Child Safe Standards
Child Safe Standards Implementation resource PDF
Statement of Commitment to Child Safety
A Guide for Child Safety Posters PDF
Where can you get help? Poster Resource PDF
Increasing the personal safety of children in churches PDF
Child Safe Standards
The Child Safe Standards were a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. They provide a principle-based framework to help organisations working with children to develop strategies and create a culture that keeps children safe and protects them from harm. They are also a legal requirement in NSW for any organisations working with children.
The Safe Ministry Office has developed a resource to assist churches to implement the Child Safe Standards. The Child Safe Standards – implementation resource for churches includes examples of key strategies that can be used to implement each Standard; many are already being implemented in churches.
The list is not exhaustive. Its purpose is to assist with having conversations to inform action plans to strengthen safe ministry practices and create a culture that keeps children safe and protects them from harm.
Office of the Children’s Guardian
The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) has developed a number of helpful resources to assist organisations, including churches, in implementing the Child Safe Standards. These include the Child Safe Self-Assessment, a free online resource which generates a personalised Assessment and Action Report. A printable copy of the Child Safe Standards and their components can be accessed here.
Other resource guides from the OCG can be downloaded from their website, including
- Child Safe Standards and their components in multiple languages
- Empowerment and participation of children and young people in organisations
- Engaging sensitively with survivors of abuse
- Online safety for children
Statement of Commitment to Child Safety
A Statement of Commitment to Child Safety communicates to the whole church and wider community that keeping children safe is a priority. It also sets the expectation that keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility.
Adopting a Statement of Commitment to Child Safety supports implementation of Child Safe Standard 1 – Child safety is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.
The following Statement of Commitment to Child Safety can be utilised for this purpose. It can be displayed in a public location, included in role descriptions, promotional material, church website, children’s activity registration forms amongst other uses. An alternate Poster format is also available.
Statement of Commitment to Child Safety
Acknowledging that all people are made in the image of God and loved by Him, we are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children. We:
- listen to children,
- treat them with respect, and
- identify risks early to prevent harm.
A Guide for Child Safety Poster Resource
The Safe Ministry Office has developed a poster for churches to use to help meet Standard 2: Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously
The poster helps to inform children and youth about what makes a church a safe place and who to speak to if they are feeling unsafe.
Two versions are available:
- Version 1 is generic.
- Version 2 can be edited to add the name of the church which personalises the poster to the parish.
The posters are 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.
The Safe Ministry Office has developed a poster for churches to use to help meet Standard 2: Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
The poster helps to inform children and youth about who to speak to if they are feeling unsafe.
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.
The specific names of Safe people within the church can be added using the Add text feature in PDF.
Increasing the personal safety of children in churches
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:
- 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. - 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.
Links to External Protective Behaviours resources are available here.