It’s that time of year!

No, I’m not referring to Grand Final weekend, or the sneezy season, or even the forthcoming General Convention of Synod!

Rather I’m reminding us all that it’s now time for Church Councils to conduct another self-assessment and draw up a new Child Safety Standards Action Plan.

Congregations are asked to have a strong culture of child safety, both in attitude and action, and to be continuously reviewing their practices, but every three years, they are to go through a formal process of self-assessment and planning.

What does this mean for each of us as congregational members? This will depend on your role within the congregation – you might have a specific task in this process, or you might be asked to share your thoughts about child safety in your congregation. Everyone in the congregation is responsible for the culture of child safety.

If you are a governance member (Church Council) now is the time to check the Child Safety Standards website Child Safety Standards – Lutheran Church of Australia (lca.org.au) and intentionally schedule the congregation’s response. You will be considering who might be asked to be the assessor(s) and when Church Council can meet to dedicate time to the process. Note that the finalised Child Safety Action Plans are to be submitted by 31/3 2025, so action needs to start now!

Since the first round in 2022, some improvements and adjustments have been made. These were communicated to all congregational chairpersons, and are also explained here.

It is expected that many congregations will have questions and require support as they work through the process. Please contact me as soon as possible so that I can assist you.

Contact Denise via EMAIL, or: 0437 180 928