Gathering, interacting, and communicating through digital technologies have become central to our everyday lives. That’s why maintaining safe, healthy, and secure digital connections within our church community is essential.

As a Safe Church, we are committed to remaining a safe place for all to encounter God and participate in community. This includes face to face and digital engagements. These resources have been developed to inform, aid and assist lay and ordained leaders to be better equipped at maintaining healthy and safe digital communities.

The resources include:

A Digital Communication Guide for under-18s (below)
A ‘Digital Safety 101’ PDF document
Two posters for congregational display

Of course, you can also access the full copy of The Guidelines for Safe Ministry using Digital Media (SSC 23.60.12) for download.

If you have any further questions or concerns about digital safety in the Church, contact the Culture of Safety Unit.

Digital Communications Guide for under-18s

To help ensure safe communications with children, please follow the age-appropriate guidelines addressed below.

10-12 years old/upper-primary school

Communication should go through the parent/guardian until permission has been explicitly requested to contact the child directly.
Do not initiate connection on any social media, gaming platform or messenger app. Do not accept a request if a child initiates connection and notify the parent/guardian.
For phone calls, the best option is for the parent/guardian to initiate the call.
When messaging and/or emailing, the best practice is logistical communication only (e.g. such as a mass communication about an upcoming program).
All video calls, streaming and/or gaming should be limited to group settings, where two appointed leaders are in the group.
Parent/guardian supervision is still required for the child’s physical environment .
If facilitating a gathering online where connection requires ‘friending’ across a gaming console (e.g. PlayStation, Nintendo, etc.) or platform (Minecraft, Pokémon Go, etc.), it is important to gain parental/guardian permission before connection.

13-15 years old/lower-secondary school

Communication should go through the parent/guardian until permission has been explicitly requested to contact the child directly.
Do not initiate connection on any social media, gaming platform or messenger app, and be aware of user age limits, as platforms vary in age restrictions:
- All social media apps have age restrictions. It’s important to know the age limits for each app. If a child who is old enough asks to connect, make sure to get permission from a parent/guardian before accepting. If the app doesn’t allow the child to be online, don’t accept the request and let the parent/guardian know.
- All social media applications that do not allow for transparent and open communication storage (such as Snapchat, BeReal, etc.) should not be used.
For phone calls it is best to avoid long conversations.
When messaging and/or emailing, the best practice is logistical communication only (e.g. such as mass communication about an upcoming program).
All video calls, streaming and/or gaming should be limited to group settings, where two appointed leaders are allocated to a group.
Parent/guardian supervision is still required for a child’s physical environment.
If facilitating a gathering online where connection which requires ‘friending’ across a gaming console (e.g. PlayStation, Nintendo, etc.) or platform (Minecraft, Pokémon Go, etc.), it is important to gain parental/guardian permission before connection.

16-17 years old/upper-secondary school

Communication should go through the parent/guardian until permission has been explicitly requested to contact the child directly.
Do not initiate connection on any social media, gaming platform or messenger app, and be aware of user age limits, as platforms vary in age restrictions:
- All social media apps have age restrictions. It’s important to know the age limits for each app. If a child who is old enough asks to connect, make sure to get permission from a parent/guardian before accepting. If the app doesn’t allow the child to be online, don’t accept the request and let the parent/guardian know.
- All social media applications that do not allow for transparent and open communication storage (such as Snapchat, BeReal, etc.) should not be used.
For phone calls it is best to avoid long conversation.
When messaging and/or emailing, the best practice is to focus on logistical communication (e.g. such as mass communication about an upcoming program), however, messages of encouragement and support are permitted. It is important to always be transparent in communications.
All video calls, streaming and/or gaming should be limited to group settings, where two appointed leaders are allocated to a group.
Parent/guardian supervision is still required for a child’s physical environment.
If facilitating a gathering online where connection requires ‘friending’ across a gaming console (e.g. PlayStation, Nintendo, etc.) or platform (Minecraft, Pokémon Go, etc.), it is important to gain parental/guardian permission before connection.

