuse or

heretical teaching also need to be responded to compassionately and justly. Consult your Conference

Safe Place Coordinator.

As a guide:

Allegations of serious ministry misconduct or abuse by church leaders against vulnerable adults need

to be reported: in instances of an allegation against an employee (eg, pastor), to the Conference

General Secretary; in instances of an allegation against a church appointed volunteer (eg, elder/

Path#nder leader) to the Conference Safe Place Coordinator; and in instances where conduct also

appears criminal, to the police.

Immediately report to the police where you have concerns of abuse and/or serious criminal offences

by other church members (eg, sexual or physical assault).

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Module 2

In suicide attempt/threat, or other situations where a person’s mental health may be placing self or

others at risk of harm immediately contact the police/mental-health crisis service.

For concerns about the conduct of people with special needs, (eg, intellectual or physical disability

or mental health concern), speak to your pastor/local church Safe Place Coordinator. They may seek

advice from relevant health services and Safe Place Services.

Activity 2.3 Vulnerable adults in your church

Discuss what can you do to help foster the emotional, physical and spiritual safety of vulnerable

adults in your church?

Child Abuse

Child abuse is in direct opposition to Jesus’words about welcoming children (Matt 18:15) and loving

one another (John 13:34).

As awareness of and concern about child abuse has increased, the de#nitions and interpretations

of what is abusive have broadened from the ‘battered babies’ described by Henry Kempe and his

colleagues (1962) to physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse.

More recently, de#nitions of abuse have been extended to include exposure to domestic violence.

The emphasis has also shifted from investigations of allegations of abuse to a broader assessment of

whether a child or young person has suffered harm or is likely to suffer harm (Cashmore J, 2001).

Statistics on Child Abuse

It is almost impossible to determine the amount of abuse that does occur since only that which is

reported to government authorities can become part of of#cial statistics.

During 2009-10, there were 286,437 reports of suspected child abuse and neglect made to state and

territory authorities, which is a signi#cant decrease from the 339,454 reports made in 2008-09. This

is the #rst decrease in noti#cations across Australia in the past 10 years. This decrease may largely

be due to signi#cant decreases in noti#cations in New South Wales, attributed to legislative changes

in the NSW Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998, that included raising the

reporting threshold from “risk of harm” to the new “risk of signi#cant harm” (source AIHW, 2011).

The types of child abuse most commonly substantiated were emotional abuse 37% and child neglect

28.7%, followed by physical abuse 22%, with reported sexual abuse making up 12.3%.


The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2002) revealed the following break-up of perpetrators:

74% natural parent, 10% step-parent or de facto, 7% other relative or sibling, 5% friend or neighbour,

4% others (including strangers). While these are the gathered statistics, researchers and forensic

practitioners estimate that as many as 1 in 20 men in Australia may sexually offend against a child and

that as many as 1 in 4 or 5 children will be sexually abused. Research has indicated that on average

it takes girls 7-14 years to tell someone about their abuse and for men the average is well over 20

years, if they ever do.

A De"nition of Child Abuse

A working de#nition of child abuse or maltreatment: physical, emotional, sexual abuse and or neglect

resulting in harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity, often in the context of a

relationship of responsibility, trust or power.

Types and Indicators of Child Abuse

The following de#nitions and indicators are not intended to be exhaustive but are a tool for identifying

children at risk of abuse. It is important to remember that one or two indicators in isolation do not

mean that the child is being abused. Indicators must be considered in the context of other indicators

and the child’s or young person’s circumstances. People providing activities, events and programs for

children (0-18 years) must familiarise themselves with these indicators.

1. Neglect

De!nition: “The neglect of a child where the child has suffered, or is likely to suffer, signi!cant

harm to his or her wellbeing or development” (Safe Places: Creating a Safe Place Policy).

Examples: failure to provide food, clothing, shelter, medical care, attention to hygiene or supervision,

inability to respond emotionally to a child or young person, emotional depriving of or withholding

physical contact or stimulation for prolonged periods, absence of social support from adults.

Indicators/signs in children Indicators/signs in parents/caregivers

• Poor standards of hygiene leading to social

isolation or poor health.

• Inappropriately dressed for weather conditions

• Extended stays at school, public places, others'

homes

• Extreme longing for adult affection

• Self-comforting behaviour, eg, rocking, sucking

• Delay in developmental milestones

• Low weight for age and/or failure to thrive and

develop

• Untreated physical problems eg. serious nappy

rash

• Extreme anxiety about being abandoned

• Child not adequately supervised for their age

• Scavenging or stealing food and focus on basic

survival

• Unable or unwilling to provide adequate food,

shelter, clothing, medical attention, safe home

conditions

• Leaving the child without appropriate

supervision

• Abandonment of child

• Withholding physical contact or stimulation for

prolonged periods

• Unable or unwilling to provide psychological

nurturing

22


Module 2

2. Physical Abuse

De#nition: “The physical assault of a child other than lawful discipline by a parent or guardian.”

(Safe Places: Creating a Safe Place Policy) The injury may be in"icted intentionally or may be the

inadvertent consequence of physical punishment or aggressive treatment.

Examples: beating, shaking, bruising, lacerations, burns, fractures, poisoning, attempted suffocation,

physical mutilation.


• Unexplained bruising to face, head or neck

• Bruising showing the shape of the object that

caused it eg, belt buckle, lacerations and welts

• Explanation of injury is not consistent with the

injury

• Abdominal pain caused by ruptured internal

organs

• Fractures of bones

• Burns and scalds (including cigarette burns)

• Drowsiness, vomiting, #ts or retinal

haemorrhages

• Aggression or withdrawal

• Inappropriate clothes for weather conditions

• Discomfort with physical contact and emotional

problems

• Explanation of injury is not consistent with the

injury

• A parent or caregiver says that they fear injuring

their child

• Family history of violence or their own

maltreatment as a child

• Frequent visits with child/ren to health or other

services with unexplained or suspicious injuries

3. Emotional and Psychological Abuse

De#nition: “acts or omissions in relation to a child where the child has suffered or is likely to

suffer, signi!cant harm to his or or her wellbeing or development.” (Safe Places: Creating a Safe

Place Policy)

Psychological abuse damages a child’s intellectual faculties and processes, including intelligence,

memory, recognition, perception and moral development.

The harm experienced needs to be assessed to be, or likely to be, detrimental in effect and signi#cant

in nature on the child’s wellbeing.


• Passive and aggressive behavioural extremes

• Habit disorders

• Feelings of worthlessness about life and

themselves

• Inability to value others

• Lack of trust in people and expectations

• Lack of interpersonal skills necessary for

adequate functioning

• Extreme attention-seeking behaviour

• Bullying

• Disruptiveness

• Persistent running away from home

• Constant criticism

• Belittling, teasing

• Ignoring or withholding praise and attention

• Excessive or unreasonable demands

• Persistent hostility and severe verbal abuse

• Rejection and scapegoating

• Belief that a particular child is bad or evil

• Using inappropriate physical or social isolation

as punishment

• Domestic violence


4. Sexual Abuse

When one person (child or adult) uses power/authority over a child to involve the child in

sexual activity. Child sexual abuse involves a wide range of sexual activity. Bribes or threats

are often used to make them participate in the activity.

Examples: sexual touching, sexual intercourse, sexual suggestions to children, including exposure to

pornographic material, use of children in the production of pornographic videos or #lms, exhibitionism,

child prostitution.


• Child or child’s friend telling you about it, even

indirectly

• Describing sexual acts

• Excessive seductiveness

• Going to bed fully clothed

• Sexual knowledge or behaviour inappropriate

for age

• Regressive behaviour eg, sudden return to bed-

wetting

• Bruising or bleeding in the genital area

• Sexually transmitted infections

• Bruising to breasts, buttocks, lower abdomen

or thighs

• Self-destructive behaviour

• Suicide attempts/ self-mutilation

• Child being in contact with a known sex

offender

• Anorexia or overeating

• Adolescent pregnancy

• Unexplained accumulation of money and gifts

• Persistent running away from home

• Unusual aversion to physical contact

• Inappropriate expressions of friendship with an

adult

• Exposing a child to prostitution or pornography

or using a child for pornographic purposes

• Intentional exposure of a child to sexual

behaviour of others

• Previous conviction or suspicion of child sexual

abuse

• Coercing a child to engage in sexual behaviour

with other children

• Verbal threats of sexual abuse

• Denial of adolescent’s pregnancy by family

• Lack of adult peer relationships

• Inappropriate sexual talk

• Lack of awareness when a relationship is

current

• Signs of anti-social behaviour

• Disregard for safe ministry to

• Creating appointments to be alone with children

5. Witnessing Domestic Violence

De!nition: Witnessing family violence refers to a child being present (hearing or seeing): a

parent or sibling subject to physical abuse, sexual abuse or psychological maltreatment and/or

the damage caused to person or property by a family member’s violent behaviour (adapted from

Australian Institute of Family Studies <www.aif.gov.au>).

Domestic violence is any abusive behaviour used by one partner or family member in a relationship

to gain and maintain control over another’s life. It can occur in any type of domestic relationship,

including spousal relationships, intimate personal relationships, family relationships and informal care

relationships. It is possible for there to be multiple perpetrators and victims within the household.

Indicators that a child is observing or experiencing domestic violence may include:

• Aggressive behaviour

• Phobias and insomnia

• Anxiety

24


Module 2

• Symptoms of depression

• Diminished self-esteem

• Poor academic performance and problem-solving skills

• Reduced social competence skills, including low levels of empathy

• Emotional distress

• Physical complaints

Other Types of Abusive Behaviour

Spiritual Abuse

This is a further type of abuse that is of particular interest to churches, but in most cases is not

reportable to a Government child-protection agency, although in extreme cases can be classed as

emotional abuse. This may include any or all of the above abuse types. It involves the perpetrator

inappropriately using their position of authority in the church to satisfy their own needs, or using

children or young people for their own bene#t. Pressuring people through use of guilt language may

result in guilt, shame, a strong “works” based ethic. For example: “If I do this then God will love me” or

“God will be happy with you if you do this for me.”

Bullying

A working de#nition of bullying: perceived acts of verbal or nonverbal, overt or covert behaviour, where

one or more persons attempts to or succeeds in manipulating circumstances or decisions of others

for their own grati#cation and demonstration of power. A “repeated aggression, verbal, psychological

or physical act, conducted by an individual or group against others.” The purpose is to make those

who exhibit bullying behaviour feel powerful by exploiting the vulnerabilities of their targets (Lynd, S

and A. 1998, and Maryknoll, Orbis, in Arbuckle, G, 2003).

Bullying may result in emotional or psychological abuse and in extreme cases needs to be reported

to the government authorities. In a church context bullying must not be tolerated. Instead of being

laughed at or with, it should be reported to the ministry coordinator. Targets need to be loved, valued,

respected and restored as appropriate to the situation. Those who demonstrate bullying behaviours

must be called to account in a loving way. In a children’s ministry context parents of children involved

need to be informed, consulted with and included in decisions relating to their child.

