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July 2026 SMR News
Welcome to the July Newsletter!
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- Safe Ministry Team update
- New Parish Consultant
- Faithfulness in Ministry Conference
- SMR Teams 101 Workshops
- Safe Ministry parish consultations
- Safe Ministry Training Requirements
- Face to face training 2026
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Safe Ministry Team Update
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Some of you will be aware of the staff changes within the Safe Ministry team that have occurred this year.
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I was successful in my application for the newly created Safe Ministry Resources Manager position and took on the role in March.
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I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jillian Russell as the new Parish Consultant.
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Please read Jillian’s information below to learn more about her expertise and background.
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I am in the process of handing over the Parish Consultant role to Jillian who will be the first point of contact for Safe Ministry Representatives.
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It has been my privilege to be able to support you all as Safe Ministry Representatives. I am enthused by your commitment to improving safe ministry practices within the Parishes and look forward to hearing of all the great work being done at a local level.
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Welcome Jillian Russell
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My name is Jillian Russell, and I am delighted to be your new Parish Consultant, here to support you in your important task of being the Safe Ministry Representative for your parish.
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A little bit about me: I grew up in Perth city and worshipped at St Georges’ Cathedral because there was no Parish Church nearby. The congregation was transitory, with different people coming and going and very few children. It was hard to establish relationships in that context. When my husband, Peter, and I moved to NSW as a young couple with a baby, it was wonderful to be welcomed into the family Church community at St Mark’s Northbridge where we have been ever since, serving in various capacities, including previously for myself, the Safe Ministry Representative.
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I have a legal background, having worked as a generalist solicitor for many years before becoming general counsel for a major Christian social welfare charitable company in 2002. During the ten years in that role, I became only too painfully aware of the need to protect vulnerable people.
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Please treasure your involvement in your local Churchand the privilege it is to serve as SMR, to be able to do your part in helping your Church family become a truly, healthy Church where every person is valued and safe. I wish you well.
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New and new-ish Safe Ministry Reps - Teams Workshops
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The next SMR 101 Teams workshops will happen in August 2026.
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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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- Tuesday August 25th @ 07:00pm - 08:00pm
- Friday August 28th @ 10:00am - 11:00am
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Faithfulness in Ministry Conference
In June 2026 the triennial Faithfulness in Ministry Conference was held which is a one day conference hosted and co-ordinated by the Office of the Director of Safe Ministry. The conference was held in 4 locations with over 1300 attendees. Many in your church are likely to have attended as all licensed clergy and authorised lay ministers in the Sydney Diocese are required to attend.
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This year, the conference focussed on The Healthy Church with presentations from:
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- Archbishop Kanishka Raffel (Philippians 2:1-11)
- Lauren Errington (Executive Director of the Family Systems Institute)
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Session 1: Understanding the relationship systems you are a part of at church, and your part in them;
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Session 2: How tension can become a source of growth, not grief for ministry teams.
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- Tim Dyer (Trainer of pastors, church consultants, mentors and Christian leaders)
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Session 1: The uncomfortable reality of power and authority;
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Session 2: Trustworthy power.
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Ask those in your church who attended, what they found helpful.
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In due course, the videos of the presentations will be available on the Safe Ministry website, if you are interested in viewing.
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Safe Ministry Consultations
Would you like to improve safe ministry practices in your church in 2026?
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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;
+ Receiving 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) - 2026 Dates
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Registrations open 4-5 weeks prior to the event
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Course enrolments close 48hrs prior to the event
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Listed below are the dates and venues for face-to-face training events to be held in 2026.
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Enrolments for August will open closer to the date
Saturday 29 August 2026
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 14 November 2026
Safe Ministry Essentials | 9.00am – 3.00pm
All Saints Anglican Church, Austinmer
St Paul’s Anglican Church, Chatswood
Grace West Anglican – Glenmore Park
St Stephen’s Anglican Church, Mittagong
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Safe Ministry Refresher | 9.00am – 12.30pm
Gerringong Anglican Church, Gerringong
Newport Anglican Church, Newport
Crosslight Anglican Church, Mortdale
St Luke’s Anglican Church, Miranda
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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 Safe Ministry training (Chinese)
Saturday 14 November 2026
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Safe Ministry Essentials – Chinese | 9.00am – 3.00pm
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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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Parish Consultant - Safe Ministry Team
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