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

We are very pleased to advise that over 92% of Australian congregations have now submitted one of the following:

1. Child Safety Plan for their congregation or parish, or
2. An assurance that they have no children in regular attendance.

This demonstrates a terrific response and significant commitment from congregations – congratulations and a big thank you to all of you!

The next step is for congregations to make sure that their Child Safety Plans are being implemented. They will not be very useful to your congregation if they simply sit on the shelf.

One simple way to start is by making sure that child safety is regularly on your leadership agenda. This will help to draw attention to the actions in your Child Safety Plan and help you to review how well they are being addressed.

Remember this is a continuous development and learning process - you are not expected to complete all of your actions at once. Our advice is to focus on one or two actions in your plan at any one time.
 

Our partners in child safety, Child Safe Australia, have prepared the following resource on listening to children:
 

If you ask the children in your congregation about their feelings relating to safety and they respond with any of the comments listed in the boxes above, you know that you are doing a lot of things right!

Children who feel safe, nurtured, comfortable, listened to, and valued in their church environment, are much more likely to speak up if they are being hurt or feel unsafe. They are also much more likely to keep coming to church and to engage with church life and its activities. It is also means it is much more likely that you are contributing to their overall spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being.

This resource and many more ChildSafe resources can be found here:
Child Safety Resources & Training | ChildSafe Australia 
 

Another resource that you will remember is our LCA Commitment to Child Safety:

This statement represents your public commitment to the children in your congregation and your commitment to their safety and well-being – a very important and positive message. If you haven’t done so already, please download this statement from our LCA Child Safety page and display it prominently in your congregational spaces.

You may also wish to include it in your newsletters and social media posts. Some congregations are displaying it and other child safe messages via power-point during and after worship.

Please revisit our webpage LCA Child Safety page where you will find many more resources, including some power-point slides and videos, for additional ideas, resources, and suggestions. We are always developing more.
 

Any questions?

We are here to help and advise – please don't hesitate to contact:

• Your district Professional Standards Officer details here or
• Nicole Hall or Mary-Ann Carver | Churchwide Child Safety Team

email: css@lca.org.au
Phone: Nicole: 08 8267 7372 or 0491 011 643 | Mary-Ann: 0490 281 727 
 

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, Level 1 Refresher and Level 2 training is also available online

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