LCA Child Safety Self Assessment Tool

1Instructions

2Congregation/Parish Information

3Standard 1

4Standard 2

5Standard 3

6Standard 4

7Standard 5

8Standard 6

9Standard 7

10Standard 8

11Standard 9

12Standard 10

13Date submitted to Church or Parish Leadership Council

14Summary

LCA Child Safety Standards for Congregations Self-Assessment Tool Instructions For completing the Web-Based Tool

For assistance, refer to the Self-Assessment Guidelines document and instructional video located on the Self-Assessment Introduction page.

Preamble

Each page of the LCA Child Safety Standards for Congregations contains a standard followed by a series of statements. These statements represent the elements or indicators of each of the standards.

There are 10 standards in total.

After the Assessor has completed the “Gathering Information” stage of the self-assessment, the assessor then needs to complete this on-line self-assessment tool by:

Rating each element of the standards and
Suggesting some “Next Steps”

Remember, you do not have to complete the on-line form in one sitting. You can select the “Save and Continue Later” button at any time to come back to your work later. Your saved work will be sent to you via an email.

1. Rating each element:

Carefully re-read each standard, each of its elements, and your notes from your discussions.
Using the information you gathered in your discussions, as well as your own knowledge base and impressions, consider the extent to which you think each of these statements is accurate or ‘true’
Now rate each element by choosing the rating that you think best corresponds with your findings and conclusions.
There are 5 ratings and they are quite straight forward. Select one of the following buttons:

“We haven’t started on this yet” if work hasn’t yet commenced
“We’ve made a promising start” if work has begun
“We’re about half way” if it’s progressing quite well
“We’re almost there” if almost complete and
“Yes, we meet this!” if it’s all done.

Don’t be worried about being critical or about giving a “low” rating. It is very important to be honest because this is the only way your congregation leaders will know what needs to be improved.
Also remember, these are just your suggested ratings for council to consider. Don’t worry about getting them right or wrong. The council just wants to hear your suggestions and impressions so that they can then develop a good and meaningful child safety plan
Use the comments section to add any clarifications to help your leadership or council understand your rating. You may also wish to include examples of how the standard is, or is not being met, in this section. If you don’t think any clarification or examples are needed, just leave the “Comments” section blank.

2. Suggest “Next Steps”

Now consider suggestions for the ‘Next Steps’ section for each of the standards. This section is important because it will form the basis for the congregation’s Child Safety Plan that your leadership team or council will develop and then follow.
In developing ‘Suggested Next Steps’, focus on those statements where the rating is low or lowish ie:

“We haven’t started on this yet”
“We’ve made a promising start
“We’re about half way”

This is because these are likely to be the areas of child safety risk for your congregation.
Then identify strategies or activities that the congregation could put in place to reduce the risk, improve the rating, and meet the standard.
Record these in the “Suggested Next Steps” section at the bottom of the page for each standard.
For examples of suggestions to include in the “Suggested Next Steps” section, please refer to the CSS webpage
Suggest as many or as few as needed for leadership to consider. It is okay to identify only one or two strategies for some of the standards while for others, you may wish to make a number of suggestions.
Be as creative as possible and, very importantly, use the suggestions from your interviews. Remember there are no limits and these are only suggestions for your council.
Try to keep your suggestions simple and achievable
Also remember to try and focus on the areas of priority – don’t overlook these
Complete the “Suggested Next Steps” section for each of the 10 standards.
If you have no suggestions for a particular standard, leave it blank
Once completed, you are ready to submit your self-assessment via pressing the “Submit” button.
Your completed self-assessment will then be automatically delivered to your chairperson via an email (this is because you will have provided your chairperson’s email address in the opening pages of the self-assessment tool).
Remember that once you have submitted your self-assessment, it is not possible to make changes.
As a final point, don’t forget to download and print out your PDF version of your completed self-assessment so that you have the information available for when you present your findings to the church council or leadership
You’ll find your downloadable PDF on the last page of the this tool And that’s it! The self-assessment tool all done!

