Procedure for Staff and Volunteers

Adopted by Elders & Administration Team on

21/04/2020

Purpose

The Procedure for Staff and Volunteers sets out a procedure for the thorough

recruitment, screening, training and resourcing of all staff and volunteers,

particularly those engaged in Child-related Work – within the meaning of the

WWCC Legislation.

Scope

Part 1 of the Procedure applies to Recruitment and Screening of all staff and

volunteers within the Church.

Part 2 of the Procedure applies to the Induction of all staff and volunteers

Part 3 of the Procedure applies to Training and Resourcing of all staff and

volunteers

Part 4 of the Procedure applies to Recordkeeping and Review of documents related

to staff and volunteers

This Procedure should be read in conjunction with the Safe Church

Policy and:

• Screening Check Questionnaires

• Safe Church Register

• Code of Conduct

• Privacy Policy

Part 1 – Recruitment and Screening

Category 1a - Pastoral staff and staff engaged in child-related work or

work with vulnerable adults

The screening process for pastoral staff applies

• to any staff member, who undertakes pastoral work in or on behalf of the

church. (This typically includes any role that includes the word ‘Pastor’ or

‘Minister’ but may include other roles);

• to any staff member engaged in child-related work or work with vulnerable

adults; and

• in addition to any requirements of the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT

Committee for the Ministry or the Church’s Constitution

1. Prior to recruitment:

a) the position description will be reviewed and updated if necessary;

b) the position will be advertised appropriately; and

c) the position description and/or advertisement will state that any offer of

employment is subject to applicants:

• agreeing to abide by, and upholding, the Code of Conduct;

• completing a Screening Check Questionnaire;

• undergoing a National Police Criminal Record Check; and

• being eligible for, or holding a current clearance in accordance with

WWCC Legislation.

• In addition, for pastoral staff,

• providing evidence of Accreditation or Recognition by the Baptist

Churches of NSW & ACT (or an application to be accredited or

recognised); and

• agreeing to abide by and uphold the Code of Ethics and Conduct

2. Applicants for the position will submit a written application including a resume and an

outline of their willingness to commit to the mission and values of the Church

3. Shortlisted applicants will:

a) complete a Screening Check Questionnaire;

b) be interviewed by Church Leadership or committee appointed by the Church

members;

c) undertake a National Police Criminal Record Check;

d) provide evidence of a current clearance in accordance with WWCC Legislation

Legislation; and

e) provide a minimum of 2 references

4. Successful applicants will:

a) sign and agree to abide by the Code of Conduct;

b) participate in an induction process to enable them to safely fulfil their position,

including being given a copy of the Safe Church Policy and all Procedures and

guidelines; and

c) (for Pastoral Staff) provide evidence that they are Accredited or Recognised by

the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT (or have applied to be Accredited or

Recognised).

Category 1b - Staff who are not engaged in child-related work or work

with vulnerable adults

The screening process for staff who are not engaged in child-related work or work

with vulnerable adults applies

• to any staff member to whom the screening process in Category 1 a does not

apply; and

• in addition to any requirements under the Church’s Constitution.

1. Prior to recruitment:

a) the position description will be reviewed and updated if necessary;

b) the position will be advertised appropriately and in accordance with any

constitutional requirements; and

c) the position description and/or advertisement will state that any offer of

employment is subject to applicants:

• agreeing to abide by, and upholding, the Code of Conduct;

• completing a Screening Check Questionnaire;

2. Applicants for the position will:

a) submit a written application including an outline of their willingness to commit to

the mission and values of the Church and hold to the Christian faith; and

b) submit their Curriculum Vitae, ensuring that information relevant to the particular

position is included.

3. Shortlisted applicants will:

a) complete a Screening Check Questionnaire;

b) be interviewed by Church Leadership or committee appointed by the Church

members;

c) provide a minimum of 2 references

4. Successful applicants will:

a) sign and agree to abide by the Code of Conduct; and

b) Participate in an induction process to enable them to safely fulfil their position,

including being given a copy of the Safe Church Policy and relevant procedures

and guidelines.

