The Uniting Church in Australia supports the objectives of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and has pledged its utmost co-operation.

The National Assembly, with the support of each Synod, has established a national framework for engagement with and response to the Royal Commission.  An important part of the framework is enabling the various parts of the Uniting Church to act collaboratively and to speak with one voice. Our prayer is that through the work of the Royal Commission, there will be healing, justice and reconciliation for all those who have suffered, and that the Royal Commission will identify how all children can be better protected from abuse now and into the future.

In Western Australia, a Royal Commission Synod Task Group has been established and is currently chaired by Robert Watson. Its members are:

• Rev David de Kock
• Amanda Hunt
• Dr Alec O’Connell
• Rev Gary Van Heerden
• John Talbert
• Donald Nicholas
• Rev Nalin Perera
• Sue Thomas
• Yvonne Robinson
• Rev Dr Keith Truscott

Uniting Church Centre staff providing support are:

• Maggie Johns, Media and Communications Manager
• Maree Kemp, Executive Assistant to General Secretary
• Cindy Gorton, Safe Church/Royal Commission Officer

External professional advice and opinions are sought as required.

The Uniting Church in Australia offers its sincere apologies to all children in the Church’s care who have suffered sexual abuse of any form, whether that abuse happened after
Church union in 1977 or before that, in predecessor Churches.

Due to the work of Australia’s Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse, the responsibility for Australian faith-based organisations to engage their staff and members about child safety has never been clearer.

The Uniting Church has developed a National Child Safe Policy Framework. The Framework, Implementation Plan, Implementation Checklist and more are available here.

This National Framework is created to provide the Church and its institutions guidance in adopting the final recommendations of the Royal Commission and to provide a process which ensures provision of equal access and equal treatment for survivors, regardless of the location, operator, type, continued existence or assets of the Church and its institution in which they were abused.

This Framework document -represents the Uniting Church’s commitment to redress as identified by the Royal Commission in its Redress and Civil Litigation report, August 2015.

Here are a few key policies and guidelines that have been adopted by the Uniting Church Western Australia and the Uniting Church in Australia, Assembly.

• How to Handle Disclosures WA – updated 13 June 2017
• National Framework for Interim Redress Measures
• Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct Policy
• National Code of Conduct for Lay Leaders which was adopted by the Assembly in 2015.
• Recently developed National Child Safe Policy Framework with implementation plan and resources.

If you need assistance or have any questions about the Royal Commission, please contact:

Cindy Gorton
Safe Church/Royal Commission Officer
Phone: 9260 9846
Email: cindy.gorton@wa.uca.org.au