Safer Church at Anthem
Anthem is committed to being a safe place for everyone, especially children, young people and vulnerable adults.
This isn't only about meeting our obligations. It flows from who we are. We believe every person is made in the image of God and is precious to Him, and that the church should be one of the safest places anyone can walk into. Caring well for people, and protecting the most vulnerable among us, is part of what it means to be a healthy family.
Our commitment
Abuse, harm and neglect have no place at Anthem. We take every concern seriously, we respond to it, and we hold the safety and wellbeing of children and vulnerable people above all other considerations. We are committed to listening to children, to families, and to anyone who raises something with us.
What this looks like in practice
Keeping people safe is built into how we run every ministry. In practice, that means:
- Screening our team. Every volunteer, staff and leader at Anthem holds a current Working with Children Check (Blue Card) and is recruited carefully, with references. Those who work in u18 Ministry areas require additional screening including an interview and sign off from our Senior leadership team.
- Training our people. All those who work in u18 ministries are required to complete Safer Churches training and are equipped to recognise and respond to concerns.
- Clear codes of conduct. Everyone serving at Anthem agrees to a code of conduct that sets clear, healthy boundaries for how we care for and interact with children and vulnerable people.
- Safe environments. We use sign-in and sign-out for children's ministry, maintain appropriate supervision, and follow clear procedures in our programs.
- Clear reporting. We have straightforward processes for raising and responding to any concern about a person's safety.
Our Safer Churches Officer
Anthem has a trained Safer Churches Officer responsible for safeguarding across the church. If you ever have a concern, you can contact them directly:
Shannon Harrison, Safer Churches Officer ā shannon@anthemchurch.com.au
Raising a concern
If something doesn't feel right, please tell us. You don't need to be certain, and you won't be brushed off. You can speak to any of our pastors or leaders, or contact our Safer Churches Officer directly using the details above.
If a child is in immediate danger, call 000.
You can also contact the relevant authorities directly at any time ā you never need our permission to do so:
- Police / emergency ā 000
- Child Safety After Hours Service Centre (Qld) ā 1800 177 135
Our accountability
Anthem Church is affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches (ACC) and works within its Safer Churches framework. Our practices align with the Queensland Child Safe Standards and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. We review our safeguarding policies and practices regularly to keep improving.
Our safeguarding policies
View the policies below.