Safe Ministry Documents

Our organisation takes all allegations seriously and has practices in place to investigate thoroughly and quickly. Our staff and volunteers are trained to deal appropriately with allegations.

We work to ensure all children, families, staff and volunteers know what to do and who to tell if they observe abuse or are a victim, and if they notice inappropriate behaviour.

We all have a responsibility to report an allegation of abuse if we have a reasonable belief that an incident took place.

If an adult has a reasonable belief that an incident has occurred then they must report the incident. Factors contributing to reasonable belief may be:

• a child states they or someone they know has been abused (noting that sometimes the child may in fact be referring to themselves)
• behaviour consistent with that of an abuse victim is observed
• someone else has raised a suspicion of abuse but is unwilling to report it
• observing suspicious behaviour
• To report concerns that are life threatening, ring Victoria Police 000
• To contact a child protection office close to you, call a local office.

To report concerns about the immediate safety of a child after hours, call:
After Hours Child Protection Emergency Service
Ph: 13 12 78 (5.00pm – 9.00am Monday – Friday, 24 hours on weekends and public holidays).
Note: this is an emergency service for week nights, weekends and public holidays only.

To find out more about making a complaint about clergy or church officers, including Regional Bishops, in the Diocese of Melbourne please click here

To find out more about making a complaint about the Archbishop of Melbourne please click here.

Fact sheets about Complaints

• Fact sheet People Thinking About Making a Complaint
• FAQs for People Thinking About Making a Complaint Melbourne
• Fact Sheet People Responding to a Complaint
• FAQs People Responding to a Complaint