Safeguarding
Safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults
It's very important to us that everyone should be safe, happy and welcome at St Paul's, and our safeguarding procedures reflect this priority.
Our Cathedral Safeguarding Officer is Mere Montgomery, and our Bright Lights Co-ordinator is Rachel Slade, and together with The Dean, and our Churchwardens, Andrew Thompson and Theodore Rose, they help to make sure that our safeguarding policy is followed and that our Police Checks and Safeguarding Training are up-to-date.
Everyone who works regularly with Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults at the Cathedral will go through a Police check process and receive ongoing training on how to create and maintain a safe and welcoming environment. Occasional volunteers always work with someone who has been through this process, under the direct supervision of a trained individual. Everyone at St Paul’s is required to follow good practice in safeguarding (see below).
Making a Complaint
If you need to make a complaint about an office bearer in the Anglican Church (for example, a priest, deacon, bishop, licensed lay minister, trustee, etc.) we encourage you to put it in writing and send it directly to the independent Registrar.
Ministry Standards Registrar
c/- P O Box 87188,
Meadowbank,
Auckland 1742
registrar@anglicanchurch.org.nz
If there is immediate risk to someone, contact New Zealand Police | Nga Pirihimana O Aotearoa.
Royal Commission on Abuse in Care
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care is looking into what happened to children, young people and vulnerable adults in care between 1950 and 1999.
The focus of the Commission is on ‘Abuse in Care’ with reference to:
State-run institutions
Faith-based institutions
The second of these categories includes the Church’s care of children, young people and vulnerable adults in our churches, schools, orphanages, elder care homes, and other ministries governed and managed by Anglican based Social Services (including residential care homes for the elderly) and Anglican Family Care.
The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, including the Diocese of Dunedin, is committed to engaging with the Commission and its work, and will do everything it can to assist the Commission fulfilling its purposes. The Diocese of Dunedin is encouraging submissions to be made to the Commission by survivors of abuse in its care.
You can contact the Commission by:
Phone: 10 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday (NZT) 0800 222 727 [Calling from Australia? 1800 875 745]
Email: contact@abuseincare.org.nz
Mail: Royal Commission of Inquiry, PO Box 10071
The Terrace, Wellington 6143
See also Royal Commission on Abuse in Care: www.abuseincare.org.nz
Getting Help from outside
NEED HELP AND SUPPORT NOW?
Reach out for some help. Talk with someone you trust, see a doctor or counsellor, or call 1737 to speak to a trained counsellor, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Safeguarding Procedures and Further Help
You can download the Diocesan Safeguarding Policy here.
You can also see all of the policies for Safeguarding on the Diocese of Dunedin Website.