Child Safety Standards online portal now live

The LCA Child Safety Standards Action Plans for Round 2 are due to be submitted by 31 March 2025.

The Child Safety Standards online portal is now live and can be accessed from the Child Safety Standards webpage.

The online portal is where congregations submit either:

• a Child Safety ‘No Children’ Assurance
• a Child Safety Self-Assessment and Child Safety Standards Action Plan.

Hopefully, by now, councils have:

• completed a final review of their 2022–23 Child Safety Standards Action Plan
• familiarised themselves with the updated standards and the process
• selected an assessor and have begun supporting them with Safe Church Training and working with children type check requirements
• gathered their previous Self-Assessment and Child Safety Standards Action Plan and any other supporting documents (agendas and minutes) to assist their assessor with the Self-Assessment.

All tools and guide documents are now back on the website and available for congregations, including:

• the Child Safety Standards Self-Assessment and Action Plan Guide
• a video on how to use the online portal to submit a Child Safety ‘No Children’ Assurance
• a video on how to use the online portal to submit a Child Safety Self-Assessment
• examples of the final PDF for the Self-Assessment and Action Plan
• suggestions and tips for child safety assessors
• the notetaker.

A SUGGESTED CONGREGATION TIMELINE

October: The online portal is now live to receive your submissions.

Congregations submitting a ‘No Children’ Assurance are encouraged to submit this in the portal now.

Assessors should start or continue their Self-Assessment information-gathering. The online portal is available to begin inputting the findings from your Self-Assessment.

November to February: Councils should review Self-Assessments and begin work on Child Safety Standards Action Plans.

March council meetings: Accept the finalised Child Safety Standards Action Plans, ready to hit the Submit button.

31 March 2025: All Child Safety Standards Action Plans and Child Safety ‘No Children’ Assurances must be submitted to the Churchwide Office.

Councils are encouraged to work on the Child Safety Standards Action Plan outside of usual meetings or at special meetings to have it ready to submit on time.

Congregations requiring assistance are encouraged to contact Nicole Hall, the Child Safety Standards Implementation Support Officer, or any member of the Professional Standards Team. Contact details can be found on the Professional Standards webpage.

Nicole Hall is the LCA’s Child Safety Implementation Support Officer.