Safe Church Update
As part of a Safe church, we also want to ensure that those who may be vulnerable in our communities are also safe. One particular group of people who would be considered vulnerable would be the elderly. And recently Australia acknowledged this with “Elder Abuse awareness day” (15th June 2016).
Their website www.elderabuseawarenessday.org.au provides information and resources to help understand elder abuse.
Who is at risk of elder abuse? (Information sourced from www.seniorsrights.org.au)
We know that around 4-6 per cent of older people experience elder abuse. Australia’s population is ageing, so more and more of us will be affected in the future.
Any older person can be subjected to elder abuse. It occurs to men and women from all cultural backgrounds and lifestyles.
Issues contributing to risk may include a history of family violence, isolation, dependency and carer stress.
The NCCA Safe Church Program is actively working towards raising awareness for how churches can support the vulnerable and if you would like any further information regarding who is vulnerable and how churches can best support those in need please contact us.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
1800 625 611
Melbourne (03) 9650 6811
Sydney (02) 9299 2215
Safe Church Tip
How inclusive is your church?
Inclusivity is an intentional practice to recognise specific vulnerabilities, needs and sensitivities attained to people with disabilities, the elderly, people from ‘Culturally and Linguistically Diverse’ (CALD) backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It arms us to protect their rights and recognise what cultural safety and physical safety considerations are in place within our standards and practices.
Inclusivity enables us to move beyond being “Culturally Competent” and seeks to reach Cultural Humility - to question how accessible our services, ministries, programs, policies etc. are to people from CALD backgrounds, the elderly, people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
