Our Commitment - Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility

At St Mary's we hold the care, safety and well-being of children, young people and adults at risk as a central and fundamental responsibility of our parish.

St Mary's Parish Statement of Commitment can be found by clicking here.

The Catholic Church has a mission-driven moral and legal responsibility to create safe and nurturing environments where children and young people are respected, where their voices are heard, and where they feel safe and are safe. The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne holds the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a foundational principle based on Church teaching that human life is made in the image of God and is sacred.

Our commitment to protect those most vulnerable is drawn from, and inherent to, the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, with love, justice and the dignity of each human person at the heart of the Gospel.

The Archdiocese Safeguarding and Wellbeing of Children and Young People Policy can be found by clicking here and the Antidiscrimination and Racism Policy can be found by clicking here.

At St Mary's, we require all staff and all volunteers to:

(i) have a current Working with Children Check,

(ii) have agreed to our Code of Conduct,

and

(iii) have completed the Safeguarding Essentials training module (staff every year, volunteers every three years).

Some people will also be required to undergo undergo a National Police Check (NPC) every three years. The Parish office will contact you if you fall into this category. This is generally for people in particular positions of trust.

Working with Children Check

The Working with Children Check is a screening process for assessing or re-assessing people who work with or care for children in Victoria. At St Mary's, we require all staff and volunteers to have a current Working with Children Check as any of us may be viewed by a child as a member of the Parish team.

Code of Conduct

At St Mary's, we require all staff and volunteers to read, sign (on page 13), and return a copy of the Archdiocese Code of Conduct to the Parish Office prior to engaging in any activities at the Parish.

Safeguarding Essentials

All staff and volunteers are also required to complete the Safeguarding Essentials training module (staff every year, volunteers every three years).

To access the online training go to: www.safeguarding.melbournecatholic.org

To login, you will need:

• your unique Working with Children Check ID/VIT ID number
• an email address

Upon registration you will be asked to identify your role within the parish i.e. a member of clergy, parish staff or volunteer.

To register:

• clergy will need to select ‘Archdiocese of Melbourne’ from the dropdown menu as their Primary Organisation of Service.
• parish staff will need to select our parish from the dropdown menu as their Primary Organisation of Service.
• volunteers will need to select our parish from the dropdown menu as their Primary Organisation of Service.

National Police Check (NPC)

If you are requested to undergo a National Police Check (NPC) by the Parish office, please use the following link www.service.vic.gov.au/services/national-police-check (which is a program in partnership with Victoria Police). 

St Mary's Parish Community Volunteer Fee number is CVF5085. 

The organisation name is St Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church.

Please pay the $29.40 fee during your application - Service Victoria will email you a receipt - and the parish will refund this amount to you.  

Although a physical certificate won't be provided, your certificate will be emailed to you which you should then forward, along with your receipt, to our Parish office at williamstown@cam.org.au .

Visit the Archdiocese FAQs page to find answers to common questions about the Safeguarding Essentials online training module.

If any person believes a child or young person is at immediate risk of child abuse or harm, telephone 000.