In June 2018, the Federal Government responded to the Royal Commission into institutional sexual abuse of children in both public and church institutions.
The resulting National Redress Scheme was established shortly thereafter. The Uniting Church has joined the Commonwealth Governments National Redress Scheme, which continues to expand on the principles of the Safe Church Program (Safe Church).
As a Synod, we have invested in skilled staff who developed policy, educated leaders and resourced congregations in this area. Since the findings of the Royal Commission were released, there has been a renewed emphasis on collaborating nationally, with Church Safe Educators sharing resources and developing new guidelines.
Locally we have developed a new Child Safe Policy in response to the Royal Commission. This was adopted by the Synod in June, and has since been shared to all Church Councils for implementation.
UC Invest is proud of the Uniting Churchs commitment to the Safe Church Program, the development of training courses and the ongoing review of policies to ensure that every member of our community is safe from physical and emotional abuse.
Safe Church is a program that promotes and assists the Uniting Church community with relevant information about ensuring a safe physical, emotional and spiritual environment for all. This includes training in Child Safe Environments, Call to Care and Code of Ethics, as well as a suite of policies and documents for use in the Uniting Church communities.
The Uniting Church SA has been committed to activating the Safe Church principles in every Church and Congregation across the State. As an expression of this commitment, the Uniting Church in SA recognises its responsibility to ensure that our communities:
The Mission and Service Fund of the Synod of SA supports these initiatives, and our investors can be proud that their investments are providing tangible bene ts to our Community.
For more information and services:
