The Safe Environments for All (SEFA) program was introduced across all parishes in 2016 to provide a framework for parishes to safeguard children and young people.

The SEFA program is consistent with the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards which were developed in 2018 in response to recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

In 2019 the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards were expanded to incorporate vulnerable adults. In keeping with these standards, the archdiocese now also incorporates safeguarding of vulnerable adults within its SEFA program.

The SEFA program provides a framework for parishes and Catholic multicultural communities to implement safeguarding initiatives, measure their safeguarding progress, and to develop safeguarding action plans. Its purpose is to assist parishes and multicultural communities to develop parish cultures which are genuinely safe for children, young people, and vulnerable adults. The program has a strong focus on parish leadership to oversee the implementation of safeguarding action plans and to regularly review safeguarding progress. SEFA also highlights the rights of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and seeks to ensure that they are listened to, engaged with, and empowered to participate in the life of the Church community.

If you have any queries relating to our Safe Environments for All (SEFA) Program, please contact the Safeguarding Operations Team:

Ph 8210 8150 or E: caasafeoperations@adelaide.catholic.org.au

The National Catholic Safeguarding Standards provide a framework for Catholic entities to promote cultures of safety and build safeguarding capacity with a particular focus on children, young people, and vulnerable adults. Their intent is to foster a protective Church culture in which everyone is safe and all Church personnel share safeguarding responsibility through the implementation of policies and activities to prevent, respond to, and report concerns regarding harm and abuse. The standards are designed to be implemented in all Catholic entities, ministries, and organisations across Australia. They also help to drive cultural and behavioural change relating to safeguarding and to promote accountability and transparency of Catholic Church leaders and their ministries and entities.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide is committed to implementing and adhering to the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards with a view to maximising safeguarding cultures across the archdiocese.  

You can find the 10 National Catholic Safeguarding Standards on the ACSL website on this link: acsltd.org.au 

There are also the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, developed in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and endorsed by members of the Council of Australian Governments in 2019. The National Principles aim to provide a nationally consistent approach to creating organisational cultures that foster child safety and wellbeing across all sectors. This will help to keep children and young people safe and reduce future harm in organisational settings. The National Catholic Safeguarding Standardsare heavily reflective of the National Principles.

You can read more about the National Principles here: https://childsafe.humanrights.gov.au/national-principles

"Everyone has the right to live their life free from abuse and harm and have their human dignity respected. Many of the most vulnerable members of society are adults whose circumstances place them at greater risk of abuse, harm, and exploitation." - Adults at Risk Fact Sheet, Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd., 2022
 

The South Australian Adult Safeguarding Unit 

The South Australian Adult Safeguarding Unit was established in 2018 under the auspices of the Ageing and Adult Safeguarding Act 1995. Its focus is to safeguard the rights of adults who may be vulnerable to abuse. The unit has statutory responsibility and accountability for receiving and responding to reports about adults who may be vulnerable and experiencing abuse or neglect. In accordance with the Act, an adult may be vulnerable due to age, disability, ill health, social isolation, dependence on others, or other forms of disadvantage.

If you have concerns about abuse, harm, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult person, contact the South Australian Adult Safeguarding Unit: 

Ph: 1800 372 310 or Email: adultsafeguardingunit@sa.gov.au

For more information about adult safeguarding services, please visit the unit’s website at: Adult Safeguarding Unit | SA Health