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
Update

We are pleased to advise that over 80% of Australian congregations have now submitted one of the following:

1.      A Child Safety Plan for their congregation or parish, or

2.      An assurance that they have no children in regular attendance.

This demonstrates a remarkable increase in submissions to the CSS team over the past three months. It also indicates that congregations are embracing their child safety responsibilities in a positive way and that child safety is being prioritised at the congregational leadership level.

Of course, the next step is for congregations to make sure that their Child Safety Plans are implemented and regularly reviewed. For our monthly standards update, we are highlighting two key standards.
 

We know that keeping children safe is the responsibility of all members of the congregation, but this especially applies to the leadership team. It is the responsibility of the leadership team to drive a child safety culture by modelling child safe behaviours, communicating child safety messages, reviewing child safety progress, and, most importantly, by prioritising the safety of children if concerns arise.

Here are a few simple steps that leadership teams can implement:

• Include child safety in leadership team meeting and AGM agendas
• Make sure to review Child Safety Plan progress during leadership meetings
• Ensure screening and Safe Church training compliance is also reviewed, particularly in relation to leaders  
• Display the LCA Statement of Commitment to Child Safety in physical and
  on-line spaces

Congregations are safer when we work in partnership with families to keep children safe. We do this by including parents, carers, and children in decisions that affect them and by keeping families informed about how we keep their children safe.

Our newsletters, websites, and social media pages are how we keep our families informed. Using these platforms to share strong messages about child safety helps families to learn about our child safety initiatives and encourages them to communicate with us about safety ideas or concerns.

Here are a few simple steps relating to families that you could implement in your congregation:

• After the first session of ministries (Sunday school/confirmation) each year, invite parents to stay back to hear about a) what you are doing to keep their children safe and b) how they can feedback any concerns they might have.
• Ensure events where children and families are present include information about how safety is being maximised and who parents can speak to if they have concerns.
• Hold a “parent forum” to find out what parents want regarding their children’s safety and what they see as safe or unsafe. This might be held at the same time as similar forums for children and youth.
• After events are held, ask families to contribute to a review of the activity in either a formal or informal way (conversation/survey/feedback form)
   

You will find more suggestions and resources including short videos in our Resources section at the LCA Child Safety page

If you haven’t completed your Child Safety Plan:

For those congregations who are either still working on their Child Safety Plans, or who are yet to commence the process, please note you are still required to complete your Child Safety Plan and send it through to us.

Child Safety Plans can be submitted via the online portal at www.lca.org.au/css

If you are having difficulties or have queries, remember we are very happy to assist you.  Please just contact your district Professional Standards Officer or the Child Safety Standards team in the churchwide office. All contact details can be found below.

No Children in your congregation?

If you have no children attending or participating regularly at your congregation, you may be eligible to complete a ‘Congregation without Children – Child Safety Assurance’. Please give us a ring to see if this might be an option for your congregation.

Resources:
There is a range of resources available on the LCA Child Safety page

Just look for the ‘Resources’ section on the right-hand side of your screen and scroll down. 

Any questions?

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

• 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 

Bright Futures podcast series – Keeping Kids Safe

The Bright Futures podcast series ‘Keeping Kids Safe’ is specifically designed for parents and carers to provide them with an understanding of concerning and harmful sexual behaviours, including in online environments.

The first episode is a conversation with Bruce and Denise Morcombe
click here for more details

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 the churchwide office has numerous useful resources and templates available. These can be found on the web page, the portal, the learning hub and on Safety Management Online.

If you are looking for something and get stuck, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!

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