Run a tight ship

After the great expose of the inability of successive governments to govern: the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, churches lurched to their normal posture before government: simpering abjection.

The real posture should have been pointing the finger at the government and law enforcement for failing the community while pretending to outsource law enforcement to a bunch of hapless priests who were not supported by the authorities. It was all the authorities fault. No vigorous inspectorate policing institutions, no agressive pursuit of complaints, no putting accused before judges, no MPs speaking out in parliaments, no one believing children.

Indeed, the Victoria Police actively covered up abuse and protected the abusers and church officials. Disgusting lot.

So, the churches now pretend the government was right, and they have 'safe church'  programs; creating an instant double bind that the 'safest' place in the community is not, so we have to have a safety program.

I'll all for conducting ministry with integrity and openly.

We don't need 'safe church' systems, but we do need systems of Ministry Integrity. These would screen all ministers and helpers, volunteers and staff, obtain relevant government checks on criminal records, and have orderly and  open recruitment and validation processes.

• Ministry Application Questionnaire
• Annual Program Approval for each specific ministry activity
  
• Code of Conduct
• 5 yearly training, or refresher in Integrity Practices, general health and safety, including immediate first aid (fainting, burns, lacerations, CPR, epi-pens), fire-reaction and evacuation/protection drills.

Records need to be kept of qualifications, attendances, etc. of course, but at general gatherings only of serving staff and volunteers.