The Anglican Diocese of Sydney was a Training Provider (and Member) for the National Council of Churches Safe Church Program (SCP). The SCP established a network of churches and organisations across Australia who were Training Providers and Training Partners under the Program. This training was accepted by members of the Safe Church Program.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE SAFE CHURCH PROGRAM IN 2024

The Safe Church Program concluded at the start of 2024. Under the the Safe Ministry to Children Ordinance 2020, the Safe Ministry Board is responsible for approving other training providers for the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. At their February 2024 meeting the Board discussed the impact of the SCP conclusion and agreed that the Anglican Diocese of Sydney will maintain recognition of the safe ministry training providers/partners referenced below until March 2025. 

This means, if a person presents a current certificate of training provided by a Training Provider/Partner as stipulated below, then it will be accepted until the end of March 2025 (any training completed after this date will not be accepted).  

SCP Training Providers (training produced by organisations and benchmarked against the SCP standards) 

• Anglican Diocese of Sydney
• Lutheran Church of Australia
• Salvation Army Australia Territory
• Uniting Church VIC/TAS Synod
• Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT NOTE: This is a combination of online and face-to-face training, so check that the certificate specifically includes both modules.

SCP Training Partners (training produced by the Safe Church Program and provided by an accredited trainer in an organisation). Note: these certificates must contain the SCP logo to demonstrate it is endorsed.

• Anglican Diocese of Bendigo
• Anglican Diocese of Gippsland
• Anglican Diocese of Grafton
• Anglican Diocese of Wangaratta
• Baptist Union of Tasmania
• Catholic Diocese of Bathurst
• Churches of Christ Vic/Tas
• Churches of Christ Qld
• Life Church International (Australia)
• Lutheran Church of Australia
• Uniting Church of Australia NSW & ACT Synod
• Uniting Church of Australia Northern Synod
• Uniting Church of Australia WA Synod
• Catholic Diocese of Darwin
• Chinese Methodist Church Australia
• Chinese Christian Church

Note: At time of writing, this means that training conducted by the Presbyterian Church or Creating Safer Communities is NOT accepted in our diocese.

Do we need to do anything else?

If someone joins your church and presents proof of training that meets the requirements listed above, it is accepted as being equivalent to our training and you should enter the details of the training and its source and expiry date into your Safe Ministry Records. It is also prudent to ensure that they are made aware of any specific reporting requirements and expectations of leaders in Sydney Anglican churches, for example by reading the relevant Safe Ministry Blueprint document for their role and by signing the Safe Ministry Pledge.

If someone presents training credentials from an organisation that is NOT listed as a Safe Church Training Provider or Training Partner, that training cannot be accepted and they must complete Safe Ministry Essentials before commencing ministry with children or youth.