Do leaders who have child protection training included in their profession have to do the BTS Basic Training?

Doctor, Nurses, Teachers and many other professions include child protection training in their professional development. When one of these people is in a position of authority within the church, they do not need to do the full BTS Basic Training. However, as BTS covers more than just child protection and addresses the issue of abuse from the church’s point of view, they do need to complete some components of the training. They need to complete the Code of Conduct, Sexual Misconduct and Our Policy sections as a minimum requirement. The pastoral charge will then record which components of the training were completed and note that other professional training replaced the remainder. That said, we strongly recommend that professionals such as these join with other leaders and complete the full Basic Training. They can be an immense encouragement and source of information.

If I have done child protection training or safe church training in another denomination do I have to do the BTS Basic Training?

The Presbyterian Church of Australia is party to the Safe Church Training Agreement established by the National Council of Churches in Australia. The Agreement allows us to accept child protection or safe church training conducted with other members of the Agreement. If you contact the CPU we can tell you if you need to do the BTS Basic Training course.

Can we put photos of children in our newsletter or on our website?

Anyone wanting to take photos or video of children in the church must get parental permission. We recommend a cautious approach. You must include information about where you wish to publish the photos on the permission note. For example, on the sample registration form provided on this website the following is included:

Authority for Contact / Photos

• I consent to my child being contacted by the leaders of this program.

• I consent to my child being contacted by the church to be informed of upcoming events.

• I consent to my child‘s photo being taken or a video being taken in which my child appears for use within the program and the church in general.

Can someone under 16 years of age be a leader?

Many children’s programs in the church have young people helping out in a leadership role. As it not possible for someone under the age of 16 to sign the Working with Children Check Declaration, and it is not wise for someone under the age of 16 to be in sole charge of a group of younger children, they cannot be the main leader of a group.

Junior leaders should be encouraged to participate in leadership of younger children, and can take on this role providing they are under the supervision of a more senior leader. This senior leader must meet all the requirements of Breaking the Silence in terms of screening and training, and must be the person who has responsibility for the group.

What this looks like in practice may vary from church to church. For example, a senior leader may have a class of 10 children in a hall and have a junior leader present as a helper. The group could divide into two groups within the same space to complete an activity. The senior leader is still responsible and present with the group as a whole.

It is a good idea to think about how much information to give a leader who is under 16 years of age. If appropriate, we recommend that the BTS material is given to the young leader’s parents with a request that they consider what is appropriate for their child to be given.

If you have a particular situation involving a young leader who is under the age of 16 and you require clarification of what is required please contact the CPU.

Does a leader who is under 18 have to sign the Working with Children Declaration and complete the BTS Basic Training?

Yes. All leaders from the age of 16 are required to meet all the Breaking the Silence requirements, including signing the Declaration and completing the training. If you have concerns about a particular leader who is between the age of 16 and 18 completing these requirements please contact the CPU for advice.

Can we have people from outside our church provide child care or run events with our children or young people?

Yes you can. You can allow people from outside the church to provide child care or run events with the children or young people of your congregation. However, before they can provide this service they must have met the church’s child protection requirements. That is, they must have completed the Working with Children Check, done the BTS Basic Training etc.

If people from outside the church are providing assistance to your regular leaders and are “under the supervision” of someone who has met the Breaking the Silence requirements then they can help out. It must be made very clear however that they are not to be left alone with any child or group of children and must be in the presence of the authorised person at all times.