Electronic Communication

Cyber-bullying, social networking and grooming on the internet

The explosion of electronic communications such as text messages on mobile phones, social

networking internet sites (“Facebook,” “MySpace”), and internet chat rooms, have seen a sharp

increase in the number of internet-based and telecomunications-based allegations of abuse and

bullying. It involves the perpetrator using any form of telecommunication, or electronic communication

to: sexually groom, bully, suggest an inappropriate relationship be formed, or engage a child in sexual

language or behaviours. In some cases these interactions have led to people being charged with

sexual abuse and/or sexual grooming of a minor.

It is recommended that those working with children, young people or other vulnerable persons

develop a set of protocols for the way in which leaders will communicate electronically with program

participants, to ensure the safe use of electronic and telecommunication devices (See <www.

safechurches.org.au>).


Sexual Grooming

Sexual grooming is a pattern of behaviour aimed at engaging a child, as a precursor to sexual abuse.

In some cases where positional power exists this can be a reportable matter, in most cases it is non-

sexual and a precursor to the abuse.

This may include; persuading the child that a ‘special’ relationship exists — spending inappropriate

special time with the child, inappropriately giving gifts, showing special favours to child, but not to

other children, allowing the child to overstep the rules, etc; testing boundaries — undressing in front

of the child, allowing the child to sit on lap, talking about sex, ‘accidental’ touching of genitals, etc.

In isolation, such behaviours may not indicate risk of abuse occurring, but if there is a pattern of

behaviour occurring, it may indicate grooming (NSW Working With Children Check, 2004).

The Safe Places Services brochure “Grooming of Children” helps churches be aware, identify and

respond to sexual grooming.

Activity 2.4 Grooming

What actions by Stevie’s Uncle could be considered to be ‘grooming’?

Responding to Child Abuse

Reporting to government child-protection agencies is an important step in child protection. However

knowing how, what and when to report has proven to be problematic.

We have both a legal and biblical mandate to be involved in protecting children, which includes

reporting suspected and actual cases of children who are at risk of abuse.

This section will equip you with the information and process to be followed in reporting.

Possible barriers to protecting children

There are also a number of community attitudes and organisational risk factors that may contribute

to creating barriers to protecting children and in some cases may actually contribute to ongoing child

abuse.

Community attitudes include:

• Cultural acceptance of extreme physical punishment of children and the use of violence

• Acceptance of parents’ ownership of children and their right to treat children as they see #t

26


Module 2

• The notion that the child deserved the treatment received as a result of behaviour

• Lack of desire to “get involved” in other people’s business

• Fears of retaliation should a noti#er’s name be made known to an abuser

• Concerns about the break-up of a family unit should the abuse be exposed

• Not being prepared to expose a person of high standing in the community

• Concern by an abused person that by exposing an abuser, they will be publicly shamed

Organisational risk factors include: staff alone with children, abuse of positional power - people

in authority taking advantage of the position of power, culture of bullying, lack of leader and staff

accountability, inadequate resources, lack of experience, lack of awareness, inadequate training,

internal investigations as opposed to external investigations, isolated venues (Beyer et.al, 2005).

Team Re!ection


Are there any community attitudes or organisational risk factors that may be a hindrance to

protecting children in your ministry?

Reporting concerns of child abuse

(See Safe Place Services “Responding to Kids ‘At Risk’” Brochure for a quick reference guide)

Safe Place Coordinator

Each congregation should appoint a Safe Place Coordinator. See the Safe Place Services: “Tools for

Implementing a Safe Place” resource kit <www.safeplaceservices.org.au> for a position description.

Procedure

When a child discloses abuse, or that they are at risk, or when a belief based on reasonable grounds

that a child has been or is at the risk of being abused has been established, follow these steps:

1. Report to your Safe Place Coordinator.

Note: When a disclosure occurs or child/ren’s immediate safety is at risk (sexual and physical abuse),

go directly to the on-site activity leader, who will in turn phone the police and organise appropriate

support for the child/ren.

2. Safe Place Coordinator to complete the online Incident form available online at the Safe Places

Services website. The Safe Place Coordinator can store the email receipt as a log of the report.

3. The Safe Place Coordinator contacts the Conference Safe Place committee or Safe Place

Services on 1800 220 468. They will help the Safe Place Coordinator proceed in an appropriate

manner (according to state legislation — see below).

Ongoing support: The church’s role does not end here. This is only the beginning. It is now the role

of the church to support the child and family as much as is practical and possible.

For a guide that can be distributed at your church see Responding to Kids at Rick brochure at the

Safe Place Services website.

Raising other Safe Place concerns: You may #nd that you have other concerns about a person’s

behaviour toward others. It is advisable to let your supervisor know of any concerns, child protection

related or not. That is, these may include adult-to-adult conduct.


When: Reasonable-Grounds for Reporting

You have reasonable-grounds to report abuse if:

• A child tells you they have been or are at risk of being abused; or

• Someone else tells you that they know of a child who has been or is at risk of being abused; or

• You have concerns that the child may have been or is at risk of being abused based on their

physical appearance or behaviour.

Many people are hesitant about making a judgment about abuse occurring in case their perception

is incorrect. In some cases what may appear to be cause for concern, could be a “cry for help” by a

child or young person. In some cases their claims may even be fabrications. When investigations take

place, the actual crisis is revealed and appropriate support is then able to be implemented.

You are not required to establish or investigate if abuse has occurred. Your role is only to report your

reasonable suspicions or concerns of abuse, including the grounds for your concerns.

Reasonable-grounds

The most common type of report received by government child-protection agencies is when another

person identi#es the indicators of abuse, without the child having directly disclosed actual abuse.

State government child-protection agencies have different requirements for reporting our concerns.

See pages 29 and 30 of this manual for your State reporting obligations.

Given that we can make subjective decisions based upon our own judgment, it is useful to apply

the indicators of abuse to the equation before we make a judgment. We might call these indicators

Red Flags alerting us to potential problems. This approach is more objective and can help us make a

decision based upon what is best for the child.

Activity 2.5 Red !ags, raising concerns

DVD: “Annie’s Story”

What are the concerns you have for Annie?

Disclosures (see Safe Place Service “Responding to Kids ‘At Risk’” Brochure for a quick

reference)

Whenever a child or young person tells you that someone is abusing them, this is known as a

“disclosure.” The fact that a child or young person tells you that they have been abused means

that they have a high respect for you and that they trust you greatly, because disclosures are rare.

Therefore, it is important that you respond appropriately.

28


Module 2

When Receiving a Disclosure...

DO

1. Listen... do not add anything to what the child says. (You will need to write this down exactly,

immediately afterwards, noting down the time, place, and context in which the disclosure was

made, what was said before the disclosure was made, and who else was present).

2. Reassure... the child that they have done the right thing in speaking to you.

3. Inform ... the child that you need to tell people who can help.

4. Ensure... that the child is not in immediate danger.

5. Let them know... “You are not alone” in being abused.

6. Call police.

NOTE: KEEP IT BRIEF - Close the conversation down quickly. This is not the only time the child will

have to share their story and you may actually harm an investigation.

DON’T

1. Don’t start an investigation into the information.

2. Don’t promise the child that the abuse will stop.

3. Don’t tell anyone who does not need to know.

4. Don’t appear shocked to the child.

Supporting a Child After Disclosure

In a ministry situation it is highly likely that you will continue to have contact with the child after a

disclosure. It is important to recognise that the child has disclosed to you because they trust you and

feel safe with you.

As you continue to nurture and minister to the child it may be useful to be mindful of the following:

• Create a calm environment, engage in appropriate relationships, continue to include the child.

• Provide an ordered program, assist appropriate behaviours, focus attention on the safe space.

For more information on supporting a child after a disclosure visit <www.safechurches.org.au>.

Self-Care for Leaders Receiving a Disclosure

Each person has a unique response to receiving a disclosure or witnessing abuse. There may be

some common reactions such as: shock, anger, sympathy for the victim and frustration. As a leader it

can be very distressing to #nd yourself in this situation.

It is important to debrief by verbally and emotionally, “unloading” your feelings about receiving a

disclosure or witnessing abuse with your Safe Church reporting of#cer. If you do not debrief in these

situations, it is possible that your effectiveness in your ministry could be negatively impacted.

It is recommended that you talk to an appropriate person regarding your feelings about what has

been disclosed, or what you have witnessed. You do not need to tell them the details of the abuse,

simply how you feel about it, and how you feel about your role in supporting the child.

Some people may also have severe reactions that may in some cases have an invasive impact on

their ability to function effectively within their ministry and life roles (including eating and sleeping

disturbances). If this occurs it is advisable to seek additional counselling support.

Mandatory Reporting

The legal requirement to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect is known as mandatory

reporting. All jurisdictions possess mandatory reporting requirements of some description.


Who? What? Government Agency

ACT

Doctors; dentists; nurses; enrolled nurses; midwives;

teachers; a person providing education to a child or

young person who is registered for home education;

police; counsellors of children; workers at child

care centres; coordinators or monitors of home

based family day care; public servants who works

with children and young people or families; the

public advocate; an of#cial visitor; a person who,

in the course of the person’s employment, has

contact with or provides services to children, and is

prescribed by regulation.

A belief, on reasonable grounds, that a

child or young person has experienced

or is experiencing sexual abuse or

non-accidental physical injury; and

the belief arises from information

obtained by the person DURING THE

COURSE OF, OR BECAUSE OF, THE

PERSON’S WORK (WHETHER PAID

OR UNPAID).

Care and protection services

Mandatory reporting:

Phone: 1300 556 728

Fax: 02 6205 0641

<www.dhcs.act.gov.au/ocyfs>

NSW

A person who, in the course of his or her

professional work or other paid employment delivers

health care, welfare, education, children’s services,

residential services or law enforcement, wholly

or partly, to children; and a person who holds a

management position in an organisation, the duties

of which include direct responsibility for, or direct

supervision of, the provision of health care, welfare,

education, children’s services, residential services or

law enforcement, wholly or partly, to children.

Reasonable grounds to suspect that a

child is at risk of signi#cant harm; and

those grounds arise during the course

of or from the person’s work. Physical

abuse, Sexual abuse, Emotional/

psychological abuse, Neglect and

Exposure to family violence.

You can make a report to Family

and Community Services on the

Child Protection Helpline by phoning

132 111. Mandated Reporters can

phone 133 627 and use the guide for

reporting at <www.keepthemsafe.nsw.

gov.au>

NT

Any person with reasonable grounds

A belief on reasonable grounds: that

a child has been or is likely to be

a victim of: physical abuse, sexual

abuse emotional/ psychological abuse

neglect, exposure to physical violence

(eg, a child witnessing violence

between parents at home).

