The Uniting Church in Australia is committed to providing safe places where people are cared for, nurtured and sustained. The Uniting Church dedicates itself to the care, protection and safety of all people relating to its congregations, agencies and schools.

The Uniting Church Western Australia is entrusted to provide a safe emotional, spiritual and physical environment for all people to encounter God, to deepen relationships and grow in faith. We are committed to a high level of professional standards to ensure that all our leaders are well-equipped, suitably recruited, trained and resourced to do this.

We believe that every person is precious to God and that in following Jesus’ example we are called to care for all people, especially those who are vulnerable.

The Gospel also directs us to listen to and learn from children. (National Child Safe Policy Framework v2 March 2017).

Our duty of care is the moral and legal responsibility we have to ensure the safety of those in our care.

Discharging our duty of care means that we think through what is safe and/or risky, then put plans in place to ensure that we act safely.

“Doing all that we can do to ensure the safety of ALL people in our church, especially those who are vulnerable, and that NO harm or distress has been caused.”

People expect our churches to be a safe place – you TRUST us and we should honour that.

As such, we commit to being a community which:

• provides and maintains a welcoming and safe environment
• ensures suitable and well-equipped leadership
• provides a level of resourcing that reflects the value of all people
• provides clear and appropriate duty of care guidelines
• addresses any complaints or allegations of abuse appropriately.

The WA Synod Safe Church Policy reflects the commitment statements outlined above to protect vulnerable people, provide safe leaders and ensure safe emotional, spiritual and physical environments, ministry and programs run under the banner of the Uniting Church. We recommend that each congregation, faith community, congregational community service, school, college and caring agency reads, commits to and implements this Safe Church Policy.

In response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and taking into account developments and reviews across the Synods of the Uniting Church, from 1 January 2017 the Synod of WA established new requirements and best practice Professional Standards training for all those in active ministry. To read the policy click here. 

Safe Church Awareness Training Workshops are offered across WA throughout the year to help all our church members understand their responsibilities and develop policies and practices that create safety in their church for all vulnerable people.

The Culture of Safety team have continued to develop and update a range of Safe Church resources, guides, templates and forms to assist churches to remain safe places for all.

These are available by contacting us via the phone number or email below.

Here are other useful resources to assist you in your work:

• Working With Children Checks (WWCC) Unit
• Children’s eSafety Commissioner
• WA Commissioner for Children and Young People
• National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
• Advocare Inc – preventing and responding to elder abuse
• Western Australian Association of Mental Health
• Department of Communities Disability Services – Standards poster

If you need assistance, access to safe church resources or have any questions, please contact:

Cindy Gorton
Executive Officer: Culture of Safety
Phone: 9260 9800
Email: [email protected]