Safe as Churches Conference

16 - 17 May 2017 - Jasper Hotel, Melbourne

This coming month over 150 registrants will gather in Melbourne for the 8th Safe as Churches? Conference. These are dedicated people involved in Professional Standards, Safe Church Training, Clergy, Ministers and Religious Orders and they come from a diverse range of church traditions (Anglican, ACC, Baptist, Catholic, Christian Reformed, Church of Christ, Coptic Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian Salvation Army, Uniting Church of Australia)

The first conference was held in 2004 as an initiative and response to the women and men of the National Council of Churches in Australia Gender Commission. Their goal was to provide opportunities for those involved in the prevention of and/or responding to church related misconduct and abuse issues to gather from all Christian denominations and organisations.

Over the coming months in the NCCA newsletter we will be reflecting on the conference and some of the sessions that are held, including:

• Moving Towards Forgiveness and Reconciliation: reflections on, and practical applications for, those who work with survivors of sexual abuse.
• Pastoral Care of survivors of sexual abuse and within parishes
• Family and domestic violence prevention and how the church can use its influence to affect change
• Elder Abuse - What is elder abuse and how can faith communities safeguard the unique vulnerabilities of the elderly?
• Digital trends, Cyber-bullying and understanding current technology