Children, Youth and Families—

Department of Health and Families

Phone: 24 hour Centralised Intake

Service by using the free-call phone

number 1800 700 250 <www.health.

nt.gov.au/Children_ Youth_and_

Families>

QLD

An authorised of#cer, employee of the Department of

Child Safety, a person employed in a departmental

care service or licensed care service.

A doctor or registered nurse

The Commissioner for Children and Young People

Awareness or reasonable suspicion:

- of harm caused to a child placed

in the care of an entity conducting

a departmental care service or a

licensee

- during the practise of his or her

profession of harm or risk of harm

A child who is in need of protection

under s10 of the Child Protection Act.

Department of Child Safety

Phone:During normal business hours

- contact local child safety service

centre or freecall 1800 811 810. After

hours and on weekends - contact

Child Safety After Hours Service

Centre on (07) 3235 9999 or freecall

1800 177 135.

<www.childsafety.qld.gov.au>

VIC

Registered medical practitioners, registered

nurses, a person registered as a teacher under

the Education, Training and Reform Act 2006 or

teachers granted permission to teach under that

Act, principals of government or non-government

schools, and members of the police force.

Belief on reasonable grounds that

a child is in need of protection on a

ground referred to in Section 162(c)

or 162(d), formed in the course of

practising his or her of#ce, position or

employment Physical abuse Sexual

abuse

Child Protection and Family Services

Metro: 1300 360 391

Eastern: 1300 655 795

Southern: 1300 369 536

Northern & Western: 1800 075 599

Barwon South Western:1800 020 202

Gippsland: 1800 000 551

Grampians: 1800 650 227

Hume: 1800 650 227

Loddon Mallee: 1800 675 598

After hours: 13 1278

<www.cyf.vic.gov.au>

30


Module 2

Who? What? Government Agency

SA

Doctors; pharmacists; registered or enrolled nurses;

dentists; psychologists; police of#cers; community

corrections of#cers; social workers; teachers; family

day-care providers; employees/volunteers in a

government department, agency or instrumentality,

or a local government or non-government agency

that provides health, welfare, education, sporting or

recreational, child care or residential services wholly

or partly for children; ministers of religion (with the

exception of disclosures made in the confessional);

employees or volunteers in a religious or spiritual

organisation.

Reasonable grounds that a child has

been or is being abused or neglected;

and the suspicion is formed in the

course of the person’s work (whether

paid or voluntary) or carrying out

of#cial duties Physical abuse Sexual

abuse

Emotional/psychological abuse

Neglect.

Families SA—Department of Families

and Communities

<www.dfc.sa.gov.au/pub/Default.

aspx?tabid=257>

TAS

Registered medical practitioners; nurses; dentists,

dental therapists or dental hygienists; registered

psychologists; police of#cers; probation of#cers;

principals and teachers in any educational institution;

persons who provide child care or a child-care

service for fee or reward; persons concerned in the

management of a child-care service licensed under

the Child Care Act 2001; any other person who is

employed or engaged as an employee for, of, or in,

or who is a volunteer in, a government agency that

provides health, welfare, education, child care or

residential services wholly or partly for children, and

an organisation that receives any funding from the

Crown for the provision of such services; and any

other person of a class determined by the Minister

by notice in the Gazette to be prescribed persons.

A belief, suspicion, reasonable

grounds or knowledge that:

a child has been or is being abused or

neglected or is an affected child within

the meaning of the Family Violence Act

2004; or

there is a reasonable likelihood of

a child being killed or abused or

neglected by a person with whom the

child resides

Physical abuse

Sexual abuse

Emotional/psychological abuse

Neglect

Exposure to family violence.

Child Protection—Department of

Health and Human Services

CPAARS is a central statewide service

for Tasmania that does most of its

work via the telephone or email. The

telephone number is: 1300 737 639

and fax number: (03) 6230 7821.

<www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/

healthandwellbeing/children_

and_families/related_topics/child_

protection>

WA

Court personnel; family counsellors; family

dispute resolution practitioners, arbitrators or legal

practitioners representing the child’s interests

Licensed providers of child care or outside-school-

hours care services

Doctors; nurses and midwives; teachers; and police

of#cers.

Reasonable grounds for suspecting

that a child has been: abused, or is at

risk of being abused; ill treated, or is

at risk of being ill treated; or exposed

or subjected to behaviour that

psychologically harms the child.

Allegations of abuse, neglect or

assault, including sexual assault, of an

enrolled child during a care session.

Department for Child Protection

Phone: LOCAL area contacts, see

website: <www.community.wa.gov.

au/DCP>

Reporting Special Cases

1. School ministry/chaplaincy

Those engaging in state/church school ministry programs should make sure they are familiar with the

policy of the school about reporting. Teachers forming a reasonable belief should inform the Principal,

unless the Principal is the alleged abuser. Ensure that your Conference Safe Place Coordinator is also

informed of the situation. The Safe Place Coordinator will then phone the Principal and ask for what

action was taken. If the Principal advises they are not making a report, or does not provide a reference

number, your Safe Place Coordinator may make his/her own report.

2. Allegations against employees (paid or voluntary)

When an allegation of abuse is made against an employee or volunteer or where a leader exhibits

behaviours that might be deemed abusive or as ‘ministry misconduct,’ the #rst step is to inform your

Conference Safe Place Coordinator or phone Safe Place Services 1800 220 468. They will assist you

in following the reporting process and offer further support.


Activity 2.6 Allegations about leaders (scenario on screen)

Is this an abuse allegation that needs to be reported to the Conference Safe Place Committee or

Safe Place Services? What action needs to be taken?

c. Self-Care and Protection

Identifying and responding to the risk of abuse is only one aspect of protecting people. Helping people

grow in self-care and protection, to be con#dent with one’s own body and emotions, and the ability

to make healthy decisions about their interaction with others and in self-awareness, is a proactive and

powerful tool in #ghting against abusive situations and people.

In child protection terms this is known as: ‘protective behaviours.’ In our context of safe places this

is something that we need to encourage for all vulnerable people - creating a culture of self-care and

protection.

As Christian Leaders We Can:

Encourage people to trust their feelings

We can learn to have a keen natural sense of when something is amiss. We can learn to recognise

our feelings: good, bad or ones that make us confused. However, past abuse can damage a person’s

ability to recognise and indeed trust their own feelings. Providing guidance in our language as to what

is ‘normal’ in terms of feelings can be helpful, especially for children and with adults who may have

experienced past abuse. For example you might say, “When I am on my own I get lonely,” or “When

someone gives me a hug I did not ask for, I feel confused.” We can also help people ask introspective

questions like: “How does that make you feel?” or “What are you feeling about this?” and then help

them to act on their feelings.

Empower People to Say ‘No’

Religion may be used to make people feel as though they need to comply with a leader’s directive,

eg, “God loves it when you serve the church in this way.” Children are taught to be polite and obey

adults. People, including children, must be empowered to say no to an adult if they need to protect

themselves and/or when that person makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened.

32


Module 2

Foster an Environment of Transparency and Con"dentiality

Church needs to be a place where people can be trusted with con#dential information. However it

should never be a place where vulnerable adults are pressured to keep secrets to protect a leader’s

reputation. Such situations need to be confronted. A transparent abuse reporting process which is

clearly communicated to the whole congregation can achieve this. With children, ‘secrets’ are an

area about which we need to take care. By working with parents and care-givers we can help teach

children that some secrets can hurt them and so should not be kept.

Establish and Access Support Networks

It can be helpful to assist vulnerable people to establish and access a support network. A support

network’s role is to provide open and honest support and emotional respite from abusive behaviours.

The role is also to uphold in prayer and have the permission to call to account the person’s spiritual

wellbeing. Once established it can be helpful to have a regular contact with one or more people from

your support network.

Equip people to recognise times of being at risk of abuse: It is important that people recognise times

when they may be most vulnerable or at risk of abuse. It may be in certain situations, such as family

crises. When a potential abuse situation emerges, it is important to consider the strategies that will

be employed to stop the behaviour before it escalates to a point where the perpetrator has taken

control. As part of establishing a regime of protective behaviours, it is helpful to do an asset stock-

take. Consider the internal and external people and supports that may be drawn upon to prevent and/

or address potentially abusive situations.

Give People a ‘Say,’ Empower their Voice

Abuse can be thought of as the “robbing of personhood.” This can occur when individuals feel as

though they have no say in decisions made about them. They feel like they have no voice. All people

need to be free to express their opinions and ideas in an environment where these will be valued and,

where appropriate, implemented. This is giving people a say in decisions that impact them and it

teaches them that they are valued and will in turn increase their self-con#dence.

Provide Safe Touch

Some leaders have developed such anxiety about being wrongfully accused of inappropriate touch of

a child or a member of the congregation, that they won’t touch a distressed person. A useful principle

for leaders to embrace is to work at getting the right balance between “no touch” and “prolonged

touch”.

Quick reference guide to adult-initiated touch:

• Non-intimate touch (safe zones): Only touch neutral or ‘safe’ zones. The preferable area for

touch is from the shoulder to the elbow on the outside of the arm. Another area is across the

shoulders and top of back. It is important not to touch below the top third of the back.

• An open position: standing or sitting side on, rather than in front of the person. This enables

the leader to remain close enough to provide physical comfort, but not so close that the

person can “drape” themselves on them. It also enables the leader to “control” the situation

more effectively.

• Out in the open: Avoid initiating touch when not in the full view of others.

• Not everyone wants a hug: Ask permission, e.g. a crying child might not want a hug from you.

Ask them, “Would a hug help?” If a person is distressed a hug around the shoulders for 5-30

seconds, may be adequate, and more appropriate than a frontal hug, until they stop crying.

What about ‘huggers?’ For example, small kids climbing onto a leader’s lap. Rather than remove the

child immediately, it may be wiser for the leader to allow the child to satisfy their urge for contact for

a brief time (5 seconds), and then remove them, leaving them close by, so as not to imply rejection of

them.


Fostering Respectful Relationships

Respectful relationships are fostered through being mindful of personal behaviours and their impact

on others.

Adult-based programs: Have agreed-upon guidelines for how decisions will be made; be willing

to listen to the opinions of others; and be mindful of violating others’ personal boundaries (physical,

emotional and spiritual). Where respectful relationships are not embraced in an adult program,

it is helpful for the program leader to: draw upon the spirit and intent of the code of conduct;

communicate clearly to the offending person that their behaviour is having a negative impact on

others; and access support from the senior leader to assist in managing the situation.

Child-based programs: Respectful relationships can be fostered by having agreed upon guidelines

for what is deemed to be appropriate behaviour. This is an area in which children can be given a voice

in helping decide on the ‘rules’. Where respectful relationships are not embraced in a child-ministry

program, it is helpful for the leader to: draw attention to the ‘rules’ for the child; document and

communicate to the child’s parent the violation of the ‘rules’ and use immediate measures, ie, ‘time

out’. We must not use inappropriate discipline on those in our care; ie, no physical discipline. Start

with verbal correction of boundary or rule violation (focus on the behaviour not the child). Then move

to TIME OUT (5 minutes out of an activity the child enjoys). If behaviour persists, report to parents.

