Standards council formed in response to Royal Commission
The Salvation Army has set up a National Professional Standards Council in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Both the Australia Eastern and the Australia Southern territories have agreed to jointly convene the council, which will meet quarterly.
The Australia Eastern Territory came under the Royal Commission spotlight earlier this year with two major hearings.
“The formation of the council is to ensure that abuse such as occurred in the children’s homes run by The Salvation Army in Australia pre-1990s should never happen again,” said the Australia Eastern Territorial Commander, Commissioner James Condon, who has been appointed by the world leader of The Salvation Army, General André Cox, as the inaugural chairman of the council.
The council's purpose is to:
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Provide a national perspective in respect to all matters pertaining
to issues of child sexual abuse and all other forms of abuse.
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Co-ordinate a national approach to the development of policies,
principles, procedures and other resources necessary to promote ministry and service practices for children,vulnerable adults and all people accessing Salvation Army services.
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Work to provide a world’s best practice response to allegations of abuse.
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Co-ordinate the response to the Royal Commission and various other state-based inquiries into abuse within religious and other organisations.
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Consider and respond to any related matters as it considers appropriate.
“Through the establishment of the national professional standards council, we will respond to the issue of child abuse and all other forms of abuse in an open, honest and transparent manner,” said Commissioner Condon.
In a separate initiative, a “Roundtable” meeting will be held in February to look into the “why” of the issues covered by the Royal Commission. This meeting will bring together a group of experts in child welfare, criminology, sociology, organisational psychology and mental health, as well as people in leadership positions in The Salvation Army.
The “Roundtable” is in response to a comment made by Justice Peter McLellan, the Commission Chair, who raised the question of why so much sexual abuse occurred in the homes.
Professor Robert Bland (Australian Catholic University) will chair the event and later write a report which will be provided to the Royal Commission.
“It is intended that this meeting will present an opportunity for honest and thoughtful reflection, for sharing of ideas and experiences and for building a consensus about understanding the past and ways in which we can move forward,” Professor Bland said.