Category 2a - Volunteers engaged in child-related work or work with

vulnerable adults

The screening process for volunteers engaged in child-related work or work with

vulnerable adults applies to:

• any church leader, deacon or elder (i.e. ‘spiritual officer’);

• any volunteer involved in ministry to children and/or young people (this may

include children’s ministry, playgroup, creche, youth ministry, families ministry);

• any volunteer engaged in a role that includes leadership of a ministry area in

which children or young people are also part of the ministry team. (this may

include worship leader, sound/AV coordinator, discipleship coordinator,

outreach coordinator etc); and

• any volunteer engaged in ministry to vulnerable adults.*

1. Prior to being appointed, a potential volunteer will:

a) be provided with a current position description

b) complete a Screening Check Questionnaire;

c) be interviewed by the Ministry Leader

d) sign and agree to abide by the Code of Conduct

e) provide evidence that they have completed Creating Safe Spaces training within

the past 3 years, or complete the online component and commit to attend face-

to-face training within 9 months

f) provide evidence that they hold a current clearance in accordance with WWCC

Legislation* (unless the volunteer is aged under 18).

g) participate in an induction process to enable them to safely fulfil their position,

including being given a copy of the Safe Church Policy and relevant procedures

and guidelines.

2. Prior to the volunteer commencing in the role the Safe Church Team (or Ministry

Leader) will

a) Verify the WWCC number* (if in NSW and over 18 years of age)

b) Provide an induction process to enable them to safely fulfil their position,

including providing a copy of the Safe Church Policy and relevant procedures

and guidelines.

*In NSW, the WWCC clearance is only required if the person is engaged in ‘child-related

work’. In religious organisations, this includes leadership roles (those considered to be

spiritual officers) but does not include roles involving ministry to vulnerable adults. A

volunteer who is involved in ministry to vulnerable adults but not considered a ‘spiritual

officer’ or involved in child-related work should not be required to obtain a WWCC

clearance but should still complete CSS training.

Category 2b - Volunteers not engaged in child-related work or work with

vulnerable adults

The screening process for volunteers not-engaged in child-related work or work with

vulnerable adults applies to

• any volunteer who is not a Church Leader, Ministry Leader, engaged in child-

related work or engaged in work with vulnerable adults. (this may include

volunteers on the flower, cleaning or maintenance roster)

1. Prior to being appointed, a potential volunteer will:

a) be provided with a current position description;

b) complete a Screening Check Questionnaire;

c) be interviewed by the relevant Ministry Leader; and

d) sign and agree to abide by the Code of Conduct; and

e) participate in an induction process to enable them to safely fulfil their position,

including being given a copy of the Safe Church Policy and relevant procedures

and guidelines.

2. Prior to the volunteer commencing in the role the Safe Church Team (or Ministry

Leader) will:

a) Obtain written parental consent for the volunteer to undertake the role

suggested (if the volunteer’s age is less than 18)

b) Provide an induction process to enable them to safely fulfil their position,

including providing a copy of the Safe Church Policy and relevant procedures

and guidelines.

Category 3 – Supervised volunteers aged under 18

1. The screening process for supervised volunteers aged under 18 applies to:

• volunteers who are engaged in junior, trainee, support or helping roles which

require that the volunteer is supervised at all times.

Where a volunteer is engaged in a trainee, support or helping role but is aged

over 18 they will need to be screened in accordance with category 2 as

appropriate in order to meet legal requirements.

The Church may determine that specific 16 or 17-year-olds have sufficient

maturity to volunteer without direct supervision, despite being under 18 years of

age. These volunteers will be screened and trained in accordance with category

2, including Creating Safe Spaces training. However, note that there should

always be at least one adult leader on-site and participating in the

program.

Please see the Guidelines for Activities with Children and Young People for

more details on the differences between junior/trainee volunteers and

volunteers.’

2. Prior to being appointed, a potential volunteer will, with a parent or guardian present:

• be provided with a current position description;

• complete a Screening Check Questionnaire;

• be interviewed by the Ministry Leader;

• sign and agree to abide by the Code of Conduct; and

• participate in an induction process to enable them to safely fulfil their position,

including being given a copy of the Safe Church Policy and relevant procedures

and guidelines.

3. Prior to the volunteer commencing in the role the Safe Church Team (or Ministry

Leader) will:

• obtain written parent/guardian consent for the volunteer to undertake the role

suggested if the volunteer is under 16 years old (we also recommend getting

parent/guardian consent for 16 and 17-year-olds wherever possible);

• provide an induction process to enable them to safely fulfil their position,

including being given a copy of the Safe Church Policy and Procedures; and

• provide an additional briefing on child protection responsibilities and practices,

including the procedures and guidelines relevant to their area of ministry.