Clearly communicate the process to all parties involved.


FOLLOW THIS TABLE:

Form of abuse Alleged about whom Report to

Child Sexual Abuse Employee Safe Place Services and State

Government authorities

Child Sexual Abuse Volunteer / Attendee Safe Place Services and State

Government authorities

Adult Sexual Abuse Employee Employing Entity and police

Adult Sexual Abuse Volunteer / Attendee Conference Safe Place

Coordinator / Committee

Other misconduct Employee Employing Entity

34


Module 3

Safe Leaders

37Safe Leaders


The rationale behind the need for safe recruiting practices

The need for ongoing supervision and training of leaders

A leadership code of conduct

Who they need to talk/write to if they have a problem or complaint as a leader

a. The Right Type of People

The Australian Institute of Family Studies Report: “Understanding Organisational Risk Factors for Child

Maltreatment ”observed that: “Many organisations and institutions for children in Australia have been

run by religious-based organisations.... In recent years, it has been publically shown that churches

have been vulnerable to in#ltration by perpetrators of child maltreatment.”... The report says that the

risks are higher in the church where there has been a denial of the initial allegations of abuse, failure

to encourage victims to report, inappropriate responses to legal actions, stereotyped sex-role beliefs,

doctrines and practices that support patriarchy and the absence of clear guidelines and protocols for

dealing with accused or convicted perpetrators (Beyer, Brom#eld, and Higgins, AIFS November 2005).

Gillian Calvert states that those who would seek to abuse others (children or adults) “see churches as

an area where they can still exploit the innocent. Often this is because, by its very nature, the church

has historically been a trusting body and sometimes an easy target” (WWCC 2006, NSW).

Therefore we need safe leaders, leaders who respect other people’s boundaries, have other people’s

best interest at heart, who are led by God and are in accountable and transparent teams.

Activity 3.1 Leadership Qualities

What qualities do you look for in leaders?

38


Module 3

The Right Type of Leaders and Legal Due Diligence

‘Due diligence’ is a legal term referring to the care that must be taken when:

Appointing Leaders

This includes properly screening, interviewing, checking a potential leader’s/ employee’s background

and contacting a potential leader’s referees.

Supervising Leaders

This includes setting clear roles and expectations, support for leaders, a commitment to team

leadership and the implementation of a code of conduct. For example: a church may exercise

suf#cient care in the hiring of an individual, but still be legally accountable for acts of abuse on the

basis of negligent supervision. Negligent supervision is a failure to exercise suf#cient care in the

ongoing supervision of a worker (adapted from Breaking the Silence, 1997).

b. Appointment

The nominating committee of the local church is the vehicle through which an accountable and

transparent appointment process is followed, including the screening of leaders. The Seventh-day

Adventist Church Manual (Ed 18 2010) sets out the appointment process of Annual Nomination for

Church Election.

The Annual Nominating Process requires that the Nominating Committee do two things in relation to

its due diligence:

• Make careful inquiry into the #tness of members to serve in church of#ces.

• Consult prospective of#cers and secure their ‘consent to serve.’

Careful inquiry and informed consent are important as they allow the nominating committee and

nominees to make wise and godly decisions about who is suitable and who is not. These processes

can be carried out using the Volunteer Application Forms, and with Referees Sample Questions

for conducting Referee Checks Volunteer Pledge / Declaration with consent to serve (www.

safeplaceservices.org.au)

Appointment Process (Church Manual)

1. Appointment of Nominating Committee.

2. Committee studies church needs and compiles a set of of#ces to be #lled.

3. Suitability and Consent to Serve Process completed:

- For new leaders: complete the Of#ce Holder Volunteer declaration and Consent to Serve

Form.

- For continuing leaders: Annual Nominating Committee Suitability Review.

- For all new leaders being considered as of#cers with children and youth: also complete any

State-based Working With Children Check.

4. Nominating committee report tabled and voted upon by the whole church.

It is good practice to “induct” of#ce holders and leaders into their role and the mission and objectives

of the local Church by providing them with position descriptions and access to information and

training.

39Safe Leaders

Annual Nominating Committee Review

At the conclusion of the period of appointment the Church Manual provides guidance for the

nominating committee to review the personnel and ministries of the church. This might include the use

of questionnaires, reports from leaders or interviews. This process provides an opportunity for leaders

to say they will or will not be available next year/time, which is important for the health of committed

teams.

Activity 3.2 Appointment and Screening

Considering the above appointment process, how could your local church ensure that screening

and ‘careful inquiry’ into the suitability of appointees takes place?

c. Support and Accountability for Leaders

In addition to careful appointment, it is also important that leaders are supported to ful#l their role and

function effectively. This includes:

• Adequate ministry support for leaders

• A commitment to develop leaders

• A clear set of boundaries (code of conduct) for leaders

• A well-communicated process for con"ict resolution and complaints handling.

For example: A potential leader may have pure motives for ministry and all the right gifts at age 22.

They may interview extremely well for service and their suitability and “consent to serve” form and

referees’ report may be glowing. However, will that person still be suitable for the role in 10 years

time? What impact might life pressures such as children, death of loved ones, marriage, work, and

housing arrangements have on the leader? How will these affect his/her ability to lead others?

Support for Leaders

It is important that the church board ensures that formal or informal support is provided for all leaders.

It is important that all leaders and team members have a clear understanding of lines of responsibility,

to whom they can go for support, and how to address con"icts and concerns.

40


Module 3

Activity 3.3 Supporting leaders

What type of support is helpful from your ministry leaders/elders/local church boards?

How often would you like to access this type of support?

What might you like to change about the current support structure?

Team Re!ection


Ministry support — consider your ministry or church.

1. What support mechanisms do you have in place for ministry leaders?

2. What indicators may you observe in a ministry leader who is not coping?

3. What actions might you take when these indicators are present?

Commit to Leadership Development

Developing leaders is another way to ensure healthy teams. This development can include things like

regular team meetings, praying together, eating together and planning together. It is also advisable to

invest in leadership development, both through in-house in-services and external training events. This

may include a budget item for in-services and the like.

Clear Boundaries... Code of Conduct

As stated in Module Two, a code of conduct is helpful for ensuring that leaders are clear on

boundaries, given the positional power they have as those who spiritually in"uence others.

The Child Safe Code of Conduct (page 62) outlines appropriate boundaries, rather than assuming that

people know the boundaries.

Leadership codes are expressions of our respect and commitment to each other’s safety. Consider

the code as a way of saying to your team, “I will love you by looking after your best interests. I will help

you ensure that you don’t put yourself into a high-risk situation.” In this way team members hold each

other accountable. It is about peer mentoring and accountability, not wielding a big stick!

See the Safe Place Services Child Safe Code of Conduct. For codes of ethical behaviour for church

of#ce holders see the Church Manual.

41Safe Leaders

Activity 3.4 Code of Conduct

Discuss how to apply the code of conduct to the scenario on the screen. Consider the steps the

program leader should take.

d. Responding to Misconduct

When misconduct issues arise in leadership, we need to be prepared to deal appropriately and

manage them. Being prepared includes the provision of a fair and just procedure for handling

allegations of misconduct, one that allows for natural justice (also called procedural fairness).

Procedural fairness requires that:

• The person (the subject of the allegation) is informed of the allegation(s) made against them

with as much detail as possible.

• The person (the subject of the allegation) is provided with reasonable opportunity to put

forward their case, either in writing, at a hearing or otherwise.

• Reasonable enquiry of relevant evidence supporting and refuting the allegation, is considered.

• Those deciding a case have no con"ict of interest in the matter, they act fairly and without bias

and conduct the investigation without undue delay.

In situations of serious misconduct or abuse allegations, follow your denominational process.

Thoroughly discuss the situation, so everyone understands the process in place. At the beginning

of each program or event, outline with your team how the church will respond when allegations of

misconduct, sexual harassment, or criminal activity are alleged. Churches need to plan beforehand

how they will respond to such issues if they ever arise.

When minor breaches of the code of conduct occur it is best to handle these with gentleness and

love, at a local level, with the view to restoring the leader.

Here is a sample plan for managing complaints against leaders after your local Conference leadership

have been contacted:

Appoint an unbiased person/mediator (or Team) who is/are not directly related to program, eg,

people from the leadership team who are approachable would be appropriate candidates. The role of

this person/team is to be an unbiased mediator.

Reconciliation and forgiveness is the goal in dealing with problems or dif#culties in a church

context. Matthew 18:15-20 provides a suggested process to bring about reconciliation.

Determine a course of action based on evidence gathered by the mediator.

Clear communication to staff and volunteers is essential, both of the complaints or grievance

process and where complaints actually do arise, the course of action to be taken.

42


Module 3

Contact with the Media

If you are contacted by the media in relation to a critical incident or serious misconduct matter, refer

them to your pastor. They in turn should consult the Conference General Secretary. Often a local

Conference of#cer or their appointee is the best choice to make an authorised statement to the

media.

Sexual Harassment

The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Commonwealth) de#nes sexual harassment as an unwelcome

sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other unwelcome sexual conduct in circumstances

where the person doing the harassing knows that the conduct would offend, intimidate or humiliate

another person. Sexual conduct includes statements of a sexual nature to a person, or in the

presence of a person, whether orally or in writing.

The Church does not tolerate harassment and bullying in any of its forms, including sexual

harassment. Any complaints in Australia will be dealt with in accordance with the applicable Policies of

the Union, local Conference, or Church-af#liated entity.

Confession of Illegal Activity Under State Law

There are occasions where people wish to and/or are given the opportunity to ’confess’ past sin in

order to experience forgiveness and freedom from the secrets that bind them. When these sins are

also an illegal activity, it puts the person hearing the confession in a complicated situation. Does the

law make it illegal for person/s hearing the confession to not report this crime? If so, how can the love

of Christ be shown in a process of helping the person face their past?

A potential legal problem: This is a complicated question to answer for, as with child protection

reporting, Australia does not uniformly legislate in this area. In some states, this can result in a

potential legal problem as there are laws relating to the failure to report serious crimes eg, NSW.

In all such situations, please seek advice from your Conference Safe Place Services as to relevant

legislation in your state and how it applies in your speci#c situation. In states where potential legal

problems exist ask your Safe Place Services for a process for managing this sensitive situation.

It is important to note that this matter is not always related to child protection mandatory reporting of

child abuse, but is rather a matter of the Crimes Act and Regulations in several states.

Theological implications: Jesus died once for all sins and has reconciled us to Himself (Col. 1:21 -27).

