Safe Church
A great church is a Safe Church
The Church of the Good Shepherd is committed, with the Diocese of Newcastle, that our church is a place of safety and transparency with the members of the church and the community at large; in the Kotara and surrounding areas.
Christ himself mandated that there are Two Great Commandments: that you should love the Lord your God, and that the second is like it you shall love your neighbour as yourself. We at Good Shepherd, as scripture-believing Christians take all commands of Christ with the utmost importance and reverence.
We Want To Be Part Of Making A Change.
The Church of the Good Shepherd places the safety of all people as our greatest priority. If you wish to find out more about the policy or the work of our Diocese towards ensuring a Safe Church, from the youngest to the oldest member, please contact our Parish Priest. They will be able to guide you on any questions you may have about parish requirements.
Safe Ministry Training
All people working with children or youth in ministry, including ministers and assistant ministers, are required to complete Safe Ministry Training.
Safe Ministry Training is part of the Diocesan Safe Ministry Ordinance. It requires that everyone involved in ministry to children and young people must undertake Safe Ministry training every three years.
Safe Ministry Training Workshops are interactive, awareness-raising workshops covering: Christian foundations of safe ministry, duty of care, vulnerable people protection (abuse prevention), due diligence in relation to recruitment and supervision of all church leaders and the management of program risks. As well as how we are to discharge our duty of care, and the dynamics of power in leadership relationships.
Safe Ministry checks include a Working with Children Check, a National Criminal History Check and Safe Ministry Training as accredited by the National Council of Churches under the Safe Church Training Agreement. For more information please see here.
Safe Church
The Anglican Diocese of Newcastle is building safe churches to ensure the church is safe for all to attend. The Anglican Parish of Kotara South is part of the Diocese of Newcastle. The Parish Safety Policy can be found here.
Detailed information in regard to our policies and procedures in relation to screening, training and compliance can be found here
The Anglican Diocese of Newcastle takes allegations of misconduct and abuse seriously. We encourage victims of crime to contact NSW Police.
We encourage people with concerns to come forward and speak with the Director of Professional Standards (1800 774 945) at dps@newcastleanglican.org.au