Phonecalls (audio)

Parent/guardian supervision is still required for a child’s physical environment .
Communication should go through the parent/guardian until permission has been explicitly requested to contact the child directly.
For children between 10-12 years of age it is best for the parent/guardian to initiate the call.
For children between 13-17 years of age it is best for long conversation to be avoided.

Messaging & emailing (text & image)

Parent/guardian supervision is still required for a child’s physical environment.
Communication should go through the parent/guardian until permission has been explicitly requested to contact the child directly.
For children between 10-15 years of age, the best practice is logistical communication only (e.g. such as mass communication about an upcoming program).
For children between 16-17 years of age, best practice is to focus on logistical communication (e.g. such as mass communication about an upcoming program), however, messages of encouragement and support are permitted. It is important to always be transparent in communications.

Social media

Parent/guardian supervision is still required for the child’s physical environment.
Communication should go through the parent/guardian until permission has been explicitly requested to contact the child directly.
Do not initiate connection on any social media, gaming platform or messenger app, and be aware of user age limits, as platforms vary in age restrictions:
- All social media apps have age restrictions. It’s important to know the age limits for each app. If a child who is old enough asks to connect, make sure to get permission from a parent/guardian before accepting. If the app doesn’t allow the child to be online, don’t accept the request and let the parent/guardian know.
- All social media applications that do not allow for transparent and open communication storage (such as Snapchat, BeReal, etc.) should not be used.

Video calls & streaming

Parent/guardian supervision is still required for a child’s physical environment.
If facilitating a gathering online where connection requires ‘friending’ across a gaming console (e.g. PlayStation, Nintendo, etc.) or platform (Minecraft, Pokémon Go, etc.), it is important to gain parental/guardian permission before connection.
Communication should go through the parent/guardian until permission has been explicitly requested to contact the child directly.
Do not initiate connection on any social media, gaming platform or messenger app, and be aware of user age limits, as platforms vary in age restrictions.
All video calls, streaming and/or gaming should be limited to group settings, where two appointed leaders are in group.

Gaming

Parent/guardian supervision is still required for a child’s physical environment.
If facilitating a gathering online where connection requires ‘friending’ across a gaming console (e.g. PlayStation, Nintendo, etc.) or platform (Minecraft, Pokémon Go, etc.), it is important to gain parental/guardian permission before connection.
Communication should go through the parent/guardian until permission has been explicitly requested to contact the child directly.
Do not initiate connection on any social media, gaming platform or messenger app, and be aware of user age limits, as platforms vary in age restrictions.
All video calls, streaming and/or gaming should be limited to group settings, where two appointed leaders are allocated to a group.

Taking, sharing & livestreaming images, audios & videos

Communication must always go through the parent/guardian.
You must obtain written permission from the parent/guardian of all children prior to using them in any image/text/audio/video. permission forms for children must be updated annually. This applies to:
- General community connection activities
- Weekly gatherings.
For one-off events, a separate permission form will be required for each individual activity, including camps, pageants, and excursions. This is necessary due to the broader engagement and networking involved in these events. If permission is not granted, then their image/name/voice/video must not be used.
If programs are being shared via livestream, appropriate signs and/or notifications should be made to indicate the program is being, or will be, broadcast.
In addition, you should ensure the child is willing to allow their image to be used.
Photos of children should focus on groups, and/or capturing the activity.
- All children must be appropriately dressed (e.g. not in swimsuits/pyjamas).
- Children should not be able to be tracked down because of images/audios/videos being shared (e.g. school uniforms, name tags, etc.) or by being named in text or by tagging.
- Embarrassing or offensive photos must be avoided and not distributed.

Downloads & Resources

A3 Poster ‘Checklist for Digital Connection'

A3 Poster ‘We are a Digitally Safe Community'

Digital Safety 101: A Quick Guide to the Safe Ministry Guidelines

Guidelines for Safe Ministry Using Digital Media

Image Release Form

If a child is in immediate danger, ring 000

and report the situation to the police. Try to keep the child safe in the meantime.

If you need to report a case of misconduct, abuse or historical abuse CLICK HERE