WE ARE THE NATIONAL OFFICE FOR SAFEGUARDING IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA

We work with Catholic entities to promote and oversee a nationally consistent, comprehensive and sustainable framework for the protection of children and adults at risk within the Church in Australia.

Our new website is on the way - in the meantime, you can continue to find safeguarding resources to support safe ministry in the Church in Australia here.

Learn more about ACSL

Who we are

Find out about our purpose, our values and our commitment to keeping children and vulnerable adults safe.

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Safe Church

Find out more about how we are helping to maintain a Church that keeps children and vulnerable people safe from abuse.

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Report a concern

Report a concern for a child or vulnerable adult. Find out about support services.

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Webinar recording: ACSL & NCCA present an Introduction to Unwanted Contact & Grooming Online

This video is a recording of a webinar hosted by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) and the National Council of Churches, Safe Church Program (NCCA), recorded on May 22 2020. This webinar was originally produced as a training resource intended to assist those in faith contexts in Australia to gain a greater understanding of how to identify, interrupt and report grooming in the online environment. CPSL and NCCA would like to thank the Office of the eSafety Commissioner for their participation in this webinar.

National Catholic Safeguarding Standards

The National Catholic Safeguarding Standards set out 10 Standards, providing the framework for Catholic Church entities to build child-safe cultures and to advance the safety of children across the Catholic Church in Australia.

The National Catholic Safeguarding Standards take into account the guidance of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations adopted by the Council of Australian Governments (Feb 2019).

  1. Committed leadership, governance and culture
  2. Children are safe, informed and participate
  3. Partnering with families, carers and communities
  4. Equity is promoted and diversity is respected
  5. Robust human resource management
  6. Effective complaints management
  7. Ongoing education and training
  8. Safe physical and online environments
  9. Continuous improvement
  10. Policies and procedures support child safety

Keep up to date

To stay informed about the development of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, publishing of reports, training opportunities and more of our work, subscribe to our newsletter.

Latest news

28 October

ACSL NEWS VOL 4, ED 7 OCTOBER 2021

Thursday, 28 October 2021

Our October newsletter features reflections on the third anniversary of the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, information on the National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, and introduces two new staff members to ACSL.

01 October

Women religious to gain access to national database

Friday, 01 October 2021

Source: CathNews

01 October

Women religious welcomed to join the Australian Catholic Ministry Register for the first time

Friday, 01 October 2021

ACSL is pleased to announce that women religious are now invited to make use of the Australian Catholic Ministry Register.

Training and events