LOVE COMES TO LIFE when we treat each other with courtesy and respect, and when the way we behave towards each other reflects the way God loves us.

Child Safety Standards
Spotlight on "Standard 6"

All congregations should now be in the process of implementing the Child Safety Standards and working with their Child Safety Plan, to address any areas they have identified where there is room for improvement.

This month we are putting a spotlight on Standard 6: - 
“Our complaints system is child-focused” 

How we do this: 

• We make sure everyone who works or volunteers with children, including our Pastors and leadership teams, are familiar with the LCA Child Protection Policy and Procedure documents found at www.lca.org.au/policies 
• We also make sure that everyone knows how to handle a report of abuse, feels comfortable to do so and knows where to reach out for additional support and advice. 
• We make sure that everyone knows how to contact the relevant child protection authority. 
• We document and keep records of any complaints or reports on Safety Management Online, or in other appropriate and secure ways. 
• Children and families see posters, about how to make a complaint, as well as posters that display the faces of familiar leaders who know how to listen and be supportive. 

You can find resources to support this Standard from the Professional Standards Department here and can access child-friendly posters here

Talk to the Professional Standards team if you need further assistance. 

Always dial 000 if a child is in immediate danger! 
 

Former childcare worker from Gold Coast charged with more than 1,600 child sex offences

A former childcare worker has been charged with 1,623 child abuse offences against 91 children, police have revealed.

A Gold Coast man, 45, has been charged with 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.
 

An investigation involving the Australian Federal Police as well as Queensland and New South Wales police led to the arrest of the man for offences committed in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas between 2007 and 2022.

See here for more details
 

From a church point of view it is important to note that, at the time of the alleged offences, this man held a Working With Children Check (also known as a Blue Card in Queensland). Unfortunately too many people, including some in our church, hold the mistaken view that a working with children type clearance means a person must be suitable to work with children. It is certainly an essential step when screening potential pastors, lay workers, employees and volunteers to ask them to apply for a working with children type check. However this is only one basic step in screening a person and a clearance does not mean they are suitable to work with children or are a safe person. It might just mean they haven’t been caught yet! We need to continue to keep working with children type checks up to date, but not rely too heavily on them! 

It is also important to point out our LCA Child Safety Standards remind us that there are 10 key areas for us to consider, as we work towards becoming child safe congregations. Child safe screening is only one small part of the larger child safety picture.

The other factor to note is that these alleged offences occurred within formal child care settings, environments where child safety awareness is typically high and monitoring is stringent, more so than in churches and places of worship. These allegations and their context are a salutary reminder to us of the importance of a child safe culture within our congregations and the need for all of us to be vigilant, regarding the safety of the children in our care.

Bravehearts: 1800 272 831

Lifeline: 13 11 14

WORKSHOPS

Safe Church Level 1
Safe Church Level 1 Refresher
Safe Church Level 2

If you are unable to travel to a workshop, Level 1 and Level 2 training is also available online

Please do remember that Professional Standards staff are available to assist you, so feel free to give us a call!

Blessings from your Professional Standards team

Questions|Concerns|Feedback

Your local Professional Standards Officers are here to support you.

PSD webpage shortcuts

• Homepage and PSO contact details    www.lca.org.au/psd
• Training    www.lca.org.au/safechurchtraining
• Frequently Asked Questions    www.lca.org.au/psd-faqs
• Resources, including for Safe Church Coordinators    www.lca.org.au/psd-sp3
• LCA Standards of Ethical Behaviour    www.lca.org.au/seb