CatholicCare upholds a culture and practice of safeguarding to protect every person we serve
The welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults is at the heart of what we do. We expect, enable and empower staff and those in our care to speak up, share positive feedback, make a complaint and report abuse and neglect. We take any concern seriously and respond accordingly. We listen and value the insights from the children, young people and adults we support.
We acknowledge that the Catholic Church has exposed vulnerable people to harm in the past. The Safeguarding Office at CatholicCare was created to assist us to embed safeguarding at the core of all our services. Our practice is guided by standards, including the ten National Catholic Safeguarding Standards released in 2019, which are in line with the National Principles of a Child Safe Organisation, and the Child Safe Standards. The National Catholic Safeguarding Standards were further reviewed in 2022 to include vulnerable adults, as well as children and young people. We use these standards to support our ongoing commitment to the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
A safeguarding message from Bishop Anthony
The Diocese is resolutely committed to fostering a culture of safety and care for children and vulnerable adults.
This is achieved through a consistent, accountable approach to safeguarding across the entire Diocese, including the Catholic Schools Broken Bay, CatholicCare and its clergy and parishes.
This approach is outlined in the Diocesan Safeguarding Charter here.
Catholic Response to Domestic & Family Violence
Are you alert to the possibility that domestic and family violence could be happening in a family member or friend’s home? Do you know what the signs of domestic violence are? And do you know how to respond if you think you might be seeing these signs? You might be interested in this resource compiled by our Diocesan Safeguarding Team.
The NSW Child Safe Scheme commenced in 2022, and these Standards are a key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. We continue to implement the Child Safe Standards to make our services even safer for children. We know that this requires strong leadership and sustained, collective effort and action. We believe all organisations working with children should be child safe, and we want to provide children with the environment and care they deserve. An overview of the Standards is provided here.
CatholicCare also takes a safeguarding approach in working with vulnerable adults, particularly within our disability programs, and aged care supports. Staff receive training and support to be able to identify the risk of abuse or exploitation and to take appropriate action.
For those who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse, you can find information about the National Redress Scheme here.
Feel free to reach out to us to discuss different ways that we can improve our practice and culture to keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe. If you require support or have a safeguarding concern please contact Angela Thomas, Manager for Safeguarding on (02) 9481 2683 or via email angela.thomas@catholiccaredbb.org.au.
SAFEGUARDING RESOURCES
The welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults is at the heart of what we do.
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