Child Safe Parish Communities a simple guide for Parishioners, Employees & Volunteers
Our focus is on protection
The opportunity to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults is a privilege. This guide will assist to clarify appropriate conduct to ensure that children and vulnerable adults are protected from harm.
Some examples of child related activity in a parish
- Children’s liturgy
- Youth groups
- Altar servers supervision
- Special Religious Education (Catechetics)
- Youth choirs or music groups
- Junior Vinnies
What is acceptable behaviour
- Treating people with respect
- Providing a welcome, inclusive, safe environment
- Respecting differences
- Reporting concerns
- Being transparent in your actions
What is unacceptable behaviour
- Shaming, humiliating, belittling or degrading children
- Using inappropriate, offensive or discriminatory language
- Doing things for a child that they are able to do for themselves
such as assistance with toileting or changing clothes - Taking a child to your home or sleeping in the same room or bed as a child
- Taking a child in your motor vehicle
- Smacking, hitting or physically assaulting a child
- Seeking to make special friends with a child
- Giving children secret gifts or cards without parental permission
- Being alone in a room with a child
- Touching a child in a sexual manner or asking them to touch you
- Photographing children without parental permission
- Showing pornographic material in any format
- Making friends with children on social media, contacting them
by phone messages or emails - Allowing unsupervised access to your phone or computer
A simple checklist
As an employee or volunteer in a child related activity
- Have you completed a Working With Children Check?
- Have you been given a copy of the Diocesan Child Safe Parish Communities guidelines?
- Do you understand acceptable and unacceptable behaviours?
Within your parish
- Do altar servers have an area separate from that of the priest vesting area to prepare for Mass?
- Is there at least one adult (parent) present to supervise the altar servers before and after Mass?
- Do you use the two adult supervision best practice model?
- Are parents asked to supervise their children at Mass and parish events?
- Have parents been asked to accompany children to the parish toilets and not allow them to go unsupervised?
- Do adults know not to be alone in a room with children?
- Have adults been advised not to give children gifts, cards or to make special friendships that could be seen as grooming the child?
- Are you aware of abuse prevention strategies?
- Are you making a commitment to ensure that our church is a safe community for all?