Child Safety

Our Child Protection Policy

Crossway LifeCare has zero tolerance of all forms of child abuse. We are committed to ensuring that the best interests of children are upheld.

As required by law and as an expression of our concern for the well-being of children, Crossway has
adopted a Child Protection Policy. This statement is a summary of that policy.
Crossway’s Child Protection Policy includes:
• practices to be followed in the recruitment and screening of staff and volunteers, together with a
requirement for a knowledge of child protection practices and ongoing child protection training;
• necessity of those having contact with children within their Crossway role to have ongoing
supervision by a senior staff member;
• procedures for dealing with conflicts of interest (especially those involving a child or children and
Crossway); and
• procedures on responding to reports of suspected child abuse.

It is Crossway’s practice to require ALL adult volunteers, not just those who work directly or indirectly with
children, to have a valid Working with Children Check.

Crossway has five Child Protection Officers (“CPOs”) – Senior Pastor, Director of Ministries, Director of Operations, CEO LifeCare, Generational Consultant. The CPOs are available for
consultation with any member of the Crossway community on matters of child safety and wellbeing.

A person who is experiencing or has experienced child abuse or has a reasonable belief that a child is, or
may be, being abused by a member of the Crossway community is strongly encouraged to speak with a
CPO or other Crossway staff member regarding the complaint / suspicion about the potential abuse.

Action will be taken to contact relevant authorities (for example, the Police and the Commission for
Children and Young People) and to access any required support services. Where appropriate, the
child’s parent / guardian / carer may be made aware of the concern / complaint and the action(s) to be
taken. Crossway will treat all concerns / complaints with utmost respect and confidentiality. Reporting
suspected child abuse concerns shall not have any adverse impact on the person(s) connected with the
actual / perceived victim of the abuse to receive continued services and support from Crossway.

For further information on Crossway’s Child Protection Policy, please contact our Director of
Operations on 03 9886 3700 or CPO@crossway.org.au.