Safety and Complaints
Policy Statement
Purpose
This policy outlines the Board’s commitment to maintaining a safe environment in the teaching of Christian Special Religious Education (SRE) in local state primary and secondary schools. It also explains our approach to safety, teacher accreditation, and how to raise and resolve complaints in accordance with NSW Government and Department of Education requirements.
Commitment to Safety
The Board recognises the need to provide a safe environment for all students and staff involved in Christian SRE. We fully support the 2025 initiatives of the NSW Government Office of the Children’s Guardian, including the requirement to:
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Publicly post a safety policy;
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Encourage all teachers and supporters to be familiar with this policy; and
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Provide a clear safety dispute mechanism to address any incidents.
Combined Arranger Role
The Board wishes to emphasise that we are a combined arranger, rather than a NSW Department of Education authorised teacher provider.
In practice, this means we have approved teachers from various denominations (e.g. Baptist Union NSW) who teach from a curriculum approved by an approved provider. These lessons are only delivered to students whose parents have nominated their child to participate in SRE.
Teacher Checks and Provider Policies
The Board confirms that all teachers and associates are required to hold a current Office of the Children's Guardian (OCG) Working With Children Check, verified by our officers on a regular basis. As a combined arranger, we do not maintain our own separate safety policy but rely on the safety policies of the various Department of Education–authorised providers.
Reference Example: Presbyterian Church of Australia (NSW)
It is the Boards view that the safety policy and dispute resolution mechanism of the Presbyterian Church of Australia (NSW) — a DoE-approved provider — are professionally presented and straightforward to follow.
Newcastle SRE recommends the following website, breakingthesilence and specifically the 'Church response' tab for Presbyterians.
For complaints relating to teachers from this denomination, the site recommends contacting:
📧 sre@pcnsw.org.au
📞 02 9690 9379
Forms for lodging a complaint are available on the PCNSW website. Please note that only a limited number of our teachers come from this denomination.
Complaints Process
If you have a complaint relating to one of our teachers or officers, please first contact our President:
Alex Dey
📞 0408 490 247
✉️ deyalex963@gmail.com
Mr Dey will:
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Identify the approved provider associated with the person in question.
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Provide you with that provider’s contact details;
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Notify the provider of the potential complaint; and
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Keep the Board informed of the matter’s progress until it is finalised by the approved provider.
Review and Updates
This policy is reviewed annually, or as required, to ensure ongoing alignment with Department of Education and Office of the Children’s Guardian standards.
