The Archdiocese of Brisbane has zero tolerance for all forms of abuse. We are committed to safeguarding all who participate in the life of the Church, especially children and adults-at-risk.

The safety, dignity and wellbeing of every person is paramount. We seek to ensure that all people are welcomed, respected and protected in our parishes, communities, ministries, services and agencies.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable
Adults Policy

POLICY STATEMENT

Here at St John’s Wood/The Gap Parish we are committed to upholding the Archdiocesan Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy which states:

The Church loves all her children like a loving mother, but cares for all and protects with a special affection those who are smallest and defenceless. This is the duty that Christ himself entrusted to the entire Christian community.

This means that everyone in the church must ensure that the fundamental rights of children, young people and vulnerable adults are respected. This will be achieved through the development of respectful relationships and a commitment to safety embracing appropriate boundaries, behaviours and practices, in accordance with the Archdiocese of Brisbane Code of Ethical Behaviour for employees and volunteers who work in service of the Church as well as adherence to the legislative imperatives of the State.

Local Safeguarding Representative

Our Local Safeguarding Representative is Ann Lister.

She can be contacted at the Parish office on Thursdays and Fridays on (07) 3300 6099 or by email at lsr.thegap@bne.catholic.net.au

Within the Archdiocese, safeguarding includes the actions undertaken to promote the protection and well-being of those who engage with the Archdiocese and to prevent abuse.

AOB Safeguarding Policy for Parishes

Safeguarding Charter

AOB Safeguarding committment

The Archdiocese is committed to fostering a culture where people are encouraged to raise concerns and can do so safely.

The Archdiocese strongly encourages anyone who suspects criminal conduct by Archdiocesan personnel to report the matter directly to the Queensland Police Service.

Criminal Offence – Failure to Report Belief of Child Sexual Offence

(Criminal Code – Section 229BC)

In Queensland, an adult commits a crime if they:

have a reasonable belief that another adult;
is committing (in the present) or has committed (in the past) a child sexual offence; and
the adult fails to disclose the information to a police officer as soon as reasonably practicable;
unless they have a reasonable excuse for not reporting it to the police.

(Maximum penalty – 3 years imprisonment)

** If a child is in immediate danger or risk of harm, contact the police directly and without delay.

STOPline Service

STOPline is an independent commercial service that receives confidential information and reports about suspected abuse, serious misconduct and policy breaches by Archdiocesan personnel, including clergy, religious, employees and volunteers. The service also applies to Brisbane Catholic Education and Centacare Brisbane.

STOPline is available to all Archdiocesan personnel, volunteers and the general community.

Information can be provided to STOPline anonymously.

Visit https://bnecatholic.stoplinereport.com/

Queensland Police Service

Emergency: 000
Non-emergency ‘PoliceLink’: 131 444
Online: www.police.qld.gov.au

Child Safety Services

Regional Intake Service (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)

Child Safety After Hours Service Centre
Ph: 1800 177 135

Office of the Public Guardian

The Office of the Public Guardian safeguards the rights and interests of people with impaired decision-making capacity by investigating allegations of neglect, exploitation and abuse.

Phone: 1300 653 187
Email: publicguardian@publicguardian.qld.gov.au
Report

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0rzf4aUJiY

SAFEGUARDING TRAINING

The Queensland Government has implemented new laws to increase the protection of children from sexual abuse and which place new legal obligations on all adults in Queensland. It is important that all Archdiocesan volunteers have an understanding of those legal obligations.

Click on the below link to watch a short presentation on the new laws. The presentation aims to raise awareness of the laws, and the process for reporting child sexual abuse suspicions that arise while working for the Archdiocese.

Video – News Laws to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse

After you have watched the presentation, a Confirmation of Completion form must be submitted for compliance purposes. This can be done by online or hardcopy form (see the below links). Hardcopy forms will need to be verified (signed) by the relevant parish, ministry or community before being forward to the People & Culture (HR) Office.

IMPORTANT – Safeguarding training that is not properly registered with the People & Culture (HR) Office will not be recognised for compliance.

Online – Confirmation of Training Completion form
Hardcopy – Confirmation of Safeguarding Training Completion form

The Archdiocese of Brisbane has two safeguarding training modules, Applied Safeguarding Training (level 2) and training for Local Safeguarding Representatives.

Below are links to access the training modules online.

IMPORTANT – Archdiocesan clergy and employees will be allocated the relevant safeguarding training via the internal Arch e-Learn online training system. Training completed by Archdiocesan clergy and employees via this website will not be recognised for compliance.

Applied Safeguarding Training (level 2 – Mandatory for everyone)

The Applied Safeguarding training module is designed for individuals who work with children or adults-at-risk (including clergy, seminarians, religious and religious aspirants/postulants). The training builds on the knowledge gained through the Safeguarding Induction. It takes about 45 minutes to complete.

Completion of the Safeguarding Induction is a prerequisite for this training.

Working with Children or Adults-at-Risk
Working with children or adults-at-risk means undertaking activities and ministries where contact with children or adults-at-risk is part of the activity, or reasonably expected, and the contact is more than incidental (i.e. brief or in passing).

Applied Safeguarding Training video

Confirmation of Completion

After completing the training, a Confirmation of Completion form must be submitted to register the training.

This can be done by online or hardcopy form (see the below links). Hardcopy forms will need to be verified (signed) by the relevant parish, ministry or community before being forward to the People & Culture (HR) Office.

IMPORTANT – Safeguarding training that is not properly registered with the People & Culture (HR) Office will not be recognised for compliance.

Online – Confirmation of Safeguarding Training Completion form
Hardcopy – Confirmation of Safeguarding Training Completion form

Safeguarding News