Appl

ication &

Screening

questionnaire

BA Code of

Ethics and

Conduct

Accreditation

or Recognised

Minister

Interview

refere

nce

checks

induction

Code of

Conduct

WWCC/

WWVP

CSS

Police Check

Pastoral Staff

Yes

Staff engaged in

leadership, child-

related work or

work with

vulnerable adults

Yes

Other Staff (not

engaged in

leadership, child-

related work or

work with

vulnerable adults)

Yes

Maybe

at church

discretion

Volunteers in

leadership, child-

related work or

work with

vulnerable adults

Yes

Other Volunteers

(not engaged in

leadership, child-

related work or

work with

vulnerable adults)

Yes

Volunteers aged

16 or 17 in child-

related work

Yes

(use under 18

screening)

Yes

Supervised

volunteers under

Yes

(use under 18

screening)

Yes

Part 2 – Induction

All staff and volunteers will be provided with an induction appropriate to their role.

This induction will include:

a) an overview of general site health and safety expectations;

b) operating procedures that apply to relevant equipment;

c) the content of the Code of Conduct and expectations and appropriate

behaviours for staff and volunteers as set out in the Safe Church Policy;

d) the role description and any reporting structure;

e) expectations regarding Creating Safe Spaces training, if appropriate

f) an overview of the Procedures for Handling Complaints against Staff and

Volunteers, Conflict Resolution and Responding to Child Protection Concerns;

g) who to contact in the event of any conflict, concerns or complaints; and

h) any Guidelines appropriate to their ministry area.

2.1 A record of the induction – form ‘Induction Checklist’ in Safe Church Forms – will be

kept.

Part 3 – Training and Resourcing

3.1 Creating Safe Spaces Training

a) All staff and volunteers engaged in leadership and/or child-related work and/or

work with vulnerable adults will:

• attend Baptist Churches NSW & ACT Creating Safe Spaces Training (or

other SCTA approved face-to-face training) at least once every 3 years; or

• if they have not attended such training prior to appointment, will complete

the online component of the training prior to commencement and commit

to attend the face-to-face component within 9 months of commencement.

c) The Safe Church Team will ensure that information about staff and volunteer

attendance at Creating Safe Spaces Training is recorded in the Safe Church

3.2 Other training

Church Leadership (or Ministry Leaders) will arrange ongoing staff and volunteer training

as required. (This may include in-house training, attendance at conferences such as

Connect Training Days, Activate Children’s Ministry Conference or Baptist Youth

Ministries State Conference and/or attendance at external training opportunities.)

3.3 Resourcing

Church Leadership will ensure that Church programs are adequately resourced with staff

and volunteers and have the required equipment for the safe and effective running of

the program.

3.4 Supervision

Church Leadership will provide ongoing support and supervision for all staff and

volunteers, to ensure they feel valued, respected and fairly-treated, including

providing:

a) up to date Safe Church Policy, guidelines and procedures;

b) formal or informal support mechanisms, so that staff and volunteers have a

clear understanding of who to go to for support and what type of support is

available to them (for example, team meetings, counselling, prayer); and

c) an annual or bi-annual process of position review to provide an opportunity for

mutual feedback and encouragement.

Part 4 – Recordkeeping and Review

4.1 Recordkeeping

For each staff member or volunteer, the following items should be recorded and kept

for a minimum of 45 years.

a) their written application for the position (if applicable);

b) their completed Screening Check Questionnaire;

c) all notes relating to the interview and reference checks (if applicable);

d) notes confirming the content and date of their induction;

e) signed Code of Conduct;

f) signed Code of Ethics and Conduct (if required);

g) a copy of the National Police Criminal Record Check (if required);

h) evidence of their current WWCC (if required);

i) evidence of the date of completion of Creating Safe Spaces training (or

equivalent SCTA approved training with a face-to-face component); and

j) records of all other relevant training, incidents, annual reviews, etc

Any items which contain sensitive information (such as Screening Questionnaires,

Safe Church Concerns Forms, investigation notes and reports) must be kept in

a manner which protects confidentiality and will only be accessed by a limited

number of authorised persons (for example, the current Senior Pastor).

4.2 Safe Church Register

The church must maintain a Safe Church Register which records a summary of

necessary screening and training for all staff and volunteers.

4.3 Review

a) Pastoral Staff should participate in pastoral or professional supervision in

addition to other review processes.

b) Staff should participate in a formal review process each year. This process

should

• consider the position description and make any necessary amendments;

• provide an opportunity for mutual feedback and encouragement;

• identify opportunities for training and development in the following twelve

months; and

• consider involving a committee comprising members of the governance

body and any other church members who may be appropriate

c) Volunteer positions should be reviewed at least annually or bi-annually to

identify areas for support or development and to amend role descriptions where

appropriate.