In September 2025, Anna participated a two-day in-depth safeguarding training online for people with disability, targeted at people in safeguarding leadership positions. This is the first in series of 7
Allowing Risks While Preventing Abuse
It is important to take steps to safeguard and protect people with disability from risks while still maximising their choice and control. When someone is outside the work context it is important to make sure that reporting is carried out and that everyone is responsible. Make sure that people with disability in your congregation have the freedom to participate how they want to and are not limited in ways that they can be involved, as long as this can be done in a safe way.
There are four elements of safeguarding to think about.
These are prevent, detect, respond, and report. These provide structures to prevent and mitigate risk, and they provide a culture of protection, with both internal and external reporting processes to support this culture.
There are three requirements of safeguarding and these are regulation and legislation, principles, and organisation policy and procedure. These all lead to an organisation culture that is client safe.
- Is your congregation preventing abusive situations?
- Is your congregation responding appropriately and reporting abuse situations?
- Do the leaders in your congregation have appropriate working with children checks and any other relevant screenings?
- What policies and procedures are in place when something does go wrong or abuse happens to a congregation member or another leader?
There are many regulations and legislations to go by. These include child protection legislation, working with children legislation, criminal law, civil law, health/mental health standards, NDIS Safety and Quality Standards, education regulation, child safe organisations legislation, and disability services regulation.