LCA Child Safety Standards

Office of the Executive Officer of the Church
LCA Child Safety Standards Project
css@lca.org.au
08 8267 7300 | 08 8267 7372 | 0491 011 643

LCA Child Safety Self Assessment Tool

LCA Child Safety Standards for Congregations Self-Assessment Tool Instructions For completing the Web-Based Tool

Child safety is embedded in the culture, leadership, and governance of our congregation. Our congregation prioritises the safety and wellbeing of children and demonstrates this through all levels of its leadership. Our congregation has no tolerance for child abuse in any form.

1.1 - Our “Statement of Commitment to Child Safety” is displayed within our congregation spaces and is communicated using various means to our community

1.2 - Our pastor(s) and other leaders model a child safe culture by acknowledging the vulnerabilities of children and reminding us of our shared responsibility to keep children safe

1.3 - Our pastor(s) and other leaders communicate important messages about child safety to our congregation

1.4 - Our leadership understands that child safety must be prioritised in decision making when child safety concerns are raised

1.5 - Our pastor(s) and other leaders understand their legal responsibilities, are aware of the required steps, and know who to contact and report to if there is a child safety concern

1.6 - Everyone at our congregation displays appropriate behaviours when interacting with children

1.7 - Our leadership team encourages employees and volunteers to raise questions or concerns about child safety

Suggested Next Steps

Our congregation takes the views of children seriously. We are committed to listening to children and to providing them with opportunities to participate and be heard. We work especially hard to help children raise concerns if they need to.

2.1 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers acknowledge children during worship and other activities and show children that they are valued and loved by including them in worship and prayer

2.2 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers value the opinion of children by asking them about what helps to make them feel safe and comfortable

2.3 - Our congregation helps children develop and strengthen their church friendships

2.4 - Our congregation spaces display child friendly information that encourages children to speak up if they have a concern, and children know who they can talk to if they need support

2.5 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers know to listen to children and to take them seriously if they raise a concern or are worried about something.

2.6 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers understand that some children have additional needs and require extra support to help them engage in church activities or raise concerns if they need to.

Suggested Next Steps

Our congregation works in partnership with families and carers to keep children safe. We are committed to keeping families informed, to listening to their concerns, and to helping them be involved in decisions that affect their children.

3.1 - Our leadership advises parents that we take their children’s safety and well-being seriously

3.2 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers talk to parents and carers about their children’s wellbeing and safety and keep them informed about how we keep their children safe

3.3 - Our LCA child safety related policies, procedures and resources are accessible for parent and carers

3.4 - We remind parents and carers that they can raise concerns with us at any time, we make sure that parents and carers know who they can talk to if they have a complaint, and we make sure to listen and respond when concerns are raised

3.5 - Our leadership reminds parents and carers that families also have responsibility for keeping their children safe while they are engaged in congregational activities

3.6 - We invite parents and carers to contribute to activity planning and decision-making which relates to their children

3.7 - We seek feedback from parents and carers about child safety in our congregation using a range of methods

Suggested Next Steps

4.1 - Our pastor(s) and other leaders communicate to our congregation that children from diverse backgrounds and with diverse needs have the right to worship in the same way as all God’s children

4.2 - Our leadership promotes cultural understanding and inclusivity that reflects our wider community

4.3 - Our congregation actively encourages children and families from different cultural groups and backgrounds to participate in worship and church activities

4.4 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers understand that children with special needs or children from diverse backgrounds find it harder to raise to concerns or make report

4.5 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers work hard to identify and then reduce barriers faced by children with diverse needs to help them participate and raise concerns if they need to

Suggested Next Steps

Our congregation ensures that our employees and volunteers with designated roles that involve working with children as well as our pastor(s) and leadership team are suitable, safe, well-informed, and supported.

