The following Helper Screening Policy was adopted by Parish Council in February 2003.
9 May 2003
HELPER SCREENING POLICY
Strategy to minimise harm to children
The Parish Council of the Anglican Parish of Scarborough, as part of its mission to
bring the love of Christ to all, and out of duty of care, has a Strategy to minimise the
possibility of paedophilia and other forms of child abuse. The Strategy has four
components:
- Train those who work closely with children in protective behaviours.
- Require a police clearance for employees of the Anglican Church who will be working
closely with children.
- Require a Confidential Declaration from parents and volunteers who
will be working closely with children.
- Require a person with a police clearance to be present at all times
with volunteers who work with children in Parish events.
Police Clearance
Those who are required to have a police clearance are:
- Licensed clergy or employees who work closely with Parish children or youth.
- Employees of the Anglican Church who are invited to work with children or youth in the
Parish.
- Visitors, parents and volunteers who will work closely with Parish children or youth,
where the Parish Priest wishes to verify the information supplied in the Confidential
Declaration.
- Members of the Children’s and Youth Committee, unless specifically exempted by the
Parish Priest. Those exempted are required to complete a Confidential Declaration Form.
Confidential Declaration
Those who are required to complete a Confidential Declaration are those who will be
working closely with children or youth. For example, this includes parents &
volunteers who assist with children’s programs such as Sunday School and Kids Plus+,
Teen discussion groups and ColumbaYouth. The kind of assistance includes providing
transport, supervision, helping with craft, leading Godly Play, and leading discussions.
A sample Confidential Declaration Form is attached.
Criminal Convictions Selection Criteria
Clergy, employees of the Anglican Church, visitors, parents or volunteers who have a
conviction for the following offences may be precluded from working closely with children
and youth in the Parish:
·
A conviction of a violent or sexual nature
· A conviction for dealing or trafficking in illegal drugs
· A conviction which
results in a gaol sentence
· A conviction for an offence which would normally result
in dismissal if committed by a person licensed or employed in the Anglican Church.
If an offence is not so serious as to warrant automatic exclusion the Parish Priest
will review the conviction(s) against the following criteria.
· The nature and
seriousness of the offence.
· Relevance of the
offence to activity in a Parish.
· The age of the
applicant when the offence was committed.
· The recency of the
offence; the number of years since the last offence.
· Any mitigating circumstances.
Confidentiality
Unless statutory obligations require otherwise, the information on the completed
Confidential Declaration Form will not be used without the person’s consent for any
purpose other than in relation to their direct involvement in children’s and youth
ministry.
The form shall be submitted to the Parish Priest, who shall note the responses and take
appropriate action. The completed form will
be treated with the utmost confidentially at all times.
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the assistance by the Department of Education and Training, Western
Australia in giving us advice and permission to adapt their forms and policies for our
purposes.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONFIDENTIAL DECLARATION FORM
What the form is about
The Parish Council of the Anglican Parish of Scarborough has a Strategy to minimise the
possibility of paedophilia and other forms of child abuse. This CONFIDENTIAL DECLARATION
form is part of this strategy.
The CONFIDENTIAL DECLARATION form is to be completed by persons will be working closely
with children and youth, for example, parents & volunteers who assist with
children’s programs such as Sunday School and Kids Plus+.
You may be asked to provide a police clearance if the Parish Priest considers it
necessary to verify the information you provide.
Only persons who are clear of certain police convictions will be permitted to work
closely with children.
By completing this form you will help us to ensure that the Parish and its activities
are safe for our children.
Confidentiality
Please be assured that unless statutory obligations require otherwise, the information
on the completed form will not be used without your consent for any purpose other than in
relation to your direct involvement in children’s ministry.
The completed form will be treated with the utmost confidentially at all times.
If you would like to know more about our helper screening policy, please contact the
Parish Priest, the Reverend Trevor Burt, on 08 9341 3861, or email scarborough@perth.anglican.org
Thank you for taking the time to read this information. Please pass
the completed form on to the Parish Priest in a sealed envelope marked Confidential.
CONFIDENTIAL DECLARATION
This form is for persons who have access to Parish buildings and activities and will be
working closely with children, for example, parents & volunteers assisting with
children’s programs such as Sunday School and Kids Plus+.
Please read carefully & tick one of the boxes below.
I certify the accuracy of the above information. I am aware that I may be required to
provide a police clearance if it is considered necessary to verify the information
provided.