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May 2025 SMR News
Welcome to the May Newsletter!
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- New Resources available on the Safe Ministry website
- WWCC Compliance and SRE Circular
- Expanding the coverage of the Safe Ministry Training requirements
- New and new-ish Safe Ministry Reps - Zoom Workshops
- Supporting Safe Ministry Representatives Survey
- Safe Ministry parish consultations
- Safe Ministry Training requirements
- Face to face training 2025
- Face to face training (Chinese)
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3 New Resources from the Office of Safe Ministry
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Where can you get help poster
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The poster helps to inform children and youth about who to speak to if they are feeling unsafe.
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The poster is designed to be placed in locations where children and youth frequent such as areas where children’s and youth programs are run, bathrooms or hallways.
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The specific names of Safe people within the church can be added using the Add text feature in PDF.
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Increasing the personal safety of children in churches
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The purpose of this resource is to encourage conversations within our churches about increasing personal safety and protecting children from harm by using protective strategies such as:
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1. Teaching children Protective Behaviours.
It provides an overview of the Protective Behaviours skills along with strategies for teaching these to children using a planned approach or incidental teaching moments.
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2. Giving children opportunities to Participate in decisions affecting them.
It outlines the benefits of increasing the participation of children in our ministries, a model for application to church contexts and helpful leader skills.
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Responding to problematic and harmful sexualised behaviours in children - a guide for churches
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The purpose of this guide is to support church leaders in developing appropriate responses when children display problematic or harmful sexualised behaviours.
Content:
1. Is this a behaviour I should be concerned about?
2. What is healthy sexual development in children?
3. Sexualised behaviours of concern: common, problematic and harmful.
4. Can we prevent these behaviours impacting our ministry programs?
5. How do I respond when I become aware this behaviour is occurring?
6. What are my reporting responsibilities?
7. What about the parents?
8. What help is available for children who have displayed or engaged in problematic or harmful sexualised behaviours?
9. Where can I get more information?
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Available in the Safe Practices - Guides tab via the link below.
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WWCC Compliance and SRE Circular
On May 2nd all Rectors, Ministers-in-Charge and Wardens in Parishes of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney received a Circular from the Director of Safe Ministry.
Re: Synod resolution 50/24 (SRE and the Office of the Children’s Guardian)
The purpose of the circular is to inform/remind church leaders of their ongoing obligations under the Working With Children Check Scheme to ensure churches are compliant, with particular reference to the provision of Special Religious Education (SRE).
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You can find a copy of the circular on the Safe Ministry website here.
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Expanding the coverage of the Safe Ministry Training requirements
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The Safe Ministry Training Amendment Ordinance 2024 was passed and assented at the December 2024 Standing Committee meeting.
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From 31/12/2025 the additional following roles will be required to have satisfactorily completed Safe Ministry Training: Parish Councillors, Wardens, Parish Staff Members.
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For more information see the updated Ordinances located:
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New and new-ish Safe Ministry Reps - Zoom Workshops
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The next SMR 101 Zoom workshops will happen in June 2025.
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If you are new (or new-ish) to the role of SMR, then invest an hour in this workshop and reap the benefits!
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No booking or rego required - just boot up your device at the right time and click the appropriate link below. Have your questions and a notebook ready!
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Two days/times - identical content.
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- Monday June 30th @ 10:30am - 11:30am
- Monday June 30th @ 07:30pm - 08:30pm
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Supporting Safe Ministry Representatives Survey
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Thank you to all those who provided feedback to the Survey.
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Overall the responses indicated all of the current means of support were beneficial so we will continue to provide the Newsletter, Zoom Workshops, Facebook Group, Telephone/Email support and Parish Consultations.
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There were three main challenges for the Safe Ministry Representative that were common amongst responders:
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- increasing the recognition within the Parish of the importance of Safe Ministry
- encouraging leaders to complete Safe Ministry training on time
- having enough time for record keeping and follow up.
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A number of suggestions were made about additional resources that would be helpful specifically in meeting the requirements of the Child Safe Standards. The Office of Safe Ministry will be working to produce further resources to support churches to implement the Child Safe Standards.
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Safe Ministry Consultations
Would you like to improve safe ministry practices in your church in 2025?
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Then participate in a Safe Ministry Parish Consultation.
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A Safe Ministry Parish consultation provides an opportunity to obtain feedback about your church’s safe ministry practices and receive recommendations for making improvements as part of your church’s continuous improvement process.
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Since 2022 under the NSW Child Safe Scheme churches are required to implement the 10 Child Safe Standards.
A Parish consultation can assist your church to:
- Highlight where your church is already meeting the Standards
- Bring to light gaps in implementation and develop a plan for continuous improvement
Additionally the consultation will review compliance with the Safe Ministry to Children Ordinance 2020.
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What’s involved?
+ Completing an online Child Safe Standards Self-Assessment tool
+ Meeting with the Parish Consultant and relevant staff in your church
+ Receive a Report which includes recommendations for improving Safe Ministry practices.
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Safe Ministry Training Requirements
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A few training reminders:
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# When a Junior Leader turns 18 years, they MUST complete the Essentials course (not Refresher), even if they have previously completed the Junior Leader course. More information is available here.
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Face to face training (English) - 2025 Dates
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Course enrolments open - 4 weeks prior to the event
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Course enrolments close - 48hrs prior to the event
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Step by step instructions to enrol in Face-to-Face Training are available here.
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Please note: You are not able to enrol or pay at the event.
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Listed below are the dates and venues for face-to-face training events to be held in 2025.
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Saturday 14 June 2025
Safe Ministry Essentials | 9.00am – 3.00pm
Narellan Anglican Church
St John’s Anglican Church, Ashfield
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Berkeley Life Centre
Safe Ministry Refresher | 9.00am – 12.30pm
Figtree Anglican Church
St James Anglican Church, Mt Druitt
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Saturday 30 August 2025
Safe Ministry Essentials | 9.00am – 3.00pm
St Andrew’s House, Sydney
Safe Ministry Refresher | 9.00am – 12.30pm
St Andrew’s House, Sydney
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Saturday 15 November 2025
Safe Ministry Essentials | 9.00am – 3.00pm
Jannali Anglican Church
Rouse Hill Anglican Church
St Stephen’s Anglican Church, Bomaderry
Safe Ministry Refresher | 9.00am – 12.30pm
St Alban’s Anglican Church, Lindfield
Shellharbour City Anglican Church
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Please encourage those in your church who would benefit from face to face training to enrol, and be prepared to assist them if necessary with the technology.
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- Applicants for face to face training need to have an account on the Safe Ministry Training website, log in and enrol in the course.
- Once they complete the course, they will be emailed their certificate a day or so later, and a copy of their certificate details sent to you, their SMR.
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Face to face training (Chinese)
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For information on face-to-face training in Chinese, please click here.
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Enrolments for June events are now open.
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SMR Facebook Group
A reminder that we have a private Facebook group just for SMR's
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- A safe and private place for SMR's to ask questions, support each other, share ideas or solutions to problems, etc
- The address is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173114257798286
- Involvement in this group is entirely optional - but it is proving to be a useful extra channel for SMR's to chat amongst themselves and pose questions.
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Keeping up to date with news
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An archive of all SMR Newsletters (since we moved to our new system) is available here.
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That's it for this edition! Back soon with more info about what is happening in the Safe Ministry scene.
If you are no longer the SMR for your church, please unsubscribe using the link below and drop me an email to let me know.
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