5.1 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers have current and valid working with children type clearances

5.2 - Our leadership makes it clear that work with children cannot commence without a current and valid clearance

5.3 - Our screening compliance is reported to our church council at regular intervals

5.4 - Our leadership has a system to keep track of dates for screening renewals

5.5 - Our leadership requires us to follow LCA procedures when recruiting an employee or volunteer for roles with children, including contacting referees, even when the prospective employee or volunteer is well known to us

5.6 - Our leadership ensures all leadership members, employees, and volunteers have clear role descriptions which include requirements to follow LCA policies and procedures and also make reference to child safety requirements

5.7 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers understand and uphold the obligations outlined in the LCA Child Safety Code of Conduct and the LCA Standards of Ethical Behaviour

5.8 - Our church council maintains accurate and confidential records of recruitment processes for all leadership, employee, and volunteer appointments

Suggested Next Steps

Our congregation has a reporting and complaints process which has a clear focus on child safety, is accessible to children and is clear regarding roles and responsibilities.

6.1 - Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees and volunteers who engage with children understand their respective roles and legal responsibilities regarding mandatory reporting, reportable conduct, and failure to report

6.2 - Processes for reporting abuse of a child, a child at risk, or grooming of a child are displayed within our congregation spaces and are accessible to everyone

6.3 - Child-friendly versions for reporting abuse of a child, a child at risk, or grooming of a child are also displayed

6.4 - Children in our congregation are provided with a variety of ways to make complaints, raise concerns, or give feedback

6.5 - Our pastors and other leaders know to support our employees and volunteers in making reports if they reasonably suspect a child is at risk or has been harmed

6.6 - In situations where child safety concerns are raised in relation to a member of our congregation, our leadership understands its responsibilities to report to the LCA Professional Standards Department and to follow the relevant LCA policies and procedures

6.7 - Our leadership maintains accurate, confidential, and secure records of all complaints and child safety concerns

6.8 - All complaints and reports relating to child safety concerns are taken seriously by our leadership, managed promptly, and all parties treated respectfully

Suggested Next Steps

Our pastor, other leaders, employees, and volunteers participate in regular training that provides them with an understanding of the fundamentals of child abuse, the importance of ethical conduct, how to respond to concerns, and how to prioritise child safety in the congregational context.

7.1 - Our pastor(s), other leaders and all employees and volunteers who engage with children are compliant with the LCA Safe Church Training requirements

7.2 - Compliance with the requirements of Safe Church Training is regularly reported to our leadership

7.3 - Our congregation has a system in place to remind our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers when Safe Church Training is due

7.5 - Our leadership supports our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers to undertake further child safety training as appropriate

Suggested Next Steps

Our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers have the knowledge and skills to identify and reduce risks to children in relation to physical and on-line surroundings, church activities and church-related outings.

8.1 - All congregation activities involving children are carefully risk-managed using child safety risk management processes

8.2 - Our leadership, pastor(s) and relevant employees and volunteers know how to mitigate identified risks to children and will cancel church activities if risks cannot be safely reduced

8.3 - Our leadership, pastor(s), and relevant employees and volunteers know to cancel activities if risks to children cannot be adequately reduced

8.4 - We regularly review our church’s physical spaces and reduce identified risks to children

8.5 - Our leadership provides clear information to our pastor(s), other leaders, employees, volunteers, children and families about appropriate and safe online engagement with children as appropriate

Suggested Next Steps

Our congregation is committed to implementing these standards and to making sure that our child safety progress is regularly reviewed.

9.1 - Child safety is on the agenda for all our local church council meetings, including the Annual General Meeting

9.2 - The church council ensures that a self-assessment of our congregation’s child-safety progress occurs once a year

9.3 - Our church leadership oversees the preparation of a Child Safety Plan each year using information from the self-assessment

9.4 - Our church leadership oversees implementation of the Child Safety Plan and regularly reviews progress

9.5 - Each year we submit our Child Safety Plan to the district’s Professional Standards Officer for collation

Suggested Next Steps

Our congregation has clear policies and procedures about child safety that help our people develop and maintain a safe environment for children.

10.1 - Our leadership follows LCA policies and procedures that relate to child safety

10.2 - LCA policies and procedures that relate to child safety are accessible to children, families, pastor(s), other leaders, employees, and volunteers

10.3 - Our leadership encourages children and families to provide feedback regarding the implementation of our child safety policies and procedures

10.4 - Our church leadership analyses complaints, concerns, and safety incidents to help us improve

Suggested Next Steps