SAFEGUARDING
Safeguarding vulnerable people from harm and abuse is everyone's responsibility. In our parish of St Martin of Tours, we consider the safety and wellbeing of all persons to be our highest priority.
We acknowledge also that children, young people and adults at risk may require additional safeguards to promote their participation, wellbeing and safety.
The St Martin of Tours parish is committed to providing a culturally safe, inclusive and nurturing environment for the diverse needs of all children and young people in which they can learn, grow and live out the Gospel and thrive. This commitment is supported by policies, practices and procedures that strive to prevent abuse in the first instance and to respond appropriately and effectively if abuse does occur.
Our Safeguarding and Wellbeing Policy and associated documents have a specific focus on safeguarding children and young people in St Martin of Tours parish. These policies, practices and procedures guide our efforts to prevent child abuse, empower children and young people, and respond to concerns, disclosures or allegations of child abuse or child-related misconduct in our parish environment, on-site, online and in other locations used by the parish.
Click here to download our Safeguarding and Wellbeing of Children and Young People Policy
Reporting Abuse or Safety-Related Matters
The safety of children, young people and vulnerable persons is paramount. All concerns, allegations or complaints of abuse will be taken seriously, and acted upon consistent with the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne’s moral, ethical and legal obligations to safeguard children, young people and vulnerable persons. Access the following poster to view a simplified flowchart approach to reporting abuse or misconduct. The related procedure document sets out the fuller reporting process.
• Reporting abuse or safety related misconduct – Flowchart
• Reporting Child Safety Related Misconduct and/or Child Abuse
Parish Resources
Our Parish has a Safeguarding Committee which provides advice to, and works with, the Parish Priest to ensure policies, processes and practices are in place to protect children and young people. The Committee can be contacted by phone (03) 9401 6338 or email macleod@cam.org.au.
We work in conjunction with the Safeguarding Unit of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.
Listed below are some additional resources supporting the parish policy:
• Parish Guidelines for Photography and Video of Children and Young People
These documents apply to all parish personnel, including parish employees, volunteers, contractors and clergy.
Safeguarding Essentials Online Training and Code of Conduct
Safeguarding Essentials is an online training module for all clergy, parish staff and volunteers within the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. This online resource provides foundational knowledge in relation to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable persons from abuse and harm. Volunteers are required to complete the training every 3 years. The Safeguarding Children and Young People Code of Conduct has now been embedded in the training module dashboard and is to be read and accepted by all volunteers on completion of the training module.
For instructions on how to complete the online training module and accept the Code of Conduct, click the link training instructions.
To access the online training module and code of conduct acceptance, click the link
https://melbournecatholic.org/safeguarding/safeguarding-training
Other Useful Resources
Links to the following websites may be of assistance:
To apply for a Working with Children Check
To renew your Working with Children Check
To add the parish to your current Working with Children Check