our commitment to child safety & vulnerable people

Taken from the Anglican Diocese Child Safe Policy (link below)

 

The Anglican Church of Australia within the Diocese of Melbourne, including its
Cathedral Church of St Paul and each parish or congregation or faith community within
the diocese (the Church) is committed to child safe practice. The care, the safety and
the welfare of children are embedded in policies and practices which are intended to
reflect a commitment to zero tolerance of child abuse.

When Jesus uttered his beautiful words, ‘let the children come to me and do not hinder
them’ (Matt 19:14) he set the benchmark for us. We want to continue to be a Church
where children and families are welcome and participate fully. We want to be an open
community where people of all ages gather and interact. We want to be a Church
where children and young people are fully engaged and have every opportunity to
flourish and grow. We want to be a safe place and to put no barriers in place that will
harm or hinder children and young people.

In all its actions and programs, we seek to maintain high ethical standards and work
in accordance with child safe practices and child protection reporting guidelines. The
participation and empowerment of all children is a consideration in decision-making,
as we seek to provide a safe and nurturing environment where children are respected
and listened to.

The Church has zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns
will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.
We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about
a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously. We are committed to preventing child
abuse and identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks.