Safeguarding

Brought to you by the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay

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Our Commitment to Safeguarding

The Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay has a zero tolerance for abuse and is committed to the care, wellbeing and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The role of Safeguarding in the Diocese seeks to ensure children, young people and vulnerable adults are provided with the fundamental right to be kept safe and respected. This commitment is held sacred in our Gospel, international and local laws and within our Church policy and practice.

Safeguarding refers to the actions that the Diocese takes to promote the safety, care and wellbeing of children and adults at risk through preventing and protecting them from abuse and responding appropriately if abuse and harm occur.

Safeguarding message from Bishop Anthony Randazzo DD JCL

Our safeguarding culture

A culture of safeguarding children and adults is championed at all levels of the Diocese from the top down and bottom up. A strong safeguarding culture is embedded across our Diocese and leaders are proactive in promoting safeguarding and the dignity of everyone and ensure there are systems and practices to actively monitor safeguarding compliance and risk management. We emphasise that safeguarding children and adults is everyone’s responsibility, and we provide ongoing education programs to build awareness and prevent abuse. Our Diocesan code of conduct sets clear behavioural standards towards children and adults. Our Diocesan policies and procedures are aligned and comply with the NSW Child Safe Standards, the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), and the National Catholic Church Code of Conduct, Our Common Mission and Integrity in our Common Mission.

We are committed to the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.

We take our legal, moral, and spiritual responsibility of ensuring a safe environment for all, seriously. Learning from the lessons of the past, we are committed to a journey of continual improvement and accountability to our communities. We have openly embraced our commitment to Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd Audit and Review Program. The Audit and Review framework includes a range of assessment tools  to undertake a risk-based assessment of the safeguarding culture of our Chancery and Parishes. Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd publishes the completed Audit reports on their website.

On 24 October 2024, the Diocese of Broken Bay welcomed the publication of its first external Audit Report against the National Safeguarding Standards (NCSS) recently undertaken by Demetrius Consulting. The Board of Australian Catholic Safeguarding Limited (ACSL) and its Audit Review Committee confirmed that the Audit scope has been fulfilled.

The Diocese of Broken Bay is the first Diocese in Australia to have a NCSS Audit completed by an external auditor listed on ACSL’s NCSS Auditor Register.

The Diocese is pleased to report that 100% of the relevant NCSS indicators were developed and 96% of those already embedded in the Diocese. The full report can be read here.

 

 

The Diocesan Safeguarding Strategic Advisory Panel

The Diocesan Safeguarding Strategic Advisory Panel provides advice to the highest level of leadership based on their individual and collective professional expertise, to ensure effective ongoing implementation of safeguarding practices, policies, and procedures. The panel’s terms of reference are contained in the Diocesan Safeguarding Office Charter.

External Members

Garth Blake

Garth Blake is a Senior Member of the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the international Ecclesiastical Law Journal and has published articles on issues of law and religion. He has held numerous roles in and on behalf of the Anglican Church of Australia, including Chair of the Safe Ministry Commission, Chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Working Group. Garth is currently the Chair of the company through which Anglican dioceses, schools and agencies are participating in the National Redress Scheme. Since 2017, Garth has been the Chair of the international Anglican Communion Safe Church Commission.

Sr Maree Marsh

Sr Maree Marsh is a Brigidine sister with a background in education and psychology. As a member of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, Maree attended many of the Hearings related to Catholic Church entities at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and has continued support of women abused by church personnel.  Maree is currently on the Leadership Team of the Brigidine Sisters Australia/New Zealand. Her other work involves writing psychological reports for women and men trafficked to Australia through Anti-Slavery Australia, University of Technology, Sydney.  Maree is a member of ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans) and the Marist Brothers Professional Standards Advisory Committee.

Gabrielle Hunt

Gabrielle Hunt is a registered psychologist and PhD candidate at Australian Catholic University. Her PhD is aimed at understanding the prevalence and prevention of child sexual abuse and sexual harassment in faith-based settings. As part of her PhD studies, she works with data from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study and has published works in high-impact journals. Gabrielle previously worked for Bravehearts, where she supported children, families, and adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Gabrielle also worked for the Turning Corners program at Bravehearts, which worked with young people who had engaged in harmful sexual behaviours. During her time at Bravehearts, Gabrielle supported many adults and families through the Royal Commission and National Redress Scheme, developed training and resources for practitioners and carers, and consulted Child Safety, Youth Justice, and schools on best practices for children and young people.

Rev Jonathan Bradford

Rev Jonathan Bradford – Prior to entering pastoral ministry Jonathan worked for some years in Injury Management managing Workers Compensation Claims. He served in ministry with youth and young adult ministry for two decades at a number of Baptist Churches in NSW. Since 2016 he has served as the Ministry Standards Manager for the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT supporting 300+ affiliated churches across NSW & ACT. This role includes oversight of safe church training, policy and resource development, safe church audit processes, complaints process for Baptist clergy, and responding to historic child sexual abuse claims via the National Redress Scheme and common law processes. Jonathan has an interest in serving the community and is a Past President of Samuel Gilbert Public School P&C Association, and current Council member of Tara Anglican School for Girls.

Safeguarding contact

The Diocese is committed to ensuring all people of the Diocese are safe. If you see something, say something. Our dedicated team are available to respond to your enquiry. To raise a concern or provide feedback on safeguarding policies or practices we encourage you to contact Safeguarding Broken Bay or complete the Safeguarding Contact Form

General Safeguarding Line: (02) 8379 1605 E: safeguarding@bbcatholic.org.au

If you have a concern we welcome you to fill in the form below. Your concern will reach Safeguarding Broken Bay. A response will be provided promptly.

Or call 8379 1605 if you would like to speak to a Safeguarding Officer.