Church Policies

Church Policies

Safe Ministry

The Trinity Network of Churches is committed to the physical, emotional and spiritual welfare and safety of all people, particularly within its own community. Our aim is that everyone within our church will be able to safely participate and contribute in appropriate ministry programs, have every opportunity to grow and flourish, and that they will be able to safely report any incidents of abuse or safety concerns. We will respond appropriately to all reports in the interest of all those involved.

To build and maintain a safe community for our children and vulnerable adults, we are committed to ensuring that:

  1. All leaders are appropriately appointed, screened, and trained (see ‘Safe Ministry Policy and Process’ section below);
  2. All programs are led and run in a safe and appropriate manner; and
  3. There are clear procedures in place for dealing with incident reports and safety concerns.

QUICK MENU:

Safe Ministry Policy and Process

For the purposes of safe ministry policy, processes and procedures, Trinity Church Unley operates under and follows the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide’s policy, processes, screening and training requirements.

We require all staff, key ministry leaders and all who lead or help with children and youth ministry to:

  1. Abide by ‘Faithfulness in Service’ (Code of Conduct) and behave as followers of Jesus and be willing to be held accountable for their behaviour;
  2. Have a current Working with Children Check (WWCC) in South Australia;
  3. Complete the Adelaide Diocese safe ministry screening process, which includes providing referees who can confirm they are suitable to work with children and vulnerable people and that there is no reason they should not be appointed in such a role;
  4. Complete the approved safe ministry training course which outlines appropriate behaviour including how to minimise the chances of harm and abuse, as well as training in how to identify and report cases of abuse.

VIEW POLICY

VIEW PROCESS

Faithfulness in Service (Code of Conduct)

Faithfulness in Service is the national Anglican code for personal behaviour and the practice of pastoral ministry for pastors, church workers and volunteers. It is an important statement about how we seek to function and relate to others. It provides us with information about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable and with practical ways those standards can be achieved.

VIEW CODE OF CONDUCT

Process for Resolving Interpersonal Grievances

This process has been developed to assist church members in resolving issues that are primarily of a personal nature (interpersonal).

VIEW PROCESS

Process for Handling Concerns over Ministry and Leadership Decision Making

There are times when church members have a concern that they would like to raise with church leadership which is not primarily personal but about a sermon, a change, an incident that occurred, or a question of leadership or ministry practice. This process is meant to provide church members with an appropriate way to raise and get a response to issues of concern.

VIEW PROCESS

Child Abuse Report Line (CARL)

To report a suspected case of child abuse or neglect, call the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 13 14 78. The report line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Call 000 in an emergency.

All serious concerns must be reported via the report line and not via the online reporting system. Serious concerns include when you suspect a child or infant is in imminent or immediate danger of:

  • serious harm;
  • serious injury;
  • chronic neglect; or
  • when a child is in care of the department, and you suspect they are being abused or neglected.

Reporting Abuse

The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide Professional Standards Director is responsible for ensuring that all complaints are responded to quickly.

If you are a survivor of abuse that happened in a church setting, whether it happened yesterday or many years ago, in the Diocese of Adelaide or elsewhere, and you would like to talk to someone about what your support and reporting options are, you can contact Anglican Diocese of Adelaide Survivor Advocate.

Anglican Diocese of Adelaide Survivor Advocate
Sharon Lockwood
survivoradvocate@adelaideanglicans.com
0420 519 11

You can also talk to the Professional Standards Director, who is responsible for ensuring that all complaints are responded to quickly by the Diocese of Adelaide.

Professional Standards Director
psdirector@adam.com.au
08 8366 6589
0412 256 244

If a child has been abused or is at risk of any form of abuse, contact the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 131 478.

The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide has adopted legislation and procedures for responding to abuse by church workers (clergy, laypeople, volunteers and employees). Abuse is never the fault of the child or vulnerable person who was abused. Church workers must care for, protect, and respect everyone they have a pastoral or supervisory relationship with or have personal contact with. Church workers are never to take advantage of their vocation or position. Abuse by a church worker is a betrayal of power and trust.

Safe Ministry Administration

To assist the Trinity Network and each church in the Network to comply with their safe ministry responsibilities and requirements, a Network Safe Ministry Administrator has been put in place. The Network Safe Ministry Administrator can assist you with questions about the safe ministry process.

Network Safe Ministry Administrator
Sally-Anne Kerrison
sallyanne.kerrison@trinity.network

Safe Ministry Contacts

The Trinity Network also put in place safe ministry contacts who are available to hear people’s concerns and respond appropriately.

Network Business Manager
Andrew Severin
andrew.severin@trinity.network
0407 388 118

Trinity Church Unley Senior Pastor
Karl Forsyth
karl.forsyth@trinity.church

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to the Trinity Network of Churches. We recognise our responsibilities with regard to dealing carefully and properly with the information we collect and retain for our ministry purposes. We are committed to protecting your privacy, caring for you, and upholding our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 in accordance with Scripture.

VIEW POLICY