Christ’s forgiveness does not necessarily mean that we will or even should escape the consequences

of the sins we commit in this life. The nature of true repentance is such that, where appropriate, one

should make reparation, as in the story of Zacchaeus who repaid his victims four times the amount

he had stolen (Luke 19). An offender’s willingness to make such reparation can bring great healing

to victims. In this light, for the sake of victims, it is in line with the gospel to ensure that offenders of

serious crimes be supported in making appropriate reparations.

In such instances seek advice from Safe Place Services (1800 220 468).

People in a Congregation with a Known Sexual Offence Conviction

The restorative nature of the gospel means that no one is outside the reaches of God’s love. God’s

restoration and grace extend to all people, including those who may have committed past sexual

offences, even against children. However, such offences do have some life long consequences. One

consequence is that in most instances, there is an insurance implication (exclusion) related to known

past sexual offenders attending your church.

Within the Adventist Church across Australia and New Zealand, it is Church policy that when it comes

to light that a person has a conviction for an offence of a sexual, pornographic or violent offence

against a child, that the person enters into a written Safety Agreement as a condition of their ongoing

43Safe Leaders

participation in the life and activities of the Church (see the brochure “Safety Agreement” for more

information, and also the AUC “Creating a Safe Place Policy” and local church Child-Safe Policy). Safe

Place Services, and Conference Safe Place Coordinators, also provide advice and risk-management

processes to assist local Church respond to people who may pose a risk to other vulnerable people

and adults (besides children). If a person believes on substantial grounds that someone has a relevant

conviction they can submit a ‘person of interest’ report to Safe Place Services on 1800 220 468 or via

the website at <www.safeplaceservices.org.au/complaints>.


All new leaders are screened using appropriate forms, referee checks and interviews as part of the

the church’s nominating appointment process.

Require all volunteers in child-related roles to comply with relevant Working with Children Checks.

Require all new applicants to complete a qualifying period of regular church attendance of 6

months if transferring from another Adventist congregation, or 12 months from the general

community, or another denomination, before being considered for appointment to child/youth

related roles.

That church boards commit to the ongoing support and accountability process for leaders set out

in this manual.

Require all leaders to agree to follow the Code of Conduct.

44


Module 4

Safe Programs

47Safe Programs


A formal process for gaining approval for ministry

Management of risks in ministry programs

Responding to incidents

Strategies for maintaining a safe church environment

a. Safety in Programs

Safe programs are transparent and accountable in relation to both procedures and relationships.

A safe program ensures that both the physical and emotional environments are safe. Consideration is

given to the participants’ ages and cultural backgrounds. Safe programs are prepared for the fact that

some activities or situations present more inherent risks than others.

These procedures below will in many cases mean a rethinking about how to provide programs in our

church communities. You will need to take the time to carefully work through them with your leaders.

Activity 4.1 Safety "rst

List the safety concerns you have in this scenario.

Henry has been attending morning services at Evergreen Community Church for about four months. He !rst came to

Evergreen when he responded to an invitation to attend a café church evening. He hadn’t been to a church since he

was a small child when his grandfather used to take him for Christmas and Easter services - some 30 years ago.

One of the things he noticed about Evergreen were the children, who became restless and disturbed others during

the service. Henry thought it would be a good idea to run a games program during the service to keep the children

entertained.

The next week, he brought along some sports gear. Before the service, he told the pastor that he would be happy

to take the kids outside for some games. The pastor had some concerns. He hadn’t known Henry for very long. He

seemed okay, but he didn’t really know anything about him, except that he worked in something to do with computers.

On the other hand, he knew that the children were disrupting the service as he had received a number of complaints

from the congregation, saying they found it hard to hear over the noise of the children. In the past, the pastor had tried

to start a children’s church, but no-one wanted to take responsibility for it.

The pastor decided to let Henry go ahead with the games program and see how it went over the next few weeks. Just

before the sermon, the pastor announced that Henry had offered to take the children for games in the church yard.

Henry was delighted. He had 12 children aged from 3 to 12 years. He thought they’d start with a game of ‘#ag tag”,

where the aim was to pull the coloured sash off the people from the other team. Unfortunately, he had some problems

with the game, because the bigger children knocked over a couple of the younger children and a four-year-old ended

up with a bad cut on the knee from a sharp rock jutting out of the dirt.

He then set up a game of soccer and took the injured child into the kitchen at the back of the church hall and tried

to clean up the cut. He had some dif!culty stopping the bleeding, so he decided to tie a tea towel around the child’s

knee. Even though he felt like he was out of his depth, and the child kept crying, he really didn’t want to take the child

back into church, as he thought it would look like he was incompetent.

He decided he’d better get back to the other children. When he went back outside, there were only seven children

there. One of the children said the others had decided to go for a walk down to the shops. Henry started to feel

panicky. He decided the best thing was to take the rest of the children with him and go to !nd the others at the shops.

He !nally found them and was heading up the street to the church when the service !nished and people started to

come out of the church. There were some exclamations from parents who were not happy that Henry had taken the

children off the church premises. The parent of the injured child saw the tea towel wrapped around the child’s leg and

ran over to Henry to !nd out what happened.

48


Module 4

Yearly Approval for Ministry

There are a number of considerations to be mindful of when establishing a safe-ministry event or

program. These considerations might be called an approval-for-ministry process.

The local church board is ultimately responsible for any activities that take place in the name the

church. For this reason the church board should approve programs and activities prior to their

commencement. There is an Approval for Programs/Events form on page 65 that will help in the

implementation of this process.

Managing Event and Program Risks

Every activity has its hazards and its risks. Some are avoidable while others are not. For Adventist

child-related programs use the Activity Risk Assessment Form in the appendix to ensure

management of risks in your program (also in Local Church Child Safe Policy).

In general terms risk management means:

1. Understand the context of your activities

What is taking place, where and with whom?

2. Identify risks

What types of thing can go wrong within your context? How and why would they occur? The perils

within an activity generally arise from people, equipment and the environment. Risk levels increase

when multiple perils are present. Activity-based risks: These potential risks can be related to dangers

associated with speci#c activities, eg, rafting. Structural risks: These are related to the manner in

which the ministry or church is structured. It includes accepted behaviours, lack of supervision

of leaders, leadership being inaccessible by victims of abuse, lack of implemented safe church

procedures.

3. Analyse risks

To assess level of risk, the consequences of a risk being realised and the likelihood of this occurring

are considered. Activities can be deemed to be high- medium- or low-risk activities.

Characteristics of a high-risk activity:

• High degree of potential for physical or emotional harm or discomfort to the child, young

person and/or leaders

• High degree of potential for the activity to become emotionally or physically out of control

• Leaders unaware of the possible risk outcomes of their activity

• There is a high chance that the leader may lose control of the activity, resulting in one or more

people (or the leader) being subject to trauma from others

The hallmarks of a high-risk activity may also be present for an individual in what has be classi#ed as a

medium- or even low-risk activity.

Where deciding upon activities for your ministry it may be useful to ask yourself the following:

• Could this be classi#ed as a high-risk activity?

• Is there a high likelihood for damage or trauma?

• Does the bene#t of this activity outweigh the possible risks that may be involved?

• Can the activity be changed to reduce the possible risks?

• Are there critical incident and emergency procedures in place if required?

• Does the ministry or church have suitably trained and quali#ed people to address critical

incidents or emergencies?

• Would the activities be covered by your insurance?

49Safe Programs

Consequences are rated along a scale from very minor to severe, while likelihood is rated from highly

likely through to extremely rare. You could use a risk matrix, or if your denomination has access to an

on-line system, use this to analyse the level of risk.

4. Treat risks

Once risks have been identi#ed and analysed, their “treatment”can be considered.

Treatment involves a choice of management strategies depending on the level of risk:

• Retain risk: The activity is continued, as the risk level is low.

• Minimise risk: Use safety practices to minimise the risk to an acceptable level.

• Eliminate risk: The risk is removed completely by eliminating the activity.

• Transfer risk: Transfer decision making to a more experienced person, or check with insurance

company.

Safety Action Plans

You will need to write an Action Plan for risks, when retaining or minimising the risk where the

consequence is one of a meduim impact or higher:

Example of an action plan:

Risk: Burn from a kettle in the church kitchen.

Consequence: medical treatment from major injury may need to be sought.

Likelihood (potential/frequency): could happen sometime.

Risk level: (medium).

Action plan

1. Ensure kettle is on a bench in the kitchen, with cord not hanging down.

2. If kettle is moved to the edge of the bench, move to the back.

3. Do not allow small children into the kitchen area unattended.

4. During the use of kettle, ensure no children are around the bench in the service area.

5. Communicate the risk and action plan: Ensure all leaders are aware of this risk. Keep

participants away from the area.

b. Physical Environments

Providing safe physical environments is essential if attendees are to participate in activities and

grow to their full potential in Christ. The physical environment is an expansive area to cover under

one heading and as such, has been broken down into areas of risk. Each has a risk-minimisation

recommendation.

To ensure that your physical environment protects both the leaders and the program participants with

whom you come into contact, a risk assessment will need to be done in each of the areas below and

then plans of action implemented to ensure risk minimisation.

Program (event) leaders, should ensure that all activities run by your church are run safely, ie, that all

risks have been considered and plans implemented for minimising them. Good planning is essential in

this area of providing safe physical environments!

50


Module 4

Consider the following areas:

Health and Saftey

Employers and those who own premises, including churches, have a duty of care to employees and

other members of the community to make sure they do nothing to adversely affect people’s health

and safety.

Recommended Health and Safety Procedure

Use the Safety Checklists and Risk Assessment Housekeeping Checklists (see pages 69-70). For

Adventist Churches the Safe Place Services recommends contacting Risk Management Serviceson

(02) 9847 3375.

First Aid

First aid is the emergency care of injured or sick persons. It aims to preserve life, promote recovery,

prevent the injury or illness becoming worse. Guidance notes are available in most states from

Workcover authorities. First-aid requirements vary from state to state. All churches should have an

accessible #rst aid kit. A record should be kept of any treatment given. The name of your trained #rst

aider should be displayed on the front of the cabinet. Analgesics should not form part of your #rst aid

kit. (OH & S Made Easy, 2003)

Recommended First Aid Procedure

• At least one on-site leader should have current #rst aid training, eg, St John Ambulance.

• A suitable, up-to-date and accessible #rst aid kit is to be available at all times.

Transportation

Negligent driving can have painful emotional and legal consequences. Anyone who cannot/ does

not drive responsibly must not transport program attendees. Vehicles need to be driven carefully,

observing the legal speed limits and road laws.

Recommended Transportation Procedure

• Responsible transportation is to be provided (road rule-abiding).

• Never be alone in a car with a child or other vulnerable person (as de#ned in Module 2).

• At no time should there be more passengers in a car than the number of seat belts that are in

working order and available for use.

• All cars will be registered, in good working order and driven by licensed drivers.

• If a child/young person is travelling in a vehicle driven by a worker who possesses a provisional

licence, prior written consent should, wherever possible, be given by a parent/guardian, except

in the case of emergencies.

