Child-Focused Leadership

Working with Children Week runs from 20 to 26 June. It is a chance to celebrate those who put children first.

The team in the Safe Church Unit is committed to valuing a child-safe culture and supporting presbyteries, congregations, ministers, staff and volunteers to provide safe and quality services and activities to children.

There are several ways we prioritise the interests and safety of children and young people in the church.

All leaders (ministers, staff and volunteers) who have a child focus or who have responsibility for making decisions about child safety in the church hold a Working With Children Check (WWCC NSW) or Working with Vulnerable People Check (WWVPC ACT). People getting their WWCC or WWVPC is only the first step.

The second step is for the check to be verified. This is completed online and ensures that if the status of a person changes then the church is notified immediately.

The third step is to keep all contact details up to date and to renew the check every five years.

Rev. Tara Curlewis is the Safe Church Relations Minister.

“Keeping children safe is more than numbers and having the “check,”” she said.

“It is also knowing and implementing the child safe policies and codes of conduct that form the framework for all activities where children participate.”

The Synod Safe Church Unit has a range of resources available on the website to assist congregations to ensure the safety of children.

“Child safety is a core part of who we are as the church. Our priority is to ensure that we are A Safe Church for all people – Where everyone has a part” Rev. Curlewis said.

For more information, contact the Safe Church Unit on 8267 4351.