Culture of Safety Steering Group - Uniting Church in Australia

Key points in this report:
• Safety for all at church
• A new committee
• Culture of Safety Officers
• Safe Church training
1 INTRODUCTION
Culture of Safety Steering Group
The Uniting Church is not immune from the
accounts of abuse that attract media attention
across the world. The gospel of Christ,
legislation and society’s expectations demand
that we be vigilant in making our church culture
a safe place for children, young people and
vulnerable adults.
2 THE STEERING GROUP
In February 2011 the Synod Standing
Committee established a Culture of Safety
Steering Group. This Group has oversight of the
culture and processes to ensure that the Uniting
Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania is a
safe place for all.
The Steering Group members are:
Peter Blackwood Associate General
Secretary
Jennifer Byrnes Executive Director of the
Centre for Theology and
Ministry
Jacqui Morse Director of the Bethel
Pastoral Centre
Ann Drummond Chairperson of the Synod
Sexual Misconduct
Complaints Committee
John Bridge Occupational Health and
Safety Manager
Sharon Hollis Continuing Education
Coordinator
Chris Barnett Co-opted
Lavingi Tupou Co-opted
Dev Anandarajan Co-opted
Two Culture of yet to be appointed
Safety Officers
The group is to oversee the provision of safer
environments across the whole community of
the Church by addressing issues of culture,
content and compliance in relation to safe
practices across the Synod.
In its oversight the group is to acknowledge and
demonstrate the importance of building
congregational and presbytery ownership of
processes and programs and the necessity of
coordinating with agencies in developing a safe
church culture.
The Steering Group will provide oversight of the
development of programs addressing general
issues of the culture of safety and the more
specific issues of ethical standards in the
congregations and organisations within the
Synod.
The culture of safety in the Church relates to
requirements provided by the Church to regulate
ministers’ (ordained and non-ordained)
accountability in relation to the Code of Ethics,
supervision and continuing education. This
includes matters related to the handling of
complaints and the training of Advisors within
the Synod Sexual Misconduct Complaints
Committee processes.
3 CULTURE OF SAFETY OFFICERS
The Steering Group is currently appointing an
Ethical Standards Officer and a Safe Church
Coordinator. These officers will implement the
culture of safety programs which include, but will
not be limited to, the following:
Culture of Safety Steering Group 2011 Section D2.8 D2.8.1

• Training trainers in the National Council
of Churches in Australia’s Safe Church
program;
• Code of Ethics Workshops;
• Training for advisors for the Sexual
Misconduct processes; and
• Training for ministers’ supervisors.
The Ethical Standards Officer will advise on and
facilitate the Church’s complaints procedures.
4 SAFE CHURCH TRAINING
The Synod is a member of the Safe Church
Training agreement which is a service to
churches and their organisations, resourcing
and facilitating quality, sustainable, accessible,
training, and implementation support. It is a selffunded
service of the National Council of
Churches in Australia which invites
denominations and organisations to work
collaboratively together towards safer churches.
There are over 36 member churches including
other UCA synods.
Presbyteries and congregations will become
increasingly aware of this training as the
program is introduced across the Church. The
programs have a particular focus on our
responsibility to provide safe places for children,
young people and vulnerable adults.
PETER BLACKWOOD
Chairperson
Culture of Safety Steering Group 2011 Section D2.8 D2.8.2