Food

If your church provides food as part of the programs, you will need to appoint a quali#ed person to be

responsible for its preparation and service. Nearly all food contains bacteria naturally, and sometimes

these bacteria can cause food poisoning. Food has to be handled correctly to make sure that it

doesn’t become contaminated, and that the bacteria in it doesn’t have opportunity to grow.

Recommended Food Handling Procedure

• Use the Food Preparation and Storage Guide (see page 71).

• Place a copy of your Food Preparation and Storage Guide in your kitchen or food preparation

area.

51Safe Programs

Supervision (Particularly with Children and Vulnerable Adults)

To properly exercise our duty of care it is essential that we not only have the right kind of leader, but

that we also have adequate numbers to supervise the program. This relates speci#cally to children

and vulnerable adults.

Precise numbers of leaders are hard to determine and will depend greatly on the size of the group,

their age and the risk level of the activity. A good guide is 1:10. However, with younger children,

disabled and vulnerable adults, more supervision is required, as with the level of risk involved.

As a guide, no matter what size the group is, you will need enough leaders to cope with any accidents

and/or critical incidents that may occur. It is good practice to have at least four adults present on-site,

for all ministry activities with children or vulnerable adults. This will allow for safe supervision if and

when accidents or critical incidents occur, ie, two adults to stay with children, two adults to attend to

the accident or critical incident. Of course, you will need many more leaders if you are planning to run

high-risk activities such as taking children or young people off-site, swimming, bushwalking, games

nights, or if the group is large.

Some important considerations for supervision

• It is essential when considering supervision, to make the distinction between those adults who

are part of the team and junior ministry leaders (under 18 years). Junior ministry leaders (under

18 years) are not to be counted in the supervision numbers.

• In many cases, it may be necessary to use adult helpers. Adult helpers are people over the age

of 18 who are not leaders of the group, but rather are present on-site for supervision purposes.

Adult helpers do not actually run activities, whereas junior ministry leaders may run many. Adult

helpers are important to help ensure the safety of the children and/or young people.

• No leader should be alone, one-on-one, with a child or young person. One adult with a small

group is #ne as long as there are other adults on-site.

• When toileting very young children (under 5), the best practice is to have the parent come and

toilet their child. If this is not possible, take children in a group to the toilet.

• Where possible, child/young person programs should have both male and female leaders to

provide support for both boys and girls.

• In relation to camps or overnight setting, it is not advisable that leaders sleep in the same room

as the children. Children sleeping in a room together without an adult present are at less risk

than in circumstances which may give prospective abusers access to sleeping children. This

practice also avoids the possibility of false accusations of abuse by a child towards a leader.

Recommended Supervision Procedure

• For safe supervision of children/young people and vulnerable adults, have an adequate

number of adult leaders in proportion the risks of the program and number of attendees. Have

a minimum of two adults in attendance, or on-site, whilst running any ministry activities.

Implementation Tips

• Have a sign-up weekend or day at your group for adult helpers.

• Ask older members of the congregation to be adult helpers.

• Ask parents of the children/young people to be adult helpers.

• Consider whether these adult helpers also need a Working with Children check.

52


Module 4

Age Speci"c Issues (Related to Children and Young Persons)

All age groups have different needs. Ensure you provide age-appropriate activities for the age group

of your program, include them in the planning (ie, foster their voice, Module 2). For example: Children

are not little adults, but they are incredibly spiritual. In the second half of the 20th century, child

development researchers such as Piaget and Erikson showed us that children pass through stages of

development. In addition, developments by Howard Gardner in multiple intelligences, and Fowler and

his stages of faith development, have made us aware of the importance of providing age-appropriate

programs and activities.

The same applies with all age groups.

Recommended Age Speci!c Procedures

Depending on the age at which your ministry is aimed, consider :

An advertised program: Sent home to the parents/guardians for the coming term/semester. Where a

change is unavoidable, parents should be noti#ed.

A registration table: This table is where children will come to register for the program each time.

Sign in/out sheet: These can be useful for groups working with under 12-year-olds, to be signed by

a legal parent/guardian.

Permission notes: For all off-site activities for under 18-year-olds.

A risk assessment checklist: To be used at least annually to assess the safety of a program or

activity.

Managing High Risk Activities

For activities and events for older children and young people that are off-site, follow these guidelines:

Water sports, swimming excursions, white water rafting/caving/bungy jumping, in"atable sumo suit

wrestling, gladiator games, horse-riding, high ropes activities, roller blading/skating, skateboarding or

activities involving live animals, must have an employee/leader with appropriate (certi#ed) training for

the event, and active supervision for all children/young people at all times. Supervisors must not be

involved in any additional activities that will distract their role as a supervisor.

NOTE: Some high-risk injuries may be excluded from the church liability cover. It is recommended that

all persons involved in such activities should have a signed liability release from each parent/ guardian.

However, it is important to note that a liability release form does not actually indemnify against an

accident. Rather, we must ensure we discharge our duty of care. An individual leader is protected

where all due care has been taken, but a church may still be deemed liable, where duty of care failures

are proven.

Recommended High Risk Activity Procedure

For Adventist churches, Safe Place Services recommends contacting Risk Management Services on

(02) 9847 3375.

Safe Manual Handling Practices Are in Place

It is important that safe manual handling techniques are to be used when lifting or moving equipment

or furniture.

Recommended Manual Handling Procedure

See Guidance on Manual Handling, Workcover authorities in your state.

It is advisable that all leaders are to be briefed in safe lifting techniques at the beginning of each year.

53Safe Programs

Safe Visual and Auditory Practices are in Place

It is important that safe visual and auditory care is provided for leaders and those attending programs

as part of the church.

Recommended Procedures

Visual Care: Effective lighting is to be used during all church events; faulty lights are not to be used

during church events; faulty light globes and #ttings are to be brought to the notice of the Church

Safety team and are to be replaced as soon as practicable.

Auditory care: Consideration is to be given to auditory comfort when setting volume levels of audio

equipment; volume of audio equipment during church events is to be kept at less than 85 decibels or

lower, or as deemed to be appropriate by the senior church leadership for a given situation (Additional

information on impact of noise may be found at <http://www.hearing.com. au>).

c. Emotional Environments

To ensure that people are safe, the physical environment is only part of what must be considered.

People’s emotions and spiritual development can also be harmed. In fact, many more people leave

the church due to emotional or spiritual harm done to them (intentionally of unintentionally), rather than

a physical injury.

Ensuring safe emotional and spiritual environments is fundamentally about putting other people’s

needs above our own agenda to ensure that a program runs successfully, respecting personhood,

ie, valuing individuals, their backgrounds, their personality, their hopes, dreams and fears. It is about

staying true to the good news message Jesus came to bring, not as He warned about “putting heavy

burdens onto people.” It is fostering a welcoming and caring ministry space, where people feel safe to

share their ideas without being ridiculed.

Handling Private Information

Obtaining information about people is essential if we are to be equipped to care for them, not only

physically but also emotionally. We need to respect people’s information especially in critical situations

or emergencies and guardianship issues.

Where appropriate, dependent upon the age and vulnerabilities of program participants, obtain the

person’s name and a contact phone number. When it is apparent that the person is going to be

attending fairly regularly, it may be necessary, to formally obtain information such as by using a form

(see page 68).

When obtaining personal information, please consider the principles in the National Privacy Act 2000.

To follow these principles ensure that: private information is only collected if necessary to the Church’s

mission and ministry; advise the individuals concerned of its intended use; personal information

collected is stored securely and not divulged to others without the consent of the individual involved;

any personal information the Church is holding which is no longer required, out of date or incorrect is

either destroyed or amended to be accurate.

Responsible Serving

Consider how you might use these principles of responsible SERVING. These are not “black and

white” rules, but principles to use as a guide in our words and actions towards others.

Be mindful of diversity: People will come to church programs with a variety of cultural norms and

expectations. We need to be mindful of expectations and taboos that may exist for a family —

especially in the form of words and actions we use and activities and situations we expect people to

become involved in. When planning your programs, make a checklist of any activities that may cause

a problem socially or culturally for those involved. If you suspect an activity could be a problem, ask

54


Module 4

the program participant or their family prior to asking them to take part. We also recognise and value

the different cultural traditions and heritages of Australian indigenous and other cultural groups in

our churches when it comes to matters of child-raising and parenting. For those ministering in such

settings, it is essential to take special care in ensuring that the principles found in this policy document

are followed, even if some of the practices are inappropriate for your culture.

The power of words: The old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never

hurt me,” is quite possibly one of the most untrue sayings of all time. It is more true to say, “Sticks and

stones may break my bones, but names may wound me deeply.” The words we choose to use can

build people up or they can cut them down.

Leaders have a responsibility to ensure that their conversation is not abusive and that the words used

are not offensive within the normal range of that term. People will from time to time take offence at

what we say, but our responsibility is not to be offensive or derogatory in our conversation with others.

It is also wise not to use words related to a person’s appearance. This can be misconstrued —

especially when working with adolescents. It can also have a diminishing impact on the child or young

person, if they are particularly self-conscious about their appearance.

As words as well as actions can be misinterpreted, it is wise for leaders to think about what impact

their words and actions may have. A general principle to be embraced by all leaders is to consider

the impact of their words and actions before they speak or act. Before performing an action, consider

how your action may be interpreted. If the impact could have a negative impact or could leave room

for misinterpretation, then abandon the plan to use it.

Be private in a public setting: This principle encourages a “transparent” approach. If a leader is

required to speak with a program participant individually, then it is wise to do so privately in a public

setting. For example, moving a few metres away from the rest of the group, but staying within the

view of all of the group, allows a leader to have a private conversation without others hearing what is

being discussed.

Communicate intentions: When it is necessary to speak to a program participant privately, even

in the view of others, then it is wise to inform another leader, if possible the program leader, of

the intention to do so. This removes the risk of supposition by others looking on, that anything

inappropriate could be happening. It is also a useful way of setting up a safety net, should it become

necessary to bring another leader into the conversation.

Be aware of the power of the role model: The behaviour of leaders is observed at all times by

the people who follow. Followers are quick to discern inconsistency between words and actions,

and credibility can be lost if they perceive inconsistencies. In terms of children, they will model the

behaviours they observe by the people who are in"uential in their lives. If a child admires a leader, then

they are likely to imitate the behaviours of that leader. As leaders, if we are discouraging, unreasonably

punitive, disaf#rming, disrespectful or sarcastic, this is what we are modelling. It can become of case

of a leader “reaping what they have sowed.”

Be aware of non-verbal communication messages: Non-verbal communication refers to all

methods or channels of communication not including the use of words. It includes body language,

physical characteristics and appearance, the distance one person stands from another, physical

environment and the use of time. The use of all of these categories of non-verbal communication

sends powerful messages to others. When working with children it is useful for a leader to

identify cues that a child has a problem, and needs support, through interpreting their non-verbal

communication.This is particularly useful in the case of a distressed child needing physical contact.

