Safeguarding

Our Commitment

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

St Ignatius Parish is committed to creating and nurturing environments where everyone, including children and adults at risk, are respected, where their voices are heard, and where they feel safe and are safe.  Every person who shares in the work of our parish is responsible for promoting the inherent dignity of others and for upholding their right to be respected and nurtured in a safe environment. committed to preventing abuse of children and adults at risk, to identifying risks early, and to reducing or removing them. This commitment is drawn from and is inherent to the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, with love, justice and the sanctity of each human person at the heart of the Gospel.

We are committed to preventing abuse of children and adults at risk, to identifying risks early, and to reducing or removing them. This commitment is drawn from and is inherent to the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, with love, justice and the sanctity of each human person at the heart of the Gospel.

Our parish is also committed to upholding the law.  Since July 2021, it is a criminal offence in Queensland for an adult to fail to report sexual offences against children to the police.  The maximum penalty for this offence is three years jail.  It is also an obligation on adults in an institutional setting (such as a church) to protect children from the risk of a sexual offence – an adult who fails this obligation is liable for five years jail.  More information about these offences can be found on the Queensland Government website.

Our Parish, and the Archdiocese of Brisbane, uses the word “safeguarding” to refer to this commitment.

Our Parish Safeguarding Representative

The St Ignatius Parish Local Safeguarding Representative is Janine Curcuruto.

Janine’s role is to promote safeguarding messages and keep parishioners informed about safeguarding practices and initiatives in the Archdiocese.  She is also available to assist with any safeguarding questions, concerns, disclosures, incidents or complaints, and can help parishioners find the right people for assistance and support.

Parishioners can contact Janine at any time on

Mobile: 0412 452 164

Email: lsr.toowong@bne.catholic.net.au or jscur@icloud.com

How to report an incident or concern, or to give feedback

There are many ways that people can raise a concern, or report a safeguarding incident – whichever way you choose to make the report, your concerns will be taken seriously.  If you don’t know what to do, you can talk to your Parish Local Safeguarding Representative who can explain the processes to you.

Safeguarding Training for Volunteers

As part of your role in the parish, you may be required to participate in ongoing education regarding safeguarding, including:

• your duty of care to protect others from harm,
• your legal and moral duty to effectively respond to and report concerns, allegations or complaints, and  
• your reporting obligations.

The Archdiocese of Brisbane now has a single safeguarding training for all volunteers and staff:

• NB. The Safeguarding Training Module video (available online via Archdiocese’s YouTube channel) is titled ‘ Video 2 – Safeguarding Training (March 2023)’.

The Parish Office provides advice to volunteers about which training program must be completed for their role in the parish, and when it is time to renew that training program. For more information on safeguarding requirements in the parish, please refer to Steps for completing safeguarding requirements.

Further Information

As a parish within the Archdiocese of Brisbane, we are responsible for ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Archdiocese of Brisbane Safeguarding Policy and relevant procedures and practices to promote the safety of children and adults at risk.

Follow the links to learn more about

• Archdiocese of Brisbane Whistleblower Policy
• Archdiocese of Brisbane Safe Conduct Standards
• National Catholic Safeguarding Standards