NCCA

Changes in NCCA’s Safe Church Program

The NCCA’s Safe Church Program has been an important 17 year ecumenical endeavour that has offered awareness workshops about providing for the safety of children in Australia’s churches from 2008. The NCCA program was commended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2017 for assisting religious organizations to understand, prevent and respond to child safety issues and people affected by abuse in our churches. 

A demonstrable success of the NCCA Safe Church Program has been to encourage and resource Australia’s church entities to develop their own training and awareness workshops for the safety of children and vulnerable adults in our respective mission and ministry contexts. 

Since the Royal Commission, all religious organisations are now subject to legislated requirements to meet national, State and Territory child and vulnerable adult safety standards and regulations as well as having child-safe screening in place for appointment of employees and volunteers. 

With less use of the NCCA Safe Church Awareness training resources by churches and greater involvement of churches with State and Territory government agencies, NCCA will no longer be resourcing the Safe Church Program Awareness Workshops. NCCA will continue to provide support to those church entities that are currently running the Safe Church Program Awareness Workshops and have been training presenters during 2023. We will provide separate communication to their child safeguarding coordinators and workshop presenters about ongoing support.

Naomi Boulton has finished as Safe Church Program Coordinator, and we wish her well in her future vocational endeavours in the biomedical engineering space.

The email for contact with the NCCA on Safe Church matters going forward is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The NCCA website will still maintain an information hub of resources on child safeguarding generally with links to the relevant State and Territory government agencies that maintain contact with faith-based groups in the child and vulnerable adult safeguarding space.

We thank you for your support and commitment to being safe churches and we pray with and for you in your Christian witness and ministry to the Australian community.

TASMANIA

Tasmania’s Recently Established Office of the Independent Regulator

Tasmanian government has appointed Ms Louise Coe to lead the new Office of the Independent Regulator, as part of the ongoing commitment to keep Tasmanian children and young people safe. 

The Independent Regulator’s principle responsibility will be to oversee the operation and implementation of the new Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework. Attorney General Guy Barnett explains that “the Framework will establish clear, legally mandated parameters that promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people” and includes the Child and Youth Safe Standards, and the Reportable Conduct Scheme. 

A reminder that religious institutions are among the list of organisations required to be compliant with the Framework from 1st January 2024. 

See the recently launched Office of the Independent Regulator’s website at www.oir.tas.gov.au 

NEW SOUTH WALES

Working with Children Check audits

NSW Office of the Children's Guardian (OCG) is a State Government Administration that regulates and oversees organisations to uphold children and young people’s right to be safe.

If you're a child-related organisation, the OCG may come to audit you. 

Their Compliance Officers may visit your organisation to help you understand and comply with your Working with Children Check responsibilities. They focus on education and building capability, as well as working together with organisations to keep children safe.

Visit: www.ocg.nsw.gov.au/check 

DOMESTIC & GENDER VIOLENCE

Workshop - Responding to Domestic Violence - Zoom series

Queensland Churches Together - Joint Churches Domestic Violence Prevention Project (JCDVPP)

Responding to Domestic violence - 3 part zoom workshop

The next Responding to Domestic Violence zoom series

When: Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm-8.30pm on 21st February, 28th February and 6th March.

The series will start by breaking open what is Domestic Violence including stories from survivors; look at the dynamics of perpetrators; how to create a supportive church culture and how to respond to victims and survivors (the dos and don'ts).

To ensure that price is not a deterrent, participants will have the option of attending free of charge or paying $20 to help JCDVPP continue developing resources and offering courses. Those who pay $20 will receive two copies of the short book: "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Questions women ask about relationships and Christianity." 

Please share this information with Church leaders in your parish, and put a copy of the flyer in newsletters and on Facebook pages.    image QCT Responding to Domestic violence_ flyer (1.74 MB)

“Agents for Change” Podcast

On the recent International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, NSW Shellharbour Council Community Action Group launched their new podcast series titled Agents for Change.

The podcast is a community development initiative supported by White Ribbon Australia, CoEqual, Beyond Empathy, and Australia’s National Research Organisations For Women’s Safety (ANROWS).

The podcast hopes to raise awareness on what drives gender-based violence, exploring themes such as gender stereotypes, unconscious bias, power and privilege, and how these contribute to the prevalence of violence against women. 

Visit the Agents for Change website

NAPCAN

Training Workshops for 2024

“Untaught Education” and NAPCAN Training Workshops

The National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse (NAPCAN) facilitates a variety of in-person and online training workshops that are now available for booking for the new year. These include the Child Safe Organisations Workshop, and the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention/Mandatory Reporting Workshop. 

NAPCAN's Youth Speak Out (NYSO) also launched Untaught Education Instagram for Youth Week 2023! Check their website here to learn more about NAPCAN’s youth council and the work they’ve been doing since establishment in September last year (2022).