Reporting
Religious ministries are required to report child abuse, criminal behaviour and other such conduct defined by the Reportable Conduct Scheme to the appropriate authorities.
If you or anyone you know is in immediate danger please call 000.
All reportable behaviour[1] and any concerns of Presbyterian Church of Victoria (PCV) congregations must be reported to the Safe Church Unit (SCU). This includes any issues or circumstances in which an adult or child is made or feels unsafe spiritually, emotionally, mentally or physically.
If there is no immediate danger, you are in doubt, or you are unsure about contacting the police, contact Kooyoora or your local church leaders.
- Kooyoora is an independent not-for-profit dedicated to delivering professional standards and safeguarding solutions to charitable entities. They have been contracted by the Safe Church Committee (SCC) to respond to all incident reports and complaints of misconduct within the church.[2]
- Child abuse will be reported to Victoria Police. Reportable conduct will be reported to the Social Services Regulator and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing - Child Protection by the PCV's Clerk of Assembly as required.
Everyone is always at liberty to report directly to the police, the Safe Church Unit and external agencies. The Safe Church Unit is always available for advice and clarification.
📞 Phone: 1800 135 246
📧 Email: enquiries@kooyoora.org.au
Furthermore, any adult who forms a reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed by an adult against a child under 18 has an obligation to report that information to police. Failure to disclose the information to police is a criminal offence punishable by jail sentence.
Abuse Disclosure Process
In situations where you become aware of abuse it is extremely important that you do not compromise the situation in any way. The following process is intended to ensure that we hear the allegation and take appropriate immediate action to ensure the safety of those involved without compromising the evidence.
- Listen - and do not add anything. As far as possible, only ascertain the gist of the allegation. Do not press them for information or push them to reveal the details of the abuse. Do not ask leading questions, rather listen carefully and if possible take notes of what they state, including any dates, times or locations of the alleged abuse.
- Support - offer reassurance and care. They are not to blame, they are not alone, they have done the right thing in telling you, and you take what they have said seriously. Ask what can be done to make them feel safe.
- Document - record what was said and note the date and time as soon as possible afterwards.
- Report - speak to a senior leader and call Kooyoora together, contact Kooyoora yourself, or make a report to Victoria Police or Child Protection directly. If reporting directly to external authorities, contact the Safe Church Unit afterwards to inform the church that a report has been made and to seek help and resources.
If the situation is urgent or there is immediate danger, stay with them and call 000.
When listening to a child, remember:
- Children often talk about difficult or painful things in a roundabout way.
- Children need assurance from adults that it is OK to talk about upsetting things.
- Children often feel ashamed and frightened and find it hard to find the right words to explain.
- Being observant will help you pick up non-verbal clues about what is wrong.
- A child may drop hints when something is wrong, for example, “I don’t like so and so. Do you like him/her?”
- Sometimes a child discloses abuse to a person who the child feels safe with or trusts. In this situation carefully listen, reassure the child and tell them you will help them.
- Do not promise not to tell anyone else. Rather, tell them you will share what they have told you with the Safe Church Unit so they can receive help. Tell them you are pleased they shared this with you.
When listening to anyone, remember:
- Do not compromise the situation by making comments, giving advice or adding to the allegations.
- Do not make a judgement about whether you think an allegation is true at this early stage.
- Do not be under the misapprehension that by treating an allegation with compassion you are prejudicing the rights of an alleged offender. This is not the case.
Behaviour that must be reported to the Safe Church Unit:
- Reportable conduct (as defined by the Reportable Conduct Scheme
- Disclosure of being on the Sex Offenders Register
- Disclosure, allegations or complaints of previous misconduct with children (including as discovered through due diligence checks and/or screening processes)
- Disclosure of past abusive behaviour (including as discovered through due diligence checks and/or screening processes)
- Disclosure of previous convictions for sex offences
- Access, use or disseminating of online child abuse material
- Assault (including within domestic and family violence)
- Indecent assault
- Sexual harassment
- Conduct, behaviour or speech that is sexually threatening or inappropriate
- Inappropriate relationships (as described by the Code of Conduct)
- Sexual assault (including sex offences against children)
- Illegal sexting (sexting between an adult and a child)
- Rape
- Grooming (including online grooming of children, see Understanding Grooming attached below)
- Stalking
- Suspicion of grooming or stalking
- Domestic and family violence (see the Statement on Domestic and Family Violence attached below)
- Financial abuse
- Spiritual abuse
- Elder abuse
- Misuse or abuse of authority
- Domestic and family violence and abuse
- Threatening or enacting violence (including within domestic and family violence)
- Bullying
- Professional misconduct
Note: this is an indicative and not definitive list. If in doubt, contact the SCU for further clarification. ↩︎
Conduct or crimes that will be reported to external authorities:
- Assault (including within domestic and family violence)
- Indecent assault
- Sexual assault (including sex offences against children)
- Illegal sexting
- Rape
- Stalking
- Grooming (including online grooming of children, see Understanding Grooming attached below)
- Access, use or dissemination of online child abuse material
- Reasonable belief of child abuse (sexual, physical, emotional or neglect)
- Threatening or enacting violence (including within domestic and family violence)
- Family or domestic violence where children are involved
Note: this is an indicative and not definitive list. If in doubt, contact the SCU for further clarification. ↩︎
Seeking Help
In addition to the resources provided by Kooyoora and the Safe Church Unit, government organisations and not-for-profits offer support for people dealing with child abuse or other Safe Church issues. For a referral to a recommended Christian counselling services, contact us.
📞 Phone: 0435 417 283
📧 Email: scu.compliance@pcv.org.au
| 1800RESPECT: National Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Counselling Service. 🌏 Website: 1800respect.org.au 📞 Phone: 1800 737 732 |
| DFFH: after-hours Child Protection Emergency Service. 🌏 Website: dffh.vic.gov.au 📞 Phone: 13 12 78 |
| The Orange Door: help for people experiencing or using family violence or who need support with the care and wellbeing of childen and young people. 🌏 Website: orangedoor.vic.gov.au |
| Breaking the Silence: PCNSW, PCWA and PCTAS Conduct Protocol Unit. 🌏 Website: breakingthesilence.org.au |
| Lifeline: 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention. 🌏 Website: lifeline.org.au 📞 Phone: 13 11 14 |
| MensLine: free counselling and support for Australian men anywhere, anytime. 🌏 Website: mensline.org.au 📞 Phone: 1300 78 79 78 |
| No To Violence: ending men's family violence. 🌏 Website: ntv.org.au 📞 Phone: 1300 766 491 |
| Safe + Equal: standing strong against family violence. 🌏 Website: safeandequal.org.au |
| Focus on the Family: advice for speaking to children about sexual abuse. 🌏 Website: focusonthefamily.com |
| BetterHealth: for parents whose children have been sexually abused. 🌏 Website: betterhealth.vic.gov.au |
| Friends of Dismas: for ex-offenders and parolees in need of support. 🌏 Website: churchesofchrist.org.au/friendsofdismas |
| PartnerSPEAK: for partners who suspect a spouse is using child pornography. 🌏 Website: partnerspeak.org.au |
| eSafety: reporting online child abuse and/or cyber bullying. 🌏 Website: esafety.gov.au |