The Catholic Archdiocese of Perth is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all its members, leaders, and especially its children and vulnerable adults.  The care, safety and welfare of children and vulnerable adults is a collective responsibility, embedded in policies and practices of the Archdiocese which reflect a commitment to a zero-tolerance to abuse.

We will:

• strive to be an open and inclusive Church where all its members including children, vulnerable adults, families, church workers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders’ culturally and/or linguistically diverse and those with a disability or additional needs are welcome and participate fully;
• be a Church where children and vulnerable adults are fully engaged and have every opportunity to be heard, flourish and grow;
• be a safe place and put no barriers in place that will harm or hinder children and vulnerable adults;
• ensure that everyone engaged and working in the Church promote the inherent dignity of all persons including children and vulnerable adults and their fundamental right to be included, respected and nurtured in a safe environment;
• seek to maintain high ethical standards in all its decisions, actions and programs;
• work in accordance with the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards and the Professional Standards reporting obligations through the implementation of The Safeguarding Handbook;
• abide by Federal and Commonwealth statutory legislation pertaining to the Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.

Creating a safe church is a dynamic process that involves active participation and responsibility by all leaders, clergy, church workers and the wider church community including parents and families. The Archdiocese is committed to making this possible through collaboration, vigilance and proactive approaches across legislation, policies, procedures and practices.

Recognising there is no fool-proof system for the complete prevention of all forms of abuse or harm, the Safeguarding program will be informed by the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards which incorporate elements of public health interventions to prevent the abuse of children, minimise the risk of abuse by heightening the likelihood that abuse will be detected.  This together with a robust complaint handling system seeks to reduce the long-term impacts of abuse or harm.

Our hope is that such an approach will not only provide the safest environment possible, but that it will also better enable our parishes to truly proclaim the Gospel and to foster genuine encounters with the living God.