The more a leader observes the behaviour of children in their care, the easier it will be to identify a

distressed non-verbal cue. A general understanding of the impact of distance and personal space

is also useful for leaders. Most people need a certain degree of space between them and others.

In most cases, people can cope with others invading their personal space from the side. However,

most do not tolerate invasion either in front or behind. This may include using a projected voice at 1.2

55Safe Programs

metres from a child, or a new child to a program receiving a front hug for an extended period of time

by a leader they do not yet know. Depending on a child’s upbringing, and in some cases the location

of their upbringing — such as in a remote rural area — they may need even greater personal space,

than someone who has been raised in a densely populated area.

It is useful for leaders to consider the distances they stand or sit from the children in their care, and

determine if they may be making children uncomfortable, because they are operating within an

inappropriate space for a task.

Respond to the needs of individuals: When a person is distressed, it is important not to pre-

determine how much physical contact they need, based upon the need of the leader to provide

comfort. See protective behaviours section (p 31). It is also important to ask for permission, eg,

“Would you like me to sit with you?” or “Would you like me to pray with you?” Touch, counsel, and

emotional support is provided for the other person’s wellbeing, not for your own ego or to meet

emotional needs.

d. Responding to Incidents

While we all hope that they will never occur, people do have accidents and there are emergencies. At

these times, the health and safety of the person is of paramount concern and it may be necessary for

a leader to administer #rst aid to a person.

A critical incident is an event or set of circumstances that have the potential to result in physical or

psychological outcomes ranging from mild trauma to a fatality for one or more people. A Critical

incident Response Plan needs to be developed for churches. A Critical Incident Response Plan is a

systematic approach to planning and implementing an immediate and long-term response to a critical

incident. It has three main stages: preparedness, response and recovery. For more information on

how to do this visit <www.safechurches.org.au>.

We also recommend that injuries or accidents that require secondary medical attention eg, visit to

a doctor or medical centre, be written up on an Incident Report Form. Incidents of a serious nature

need to be reported to your denominational insurance company. It is necessary that all serious

incidents be reported to the appropriate denominational service, for further reporting requirements.

Also report all incidents to parents and/or care-givers of children and vulnerable adults.

Activity 4.2 Safety responses

Write a response for the scenario given to you. Include what you need to do:

1. In the moment — action plan now!

2. Over the next 24-48 hours, to follow up after the incident.

3. How can you avoid this from happening again in the future?

56


Module 4


a) Emotionally and spiritually safe environments.

Offer participants, including children, the opportunity to provide input in the programs and

the activities in which they participate by fostering and valuing their ideas, and encouraging

participation in all areas of the life of the church, as far as is sensible and practical. Ensure all

matierials used are in line with the teaching of the Bible, and are used as points of analysis and

learning. Obtain appropriate information relating to the program participants, including children’s

health and family situation, to ensure physical and emotional needs are met.

b) Safe physical environments.

Department (Program) Leaders will exercise a duty of care through the use of forms, checklists

and templates in the Safe Ministry section of our Website for establishment and maintenance of

safe environments in our church.

Department Leaders will complete a written ministry approval process annually. Establish and

maintain a safe physical environment inlcuding: #re safety, building safety, #rst aid, food safety

practices, risk assessment for activities, adequate ministry supervision for activities, transport,

critical incident and emergency recommendations.

Appendix

Forms for Implementation

59Forms for Implementation

List of FormsLocal Church Action Plan/Implementation Checklist .........................................................................60

Safe Ministry Policy ...........................................................................................................................60

Local Church Child Safe Policy .........................................................................................................61

Child Safe Code of Conduct .............................................................................................................62

Kids at Risk Brochure .......................................................................................................................63

Additional Safe Place Services Forms and Brochures .......................................................................64

Approval for Programs and Events Checklist ....................................................................................65

Sample Consent to Serve Interview ..................................................................................................66

Sample Letter to Participants’ Parents ..............................................................................................67

Participant Information Form .............................................................................................................68

Safety Checklist for Children/Youth Activities ....................................................................................69

Housekeeping and Risk Assessment Checklist .................................................................................70

Food Preparation and Storage Practices ..........................................................................................71

60


Appendix

Local Church Action Plan/Implementation

Checklist

! Arrange for the Conference Safe Place Coordinator to meet with the Church Board members.

! Arrange face-to-face or online training/orientation to take place (webinar).

! Appoint a Safe Place Coordinator.

! Promote the Policy with Resources (accessible at <www.safeplaceservices.org.au>).

! Perform all checks for those working with children

! Provide ongoing Safe Place training.

! Add ‘Safe Place’ reports as a regular, standing item on Board meeting agendas.

! Encourage those in the local church to embrace change in practices around screening and

appointing volunteers.

! Encourage team and department leaders to complete annual ministry approval process,

including planning events with an awareness of safety and use of of risk-assessment

housekeeping checklists.

Safe Ministry Policy

The Church is opposed to child abuse and sexual misconduct. These are a breach of trust and an

abuse of positions of power by leaders.

The Church will respond to child abuse and sexual misconduct when it occurs within the congregation

by seeking help from Government authorities and specialist services within the Church and

community.

The Church supports the investigation of allegations and complaints of child abuse and sexual

misconduct about Church workers, volunteers and attendees within the Church.

The Church will create a safe haven for children to grow and "ourish by:

• Screening volunteers who work with children.

• Promoting a Code of Conduct.

• Assessing the risks of Church-run events and activities that are planned for children.

The Church requires a Safety Agreement to be adhered to by applicants who have a conviction for a

sexually-related offence against a child.

Phone Safe Place Services to seek advice on reporting incidents within the Church and to authorities.


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62


Appendix

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64


Appendix

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Additional Safe Place Services Forms and

Brochures

Available on the Safe Place Services Website www.safeplaceservices.org.au.

Incident Report Form (can be submitted on-line), to use when there is a child-protection concern

List of statutory Child Protection services, across Australia and New Zealand, for making a noti!cation

of harm to a child.

An Activity Risk Assessment form, to be completed for all non-regular Church-sponsored activities,

and approved by the Board/Business Meeting prior to the activity proceeding.

Formal ‘Complaint/Allegation’ forms can also be submitted online, as can a ‘Person of Interest’ form

if it is believed a Church Worker (employee), volunteer or attendee has contact (directly or indirectly)

with a child/youth environment and they are thought to have a conviction for an offence of a sexual,

pornographic or violent offence against a child and must therefore undergo Risk Assessment for a

Safety Agreement.

Volunteer Application Forms, with Referees

Sample Questions for conducting Referee Checks

Volunteer Pledge / Declaration with consent to serve

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Approval for Programs and Events Checklist

This is a written accountability tool for ensuring that you have done your risk-management

assessment and are ready to run your program for the year/semester/event.

Submit annually to your church board.

Church Name: _________________________________________________________________________

Name of Program/event: ________________________________________________________________

Where the Program / Event takes place: ___________________________________________________

Timing of Program: _____________________________________________________________________

Safe Place Coordinator for church: _________________ Contact Ph: ___________________________

Ministry Coordinators: ___________________________________________________________________

Program Leader/s Name: _________________________ Contact Ph: ___________________________

Times Available to the team: _____________________________________________________________

Name: _________________________________________ Contact Ph: ___________________________

Times Available to the team: _____________________________________________________________

Program First Aid person:________________________________________________________________

Emergency Numbers: ____________________________ Ambulance: ___________________________

Local Fire Brigade: ______________________________ Local Police: ___________________________

Complete (and attach where appropriate) the following:

Team list (team is large enough to safely run the program)

Team has been trained, or will attend Safe Places training

Team has been appointed and forms !led at church

Form 2 Safety Checklist for Children/Youth activities completed

Individual program risks have been assessed and negated or minimised (Safety plans for

individual program risks attached)

Housekeeping Checklist attached

Participant Information gathered (age-appropriate information)

Notes for permission prepared and/or are/ will be collected as necessary

Term Program attached (where appropiate)

66


Appendix

Sample Consent to Serve Interview

(information to communicate and collect)

1. Welcome

Welcome the person, outline why you are getting together, ie, to discuss the role of (insert appropriate

role). This is a time for talking about what the ministry is about and the expectations of the role. It is

also to !nd out if this person is suitable for the role.

Be sure to af!rm the person. This is about ministry. Minister to them in love and comfort, don’t make

it too formal. This about getting to know the person, not to interrogating them and making them feel

uncomfortable. One way to help them might be to do this in a setting that is informal, like around a

meal or in a cafe. Be sure to pray with the person, before and after.

2. Let them know that their answers may be disclosed to appropriate leaders in the church.

3. Explain the of!ce to be !lled, job description and expecations — read through with them.

Provide the person with a copy of the following expections and relevant code of conduct

(eg, Child Safe Code of Conduct).

Expectations

As a leader you are expected to:

• Commit to the aims of the ministry.

• Support other leaders.

• Ful!ll your ministry role as described to you by your ministry co-ordinator with humility and

integrity.

• Undergo any training required for your ministry position.

• Attend ministry team meetings as required.

• Embrace the church code of conduct.

As a person in a ministry role within the church you could expect that your leaders will:

• Care for and uphold in prayer all leaders and ministry coordinators.

• Provide mechanisms to support and supervise all leaders and ministry coordinators in their

roles.

• Ensure resources (people, !nancial, administrative access and equipment) are available for

approved ministry programs.

• Provide mechanisms to access approved ministry training.

4. Ask and record answers to the following questions:

a. Can you describe more fully the reasons you desire to serve as a leader?

b. Can you describe a positive experience in your past ministry?

c. Can you describe a negative experience in your past ministry?

d. Do you consider yourself a positive role model? Why/not?

e. Is there any other information we should know relating to your suitability for this ministry?

5. Complete Relevant Forms

If the person is willing to give their consent, and they have not completed the appropriate Volunteer

Application Forms, with Referees Sample Questions for conducting Referee Checks, Volunteer

Pledge/Declaration with consent to serve, and WWCC, complete these with them (available at <www.

safeplaceservices.org.au>).


Sample Letter to Participants’ Parents

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We would like to welcome you and your child/ren to (name of your church and program). Thank you

for trusting us to provide a safe place to explore the spiritual side of life.

Here at (name of your Church) we understand the need to provide a safe physical and emotional

environment for all people. We admit that in the past the Church in general has, on occasion, been

guilty of failing to provide safe environments for some vulnerable people. We, however, have taken

several proactive steps towards creating a safe environment for all vulnerable people including

children. All youth and children’s leaders in our church are properly screened before they are allowed

to work with children and young people and have undergone safe church training.

We have also implemented a Safe Ministry Policy. Part of this policy is that our leaders will abide

by our Leader’s code of conduct. We have also made a commitment to report via our Safe Places

Coordinator to the government Child Protection services any children who are at risk of harm.

