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St Dominic’s Parish holds the care, safety and wellbeing of children as a fundamental responsibility. This page provides links and information relating to our commitment as a parish to be a safe place for all.

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As part of our safeguarding policy, all clergy, staff and volunteers at St Dominic’s are required to meet three requirements:

1.      Code of Conduct Declaration: Click here to read and sign our Code of Conduct declaration.  You are then asked to return a signed copy of the Declaration to the parish office, by mail, in person or by email – secretary@stdominics.org.au.

2.      Working with Children Check (WWCC). Click here to obtain a WWCC.  In completing this application you should record that you are volunteering at St Dominic’s parish.  If you already have a WWCC but have not yet linked it to St Dominic’s Parish, you can click here to update your record online.   Alternatively, if you are registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, you can send a copy of your current registration to the parish office, and advise Services Victoria that you are volunteering at St Dominic's.

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3.      Safeguarding Essentials training module: Once you have a WWCC number, you can complete this Archdiocesan requirement. Here is the link to access that module, which will take around 60 minutes. On completion you’ll receive a certificate, which should be sent to the Parish Office.

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Clergy and staff, and some volunteers, also need a police check. Volunteers who need this will be advised by the parish. Applications can then be made through Services Victoria, using the discount code that the parish will provide. 

 

Provision will also be made for parishioners who are not in a position to complete these arrangements online. Please contact the Parish office to access this assistance.

 

We are grateful to all of our volunteers for service and for their cooperation with these measures.

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Key safeguarding documents:

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• St Dominic’s Parish Policy on protection – this document sets out our policy on all aspects of protection of children, including Working With Children Checks for volunteers, and reporting any allegations of abuse or issues of concern

• our Statement of Commitment on Safeguarding Children and Young People is a simple statement of our fundamental commitment to child safety.  This Statement is on display in our Church and parish office.

• Our Code of Conduct - all volunteers, staff and clergy are being asked to sign this every three years.  (A more detailed Safeguarding Children and Young People Code of Conduct is also recommended reading.) 

• Our risk management plans for children's liturgy and for our youth group.

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Information in languages other than English can be found here.

Sections further down this webpage provide details on our parish Safeguarding Committee ​

Any queries, comments, suggestions etc about making our parish as safe as possible for children, young people and all who might be vulnerable would be welcomed.  You should feel free to contact any of:

• our parish Child Safety Contact Person, Denis Fitzgerald (tel 0418 136 372, safety@stdominics.org.au)

• our Parish Priest Fr Paul (tel 0468 584 309, parishpriest@stdominics.org.au) or

• our Parish Secretary (tel 0468 584 309, secretary@stdominics.org.au)

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Parish Statement of Commitment 

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A culture of safety within the Church ensures that children can actively and fully participate in the life of the Church and realise their potential in a faith community.

• We are committed to upholding the safety and dignity of each child and young person and ensuring that they are able to grow and develop in a caring and supportive environment in our Church.

• We are committed to creating a child safe culture across the Archdiocese that safeguards children and young people from all forms of abuse.

• We are committed to zero tolerance of all forms child abuse and discrimination, and will always act to safeguard children and young people and report suspected abuse promptly to the appropriate authorities.

• We are committed to ensuring that all persons who have, or may be expected to have, contact with children and young people acknowledge their responsibility to safeguard children and young people from abuse and discrimination.

​Click on the here to read the full text of our parish Statement of Commitment.

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​Follow this link for the Framework on ‘Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Persons’ of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, of which we are part. 

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Pathways: Restorative Journeying with Survivors of Abuse within the Catholic Church

Commencing in 2022, Pathways Victoria offers a consistent statewide model to respond to disclosures of Catholic Church abuse in Victoria replacing Towards Healing and the Melbourne Response. The model is based on the National Response Protocols which you can find more information about by following this link.

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