Keeping Children Safe logo

Keeping Children Safe

See below the statement of our commitment to keeping children safe. For further info contact: cultureofsafetycontact@victas.uca.org.au

At Ashburton Uniting Church a wide range of activities have been open to children and families. However, the following programs are currently suspended:

Ashy Kids Alive (AKA)

Our Sunday morning AKA program runs every week during school term time, offering an engaging and varied program for children from 3 years old to middle high school. Most Sundays we begin with about 20 minutes with all ages together in worship at 10am, after which the children go out to more age-specific activities.

Playgroups

The Ashburton Uniting Playgroup is run on Tuesday mornings for pre-school aged children. It provides an opportunity for the children to have fun and socialise in a stimulating environment whilst providing a great support for parents/carers. Our playgroup room and outdoor area are both well equipped. For information, please call Anne on 9885 4920.

mainly music

'mainly music' is a fun, interactive music session where a pre-schooler and their parent or care giver can enjoy music, movement, interaction, rhymes, puppets and more. There is a half-hour of music and fun, followed by morning tea and playtime for the children. Session start at 10am on Wednesday mornings. 'mainly music' is run by the church for the community. There is currently a waiting list. For more information please email: ashburtonuniting@gmail.com

Messy Church

Messy Church is for all ages. It's held in the "LightHouse", with activities including painting and crafts for all ages, brought together in informal worship, followed by a shared meal which is provided. It runs from 5pm to 7pm on the fourth Sunday of each month, except during school holidays. For more information please call Anne on 9885 4920.

Photos of banners (or parts of the banners) produced at Messy Churches recently are shown below.

Messy Church refugees mural

Mural from July 2015 Shepherd

Messy Church Winter Solstice 2015

Messy Church Pentecost 2015

This is a statement of our commitment to Keeping Children Safe:
We are committed to implementing the Keeping Children Safe Policy of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria.
All children who are involved in any of the Uniting Church’s activities, services, events or programs have a right to feel and be safe.
We are committed to providing safe environments where children are cared for, respected, nurtured and sustained.
We have zero tolerance of all forms of child abuse and will do all in our power to safeguard children from abuse.
We are committed to creating and maintaining a child-safe culture to ensure the care, protection and safety of all children engaging with the Church in any of its entities.
Abuse thrives on secrecy. To prevent child abuse across the Church, we are committed to providing clear leadership and open and transparent governance to combat secrecy.
We clearly affirm the Church’s commitment to upholding the law. This includes the requirement to report abuse to the appropriate authorities.
We commit to the following actions, as appropriate in our situation, to keep children safe:
· Promote strong leadership and governance and a culture of child safety
· Promote access, equity and diversity
· Promote appropriate behaviour amongst adults and children
· Recruit, train and supervise workers well
· Manage risk, promote safety and respond to concerns
· Promote child, family and community participation