Professional Standards
About us
Caring for one another requires a little effort from us. It's something we need to choose to do. It's love in action. It's what we are called to do as Christians.
The Professional Standards Department was established by the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) to assist all those who engage with our church to care for one another. There is a Professional Standards Officer in every district of the LCA, including South Australia and the Northern Territory.
In a nutshell, the Professional Standards Department is:
- coordinating training in a range of areas
- responsible for the management of complaints in a fair and transparent manner, in order to ensure compliance with the biblical principles of reconciliation and the principles of natural justice
- developing further policies, procedures and other resources, which will be readily available online.
Read SA-NT Professional Standards Officer Dave Biar's December 2018 update
Click here to view the LCA Professional Standards webpage.
For the LCA Standards of Ethical Behaviour, click here.
For information about complaints, visit the LCA website.
ChildSafe
ChildSafe is a safety and risk management system, with a focus on keeping children and young people (and the teams of adults that work with them) safe in their programs and activities.
ChildSafe sets a standard of safety and care for the LCA. It is a requirement that everyone involved in ministry programs for children and young people under the age of 18 is trained in the system.
There are three levels to the ChildSafe system:
- A Team Member is any adult who supervises a group of children or youth.
- A Team Leader is appointed by the congregation to supervise a group of team members.
- A Coordinator is appointed by the congregation to oversee the safety and training of all teams within the congregation.
ChildSafe is part of a prevention process and also informs of the actions that will be taken by the LCA to support individuals and programs when things go wrong.
ChildSafe ensures that teams consider all safety possibilities when designing programs and also increases the awareness of all current and potential team members to their duty of care responsibilities. These responsibilities are grounded in our moral obligations, as children of God and also in government legislation, to ensure that all organisations working with children provide environments that are safe from danger and abuse.
ChildSafe training
To become a qualified ChildSafe Team Member, individuals must complete the full Professional Standards Workshop (PSW) and a Safeguarding Children – Child Protection (SCCP) webinar (or provide evidence of appropriate RPL in this area).
ChildSafe Team Member training is required to be refreshed every three years. This can be done by completing the online refresher test or by completing the full Professional Standards Workshop and Safeguarding Children – Child Protection webinar.
The higher levels of ChildSafe, including Team Leader and Coordinator, can be completed through online webinars.
To view full details on this training, scheduled workshops and registrations, click here.
DCSI checks
Anyone in the church who previously held a police clearance for their role is now required to hold a valid DCSI (Department for Communities and Social Inclusion) check. This has come about as a result of the changes recommended in the recent Royal Commission.
This new rule applies to:
- All pastors
- All employees of the LCANZ
- All church council members
- Anyone in your congregation who works with children or vulnerable people
- Anyone who might be in a decision making position where the outcome could affect children or vulnerable people
The DCSI check is free to volunteers. Congregations are asked to sponsor their pastor or employees to cover the cost of their check.
