SLC Child Protection Policy

For the avoidance of doubt:

Physical abuse: This occurs when a person purposefully injures or threatens to injure a child 
or young person. This may take the form of biting, slapping, punching, shaking, kicking, burning, shoving or grabbing. The injury may take the form of bruises, cuts, burns or fractures.

 

Emotional / mental abuse: This occurs when a child is repeatedly rejected or frightened by threats. This may involve name-calling, verbal put downs or continual coldness from a parent or caregiver, to the extent that it affects the child’s physical and emotional growth.

Neglect: The persistent failure or the deliberate denial to provide a child with clean water, 
food, shelter, sanitation, or supervision or care to the extent that the child’s health and 
development are placed at risk.

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Sexual abuse: This occurs when a child or young person is used by an older or bigger child, 
adolescent or adult for his or her own sexual stimulation or gratification—regardless of the 
age of majority or age of consent locally. These can be contact or non-contact acts, including 
threats and exposure to pornography.

Our policy is aimed at protecting children as well as all our employees and associates who may interact with children during the course of implementing all of our programs.

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PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that every child at Sydney Life Church will be 
treated with the upmost dignity and respect and their rights under the UNCRC Convention are upheld.

If properly implemented, this policy will also protect Sydney Life Church’s staff and volunteers as they carry out their ministry roles with our church. 

Policies can be established or altered by the Senior Pastor, Children and Young Families Pastor under delegated Authority from the Executive Board. Procedures may be altered by the Senior Pastor, Children and Young Families Pastor or Operations Manager of SLC under delegated Authority from the Executive Board. Any changes to policy or policy procedure need to be cleared with the Executive Board and updated on all policy paperwork.

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POLICY
It is Sydney Life Church’s responsibility to uphold the rights of children as stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC 1989), as we believe that protecting the most vulnerable is crucial to the faith we adhere to as Christians and should also be the essence of proper conduct for every human being.
We believe that any form of child abuse (sexual/physical/emotional) is unacceptable under any circumstance. 

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Recruitment and training:
Sydney Life Church  will maintain a rigorous and consistent recruitment, screening and selection process for staff and volunteers.

This includes:
•    A Waiting Period—Volunteers wishing to work with children should be members of Sydney Life Church for six months minimum, so that the individual can be evaluated by current staff members.

•    Application for Volunteering position—All potential employees and volunteers will need to  fill in an application requiring information about their previous experience working with children, previous organisational affiliations, and 2 references.

•    Interviews—Children’s Head of Department/Children and Young Families Pastor/Youth Pastor will conduct in-person interviews to discuss open volunteering positions and the applicant’s background.

•    Check References—Before accepting anyone, the Children’s Head of Department/Children and Young Families Pastor/Youth Pastor will check at least two references for each applicant, preferably those from organisations where the applicant worked with children.

•    Working With Children’s Checks—We will require a WWCC check for all SLC staff and volunteers and especially those who will engage in the following activities: involvement with Children’s Church Services, Youth Services, Children’s or Youth Worship Services, Children’s or Youth Special Services and/or Children’s or Youth Church social events and any church services and church social events.

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•    Training – regular training and information sessions on our Child Safe Policy will be held for volunteers and/or staff members involved in main church services, Children’s Church or Youth Services. Staff and Volunteers are encouraged to ask questions and make contributions towards continuous improvement of our child safe policies and procedures.

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Applicants should be dismissed from the selection process if the following offences are evident:
Violence 

Dishonesty

Illegal substance us

Indecency

If an applicant does not reveal an offence in the application for volunteering or employment, he or she will be dismissed from the application process.

A WWCC uncovers unsuitability for the volunteer or employee role.

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Guidelines for Youth Workers:
At this point in time SLC will not hire youth employees or accept youth volunteers. 
However, if teenage volunteers would like to serve in the youth or children’s departments, the following will apply
•    They will be 16 years or older.
•     Youth volunteers will be screened the same way as older volunteers and employees.
•    Youth volunteers must be supervised by an adult employee at all times.

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Communications:
All Sydney Life Church communications will portray children with dignity and respect and will ensure the rights and safety of children are protected.
In obtaining photographs or film, Sydney Life Church will require signed media consent forms from parents/care givers to allow us to use a picture/s of any children for marketing, social media or website purposes. 
Photographs or film of any children for the use of marketing our programs or services will be used ethically.

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Reporting/ Responses to Allegations:
Policies can be established or altered by the Senior Pastor, Children and Young Families Pastor or Operations Manager of SLC under delegated Authority from the Executive Board. 
Procedures may be altered by the Senior Pastor, Children and Young Families Pastor or Operations Manager of SLC under delegated Authority from the Executive Board. 
Any changes to policy or policy procedure need to be cleared with the Executive Board and updated on all policy paperwork. 
Sydney Life Church considers the abuse and exploitation of children to be completely unacceptable. We will take all concerns and reports of child abuse seriously and act on these reports immediately.
It is mandatory for all Sydney Life Church staff or volunteers to report concerns or allegations of child abuse. These concerns may relate to a child or a staff member involved in the organisation or a concern about a child or person/s outside of the organisation’s programs. If you do have a concern you should immediately follow Sydney Life Church’s child abuse Reporting Procedure which will include alerting the relevant agencies, such as the NSW Police.

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AUTHORISATION
Lead Pastor:  Kirsty Labuschagne 
Operations Manager: Wilhelm Labuschagne
Executive Board member: Edmund Koza
1 November 2022.
Sydney Life Church