In the interest of keeping your child/ren as safe as we can, we would ask that you take a few

moments to complete the attached Child Information Form.

All information on the form will be kept con!dentially in the church records. (Name of program) begins

at (time) and ends at (time).

As part of our commitment to being safe, we ask that you please pick up your child at this time, or

inform us in writing of other transportation arrangements on the Child Information Form.

Thank you for your participation in helping provide a safe place for your child/ren.

(Name of department leader)

(Name of church)

68


Appendix

Participant Information Form

Church name: ___________________________ Program name: _______________________________

GENERAL INFORMATION

Participant’s name: _____________________________________________ Date of Birth: _____________

Parents/Guardians’ names: _______________________________________________________________

Home phone (Fa): ___________________________ Mobile (Fa): ________________________________

Home phone (Mo): __________________________ Mobile (Mo): ________________________________

Email (Fa): __________________________________ Email (Mo): _________________________________

MEDICAL INFORMATION

Please list any medical conditions or allergies, and any medication or special care they require.

______________________________________________________________________________________

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS: Is your child on a restricted diet? !Yes !No

If yes, please indicate foods or beverages your child should not consume: _______________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY – CONTACT NUMBERS

Name: __________________________________ Relationship to child: ___________________________

Phone: (h) _____________________ (w) _________________________ (m) _______________________

ALTERNATIVE EMERGENCY CONTACT

Name: __________________________________ Relationship to child: ___________________________

Phone: (h) ______________________ (w) ________________________ (m) _______________________

I authorise the leader in charge of the above-mentioned group to arrange for my child to

receive such !rst aid and medical treatment as a trained !rst aid person may deem necessary.

I authorise the use of calling an ambulance by a quali!ed medical practitioner if in his/ her

judgment it is necessary.

I accept responsibility for payment of all expenses associated with such treatment.

Please read the statements below and tick the boxes from which you wish to preclude your

children:

I DO NOT give permission for my child to participate in activities outside of the normal meeting

complex except where they are within reasonable walking distance.

I DO NOT give permission for my child to be transported in private cars arranged by the leaders

of the above named group.

I DO NOT permit photos taken of my child to be displayed on noticeboards in the church.

I DO NOT permit photos taken of my child to be displayed in church publications, eg, website,

newsletters, brochures, etc.

TRANSPORT AUTHORITY: If I am unable to collect my child at the !nishing time they may be

transported home from the program with the following people:

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Signature of Parent/Guardian: ________________________________________ Date: _______________


Safety Checklist for Children/Youth Activities(Updated by Safe Place Services 2011)

Host Church / Path!nder Club

• Has the’host’ Church passed a Child-Safe Policy?

• Does the Church / Club have a Code of Conduct?

• Have all volunteers been provided with access to the Policy and Code of Conduct?

• Has the’host’ Church appointed a Child-Safe coordinator, leader or of!cer?

• Have Board members and child-related leaders been trained in identifying and responding to

• indicators of child abuse and neglect?

• Are exit lights, !rst aid items, electrical appliances; and !re-!ghting equipment in safe working

order; regularly inspected; and tagged by an authorised person as required by relevant

standards?

Children’s Volunteers

• Have all volunteers in child-related roles Completed the relevant State Based Working with

Children Check (eg, NSW Volunteers sign a Prohibited Person Declaration Form, a legal

requirent)?

• Are all volunteers appointed by the Church’s Nominating Process, or other authorised person,

committee or process?

• Have volunteers been provided with any orientation or training for their role/area of ministry to

children and young people?

• Are volunteers aware of who to contact with concerns that they may have about children or

other staff/volunteers?

• Do staff know where to !nd emergency contact and medical information, if needed, or the

person to contact for this information?

• Is private information kept safe and secure, and accessed by appropriate/authorized personnel?

• Is training ever provided or required for children’s volunteers, in areas such as (i) child protection;

(ii) !rst aid; (iii) anti-bullying responses; (iv) behaviour management strategies; or (v) dispensing

medication?

• If a Court Order is in place (eg, Family Court access order or State Court AVO etc), are relevant

volunteers made aware of this and the requirements that need to be adhered to?

Venue and Facility

• Is the venue suitable for the intended purpose?

• Is all the plant and its equipment safe and in working order?

• Is the venue visible and transparent to passing observers, eg, glass panels in doors; curtains

open/windows not covered; doors open; no concealed spaces used?

• Are children under 10-years required to be signed in/out by a parent or guardian?

• Is there a protocol in place for children going to/from toilets and to check that the facilities are

safe?

• Are small and hazardous items out of reach of children and stored suitably?

Activity

• For inherently ‘higher risk’activities, such as some sporting and recreational activities, has a risk

assessment been conducted and approved by the Church / Club Board or leadership team?

• Are all off-site and overnight activities authorised by a ‘host’ Church Board, for insurance

coverage?

• Where necessary, are parental consents / permission slips completed?

• Are there at least two adults (persons over 18 years of age) present at all times, and an adequate

ratio of volunteers/children for the designated activity?

• If transporting children, has (a) parental permission been obtained and (b) drivers been assessed

as suitable and (c) the vehicle [eg, private car or buses etc] registered and safety compliant?

• Where necessary, is there a !rst aid of!cer; adequate shade, shelter and sun protection; and

emergency supplies of food and safe water?

70


Appendix

Housekeeping and Risk Assessment Checklist

1. HEALTH AND SAFETY FLOORS, AISLES, STAIRS, ETC.

a. Are all aisles clear?

b. Are all "oors, aisles, stairs and landings free of slip, trip and fall hazards?

c. Are stairs free of worn or broken treads?

d. Are all handrails in good repair?

e. Are non-skid strips on stairs in good condition?

2. ELECTRICAL POWER

a. Are all electrical plugs, sockets and switches in good working order?

b. Are all appliances free of frayed or otherwise defective leads (checked and tagged)?

c. Do appliances have access to a power socket free of double-adaptors?

d. Are all lights adequate and operational?

e. Are residual current devices installed and maintained?

3. EMERGENCY RESPONSE

a. Is the church evacuation procedure clearly displayed?

b. Are !re extinguishers appropriate to materials used in their vicinity?

c. Are !re extinguishers readily available and properly mounted?

d. Are !re extinguishers properly maintained and inspected?

e. Are exits and exit signs adequately illuminated?

f. Are all exits and !re doors in good repair?

g. Are all exits unobstructed both internally and externally?

h. Are all incidents recorded on the Incident Report Form?

4. STORAGE

a. Are all items being stored clear of traf!c areas?

b. Where items are stacked for storage, are the stacks stable, with a good solid base?

c. Are storage areas kept clear of rubbish and unwanted material?

d. Where it is necessary to store "ammable items, are they stored correctly?

5. FIRST AID

a. Are all !rst aid kits clearly identi!ed?

b. Are the !rst aid kits properly stocked and maintained and operational?

c. Are the names of quali!ed !rst aiders clearly displayed?

6. CAR PARKS AND OUTDOOR AREAS

a. Are car parks and outdoor areas kept clean and free of rubbish?

b. Do car parks and outdoor areas have even surfaces; ie, no holes?

c. Are car parks and outdoor areas free of grease and oil patches?

d. In car parks, are vehicle traf!c ways clearly marked and lit?

e. Are car parks free of dense shrubbery obstructing vision?

7. DOES THE PROGRAM USE A SIGN IN/SIGN OUT SHEET (OR ROLL)?

a. Is the outside play fence (minimum height 1.5 metres) equipped with a child-proof self-closing gate?

b. Is the playing space (outside and inside) appropriate for the number of children?

c. Are there any dangers, gully traps, unprotected steps?

d. Are there appropriate surfaces for activities, eg, impact absorbing under play-equipment?

e. Is there a sand pit and is it well-drained; does it have safe surrounds and shade?

f. Do you have appropriate shade provided in outside play areas?

g. Do you have access to a telephone (mobile/landline) in case of an emergency?

h. Are there appropriate toilet facilities available for children?

8. LEADERS

a. Have all leaders been recruited according our policy?

b. Have all leaders committed to the Code of Conduct?

c. Are there suf!cient leaders to ensure the safety of program participants?

d. Are at least two of your leaders properly trained in !rst aid?

9. MATERIAL

a. Does the church have a policy that governs the approval of teaching material used?

b. Are leaders within the program required to use material provided by the church?

c. Are program participants given a say (voice) in decisions relating to the materials used?

NOTE: For an ‘incident report’ regarding a physical environment contact the South Paci!c

Division Risk Management Services.


Food Preparation and Storage Practices

RECEIVING FOOD

Keeping food safe starts from the moment that the food arrives:

• Check that your food suppliers are supplying safe food.

• Ensure that perishable food arrives in a refrigerated food vehicle, and check the temperature of

deliveries when they arrive. Then transfer to the correct type of storage.

• Dry goods, dry ingredients or canned foods should be in good condition, without torn

packaging or heavily dented cans.

PREPARING FOOD

• Use separate utensils, including cutting boards and knives, for raw food and cooked food. If

this is not possible, thoroughly wash and sanitise equipment before using it.

• Wash all fruit and vegetables in clean water before using them.

• Don’t use food from damaged packaging.

• Don’t let raw food come into contact with cooked food to avoid cross-contamination.

HANDLING FOOD

• Cooked, or ready-to-eat food shouldn’t be handled with bare hands. Use tongs, spatulas,

spoons, or disposable gloves.

• Raw food to be cooked can be handled with bare hands.

• Change disposable gloves every hour and/or when they tear and/or when you change tasks.

COOKING AND HEATING

• Before cooking frozen food, defrost in microwave or at the bottom of the refrigerator.

• Never put thawed food back in the freezer.

• Cook thawed food immediately after thawing.

• Cook all foods completely, especially red meat, !sh and chicken.

• Reheating: bring to the boil and simmer for a minimum of 5 minutes before serving (or

microwave using manufacturer’s guidelines).

STORING FOOD

Temperature: meat, dairy or !sh (not already processed by heat) are high-risk foods. Store at the

correct temperature, frozen (hard) at -15°C or cooler or refrigerated at 5°C or cooler.

Time: Don’t keep food in storage for too long. Record dates, ‘!rst in - !rst out’rule. Food should be

out of refrigeration for a maximun of four hours.

DISPLAYING FOOD

• Wrap or cover all food on display. Tag or label food trays, not the food.

• Refrigerated displays must be 5°C or cooler and hot displays 60°C or hotter.

• Don’t use hot display equipment to reheat food.

TRANSPORTING FOOD

• Keep cold by using insulated containers such as an Esky™ with ice or cold blocks.

• Food which is to be served hot should be transported cold and heated at the event.

Safe Church Training Manual - sps.org.au Church Training... · The SCTA Safe Church Awareness Manual is written by Peter Barnett & Celia Irving and draws its content from their works:

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