Child Safety

“Committed to the safety and wellbeing of every person.”

As a Christian community, meeting together to worship God in the name of Jesus Christ, we affirm our commitment to the safety of each child and young person who interacts with our community.  God’s word makes it clear that all people are created equal and that any position of power is to be accepted humbly and with the intent of serving others, never to harm them.

Our faith motivates us to love everyone and never to discriminate against anyone, especially on the basis of age, race, gender, language, sexual orientation, disability or family/social background.  Therefore, we seek to protect the safety of all young people without exception. We take a zero tolerance approach to child abuse. We want our church to be a place where young people can come to know and experience the love of Jesus and his followers.

You can view the full outline of Anglican Diocese’ Child Safe policies and documents here, this site includes detailed information on Codes of Conduct, Clearances and Safe Ministry Training.

VOLUNTEERING OR WORKING WITH CHILDREN:

It is a requirement of our Church and the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne that all volunteers and employees undertake a preparation process before serving in a ministry that includes people under 18 years of age.  As well as our moral and social obligations to protect vulnerable people, this is a legislative requirement of the Victorian Government. Before beginning this process, please contact our pastoral staff with which role you’re interested in serving in so we can confirm your application. 

1. Register for a Working with Children Check (or, if you already have one, connect your WWCC with our organisations)

Click here to Register for a new WWCC.

• Click the “I want to register” button.
• You’ll be asked for some details to confirm who you are.
• You’ll get an email to confirm you’re real, follow the link in that email.

Click here to Update or Renew your WWCC to be registered with Plentylife:

• Login with your email and password.
• Select “Change my details”.
• Scroll down and add the following three organisations: Plentylife Church, Mernda and Doreen, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, and Kooyoora Office of Professional Standards. You can find the details for each of these on the table below.
• Make sure to click submit at the bottom of the page when you’re done!
• All three organisations will be posted a copy of your WWCC once it has been approved. This copy will be put on confidential file for record-keeping.

Do you know which specific organisation(s) you work for	Yes	Yes	Yes
Organisation name	Plentylife Church, Mernda and Doreen	Anglican Diocese of Melbourne	Kooyoora Office of Professional Standards for the Diocese of Melbourne
Postal number and street	14 Francesca Drive	209 Flinders Lane	PO Box 329
Suburb	Mernda	Melbourne	Canterbury
State	Victoria	Victoria	Victoria
Postcode	3754	3000	3126
Phone	0493 806 164	03 9653 4220	03 9416 1008
Email	admin@plentylife.org.au	reception@ melbourneanglican.org.au	admin@kooyoora.org.au
Occupational work code	64 – Religious organisation	64 – Religious organisation	64 – Religious organisation

2. Complete a Police / Crim check

Please follow the instructions to lodge your national Police History Check online: 

• Click on this link: https://crimcheck.org.au/check/plentylife
• Fill in the details.
• Once you have completed the form and clicked submit you will receive an email from CrimCheck with full details of your check (including a list to help you understand what documents constitute Proof of ID).
• You will need to obtain copies of your Proof of ID – these documents provided must consist of: 
  • 1 x Commencement Identity Document (eg: passport)  
  • 1 x Primary Community Document (eg: driver’s licence) 
  • 2 x Secondary Community Documents (eg: medicare card) 
• You can either validate these documents online through CrimCheck, or scan and email your Identity Documents to childsafe@plentylife.org.au.  
• As soon as the check is resolved it will be emailed to you. 

3. Apply for a Clearance For Service

Volunteers working with children are also required to obtain a Clearance for Service from Kooyoora. Kooyoora is an independent Professional Standards company that undertakes Professional Standards work for not for profit charitable entities. More information about Kooyoora is available here.

As of May 2024, a new online clearance platform provided by Kooyoora called OSCA (Online SCreening Application) is now ready for use. If you are applying for Clearance for Service you’re likely to have received the secure link and password to this portal from a staff member appointing you to any leadership position. If you have not received this please contact the staff team with the position you’re applying for and request access (childsafe@plentylife.org.au).You can find out more about this process at the Anglican Diocese website.

4. Complete a Code of Conduct for Child Safety & Wellbeing form

Everyone who works with children is required to sign a completed Code of Conduct for Child Safety and Wellbeing form and return it to Plentylife. We recommend you download the form and fill it in electronically and then either:

• Sign it electronically and email to childsafe@plentylife.org.au
• OR print, then sign it physically and return it in-person to a staff member

5. Complete Safe Ministry Training

Our volunteers and employees must complete the online training appropriate to their role.

Past training was titled Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. New training materials are available from Oct 2024 and are titled.

• Safe Ministry Essentials (Module 1) 
  A course for volunteer, lay position holders, and staff to develop awareness of the Diocesan Safe Ministry policy, protocols, procedures, and practices. 
• Safe Ministry with Children (Modules 1&2) 
  A course for all those who work in a prescribed role and require clearance for service.  The module develops an awareness of Child Safety for all children and youth volunteers. 
• Safe Ministry Implementation for Senior Leaders (Module 3) 
  A course for all Clergy, Authorised Ministers, Parish Council members, Child Safe Officers and Ministry Program Coordinators aimed at working through the implementation of Diocesan Safe Ministry Policy, Protocols and Procedures. 

For those who have previously completed Level 1 & Level 2 there are now refresher courses available.

There is a small cost involved for each training module. If you are able to pay that cost yourself then please do, with our thanks. If you are unable to cover the cost, please contact your team leader or our staff team and we will assist you. We do not want the fee to be a barrier to anyone serving and receiving the training! 🙂

Follow THIS LINK to access the website page that enables you to register for the course directly. You can also head to the Anglican Diocese website for more information and instructions on how to complete the set up process. 

To find our parish fastest once on the registration page, type ‘Parish of St Matthias Mernda’ into the search box for Volunteer Courses like below for both the Induction and Refresher courses to pop up. The Induction courses are listed first (for those who haven’t previously completed Safe Ministry Training), followed by the Refresher courses.

Please note: The online portal, Creating Safer Communities, is an independent organisation and not managed by the Diocese. If you have any technological problems with the registration or set-up process like faulty email links, please contact the Creating Safer Communities team. If you need any assistance with the steps above please contact our staff team at childsafe@plentylife.org.au.

Once you have completed all of the levels required by your role, you will be able to download a certificate of completion for each course. Please send these to childsafe@plentylife.org.au for our records.

HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT SAFE MINISTRY AT OUR CHURCH?

Here’s a flowchart to help you with the process. You can also view the Diocesan Reporting Procedures or contact Kooyoora (Director of Professional Standards).

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Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions via admin@plentylife.org.au or 0493 806 164.