Our Policies
This page is designed to update you on some of the main policies at Wallan Gateway Church. Whilst not an exhaustive list, we believe it is important to show some transparency in what we are about.
Our Statement of Commitment Regarding Child Safety
Wallan Gateway Church is committed to child safety because it is integral to our mission.
We want children to be safe, content and empowered. We support and respect all children in this endeavour, as we also respect our staff and volunteers.
We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our policies and procedures.
We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.
We are committed to preventing child abuse and therefore identifying risks early and removing and reducing these risks.
We are committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.
We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children as well as the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe and encouraging environment for children living with a disability.
We have in place specific policies and procedures to recruit, train and manage our staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.
Child Safety Policy Victorian Churches and Agencies (CCVT)
Child Safety Reporting Procedure (VIC)
Children & Young People Protection
Wallan Gateway Church strongly opposes any kind of child abuse. Wallan Gateway Church is committed to the safety, protection and wellbeing of all children and young people from all forms of abuse and neglect, and actively seeks to prevent its occurrence. We make every effort to provide an environment of safety and support for all children and young people. Wallan Gateway Church has a comprehensive children and young people protection policy in place which encompasses training and education of staff, volunteers, church members and parents on dealing with all forms of child abuse, and risk minimisation strategies to prevent abuse from occurring within the ministries of the church.
The policy provides guidelines to volunteers, leaders and staff on how to promote care, safety and protection of children and young people at Wallan Gateway Church, and clear directions on how to respond and deal with a situation of child abuse and neglect in an effective and consistent manner.
We also work closely with government agencies with regard to Working with Children Checks, child protection best practice training and when abuse against a child or young person is disclosed or suspected.
The Wallan Gateway Church Child Protection policy is regularly reviewed and updated in line with Churches of Christ in Victoria and Tasmania as well as any state or federal legislation changes in Vic and Australia regarding child protection and intervention issues.
Duty of Care for Responsible Leadership of Children and Youth Policy (CCVT)
Ministry Code of Ethics
The nature of ministry requires people in ministry to be wholesome examples to others. It is the responsibility of a person in ministry to be respectful of, and act responsibly towards the people who are within their duty of care. This Code of Ethics is intended to describe an ethical practice of ministry for the benefit of both those who minister and those who are recipients of ministry, in everyday life. For more detail on our Code of Ethics, please have a look at the following document.
Code of Ethics for Ministers (CCVT)
Other Policies