Safeguarding
Safeguarding is about prevention of harm and early intervention to minimise the opportunity for the child, young person or vulnerable adult to be harmed.
Safeguarding is a proactive preventative approach to child, young person or vulnerable adult protection.
Safeguarding includes:
- Creating a culture where safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults is everyone’s responsibility
- Regular Safeguarding training
- Child, youth and vulnerable adult centred practise
- Safer Recruitment procedures
- Codes of Conduct for everyone
Child, young person or vulnerable adult protection is a reactive approach. It is part of a safeguarding process but prescribes the action to follow when a child, young person or vulnerable adult is identified as suffering from, or likely to suffer from serious harm. This may include suspected abuse and/ or neglect or a disclosure or a complaint.
Protection includes:
- A Protection Policy
- Procedures and guidelines which everyone in the parish knows and uses, including reporting abuse and supporting all those involved in this process.
To find out more about reporting abuse, please click and read:
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- the role of the National Registrar and the Ministry Standards Commission: Ministry Standards
- the complaint process and how to go about it: Complaint Process
If you need any assistance on any Safeguarding matter, please contact the Safeguarding Officer.
Key Resources
- Diocesan Health and Safety Policy
- HSW Act 2015—an introduction to the legislation by WorkSafe NZ
- Keeping Them Safe—Policy only (Policy only document)
- Keeping them Safe (Full document including policy, procedures and additional material)
- Safety Performance Review —A self-audit tool that helps to assess your safety performance against a basic minimum standard
- Safer Recruiting Guide —Guidelines to assist with recruiting safe personnel (taken from Keeping them Safe 2019)
- Privacy Policy Template for parishes
Professional Development
Safe Ministry 101: This module is for clergy and licensed lay ministers, including youth ministers, and children and family workers. 2024 dates are now available for registration.
Safe ministry training is a condition that all personnel holding a bishop’s licence or Permission to Officiate in the Christchurch Diocese must attend a Safe Ministry professional development course (previously known as Boundaries Training) at least once every 3 years in order for their licence to remain current.
All workshops will be held 9am-4pm.
Thursday 11 April 2024 St Peter’s, Upper Riccarton
Thursday 9 May 2024 All Souls’, Merivale
Saturday 1 June 2024 St Stephen’s, Ashburton
Saturday 22 June 2024 St Mary’s, Timaru
Thursday 27 June 2024 St Stephen’s, Lincoln
Tuesday 13 August 2024 North Canterbury – venue TBC
Thursday 22 August 2024 St Faith’s, New Brighton
To register or for more information, email John de Senna.