18 August 2023
Dear Australian and New Zealand Co-workers, Elders and Friends,
Thank you to everyone for your response to our letter of 1 July 2023, regarding the prevention of child sexual abuse. We appreciate your patience as we work to address these issues in a measured and sensitive way and feel it is now important to provide you with an update.
We have communicated our zero tolerance with respect to the harming of children, young people, or anyone within our fellowship and have begun actions to support this stance. The impact of child sexual abuse is devastating and far reaching. Our thoughts are with each one of you who have been affected.
Since we last wrote to you, work has commenced to develop a standard policy and approach towards child sexual abuse prevention and survivor support. An advisory group consisting of 16 individuals from Australia and New Zealand has been formed to undertake this work. This advisory group includes members with lived experience of child sexual abuse and those who have supported survivors. It includes members with experience in child safety and protection, child safe compliance, vulnerable persons advocacy, psychology, counseling, and mental health. Several members hold professional roles including in risk avoidance and quality compliance, policy development and corporate governance. The group includes ten females, three workers, elders, and elders’ wives. A broad age range is represented.
The advisory group’s role, is to provide advice to the ministry, focusing on child safety and survivor support, drawing on personal and professional experience, sourcing assistance from specialist experts, external resources and professional bodies as required. Consultation and engagement will be needed from time to time, for example the voice of our parents and our young people will be critical.
The advisory group will also rely upon reputable, published material, expert bodies’ formal guidelines and relevant research that is publicly accessible, to provide advice that is grounded in best practice and will operate fully within the bounds of the law. Australian national child safety standards and New Zealand child safety guidelines will form the basis of the review of current child safety practices and guide development of improvements within our fellowship.
The identity of advisory group members will remain confidential, and they will not be providing direct engagement with the broader fellowship. Member confidentiality is important for the protection of survivors within the group, and to enable the group to focus on this important work in an impartial manner without external pressure or distraction. We will be looking at mechanisms to provide additional support to survivors in future.
All members of the advisory group completed independently recognised training on the prevention of child sexual abuse and advisory group level training. In addition, all members have obtained and provided current Working with Children Checks or Children’s Worker Safety Checks and police clearances.
The scope of work to be completed is large and will take time to develop and implement. The advisory group has commenced a risk assessment to determine the areas of highest risk so these can be given immediate attention.
We appreciate each one of you who have encouraged and supported us to move forward in addressing concerns about management of child safety and survivor support. We thank each one who has approached us with concerns about individual situations. We have had to make some difficult and firm decisions to mitigate risks to children and will continue to do so.
We understand that it will take time to restore your trust and we feel inadequate in addressing these issues but commit to working openly and transparently on preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. The advisory group will be valuable in guiding us however we will need the support of each one of you to progress.
We acknowledge processes may take longer than some may wish. We expect to update you in the next month and will continue to communicate with you as the work progresses and we have further matters to address.
We thank you for your efforts in supporting each other and any survivors who no longer feel able to meet with us in fellowship.
Warm regards and encouragement
Malcolm Clapham, Graeme Dalton, Wayne Dean, Trevor Joll, Alan Mitchell and Alan Richardson.
Australia: Get support | National Office for Child Safety or 24/7 support on 1800 737 732
New Zealand: https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/listing-information-support-resources-child-abuse or 24/7 support on 0508 326 459
WINGS Note: This letter was issued 18th August by workers to elders for distribution.
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“Transparency” yet we can’t know who they are??
There is no need for the advisory group to be transparent. It is what they create that needs to be transparent – just as the update we have received.
There is always unconscious bias in our thought process – if we knew who these 16 were – would it change your opinion of what they produce? I think so, and that is why I do not record workers names when I take down notes. This habit began 30 years ago while I was looking at the speaker list at convention and overheard people discussing which meeting that would be attending based on what dynamic speaker was on.
Additionally if the members of the committee are publicly identified, then they will quite probably be subject to interrogation and also possibly pressure by some to act in accordance with their personal bias. The best chance to remain neutral and beholden only to their duty, is if they remain anonymous.
This!!! This expresses my own thoughts and feelings, including the fact that I have stopped putting down workers names when I take notes.
I think the explanation given for this is perfectly fair and justified:
“Member confidentiality is important for the protection of survivors within the group, and to enable the group to focus on this important work in an impartial manner without external pressure or distraction.”
Very odd the advisory froup members names remain confidential, but they talk of openess and transparency. Yes definitely survivors names need to be confidential.
The other groups in USA and Australia/NZ have names available and appears to be working really well. Is this groups all professing members?
Thank You – to those in the ANZ Ministry and on the Advisory Board for all the work that is being done to uphold the stated commitment to Zero Tolerance. I respect the need for the Advisory Group to remain confidential so that professional careers are not impacted and work can be done efficiently. Please consider a Communications strategy. In the absence of regular communication, many people get discouraged by thinking that actions are not being taken. Many thanks for the hours that you are putting into this. Good work!
The overseers have known for years about CSA. No actions are being taken. It’s just more gaslighting, shuffling the deck and lovely sounding words. Please don’t be conned by these dishonest men.
Why would professionals which they claim to have involved not put their name and professional status against it? Do they not stand by what is written? Obviously not.
Agree. How do we know there aren’t abusers in the group? How do we know if they know us? I certainly wouldn’t want to be part of a group that is so secretive. How can the friends trust their workers that they’ll send on to the group? Why not direct contact via a combined email inbox? Many have lost trust in this group before it hardly gets off the ground.
The advisory group have an immediate conflict of interest and a bias, as they are all members of the congregation. This is highly unethical and if any in the group are govt employees in child protection fields, it is illegal.
The only way there would be true safe and transparent counsel given regarding the safety of children to the ministry , is if there were 16 professionals with relevant backgrounds in children’s safety, and legal requirements around this, who completely independant of the church, who were transparent in their motives and agenda. Otherwise , this is simply more secrets and cover up. Nothing good comes from that. I hope of any of the 16 individuals are reading the is, you will examine your own ethics and recognise your immediate conflict of interest and step away. If there were to be formally investigations by authorities, your professional careers and you WWC checks could be at risk.. why would you do it?
We know already that zero-tolerance doesn’t mean that. Two Overseers in Australia have already moved alleged offenders into meetings where there are apparently no children, but of course there may be victims in those meetings. We have it in writing that this is occurring.
If senior workers are really serious about CSA/SA they would appoint a completely independent advisory group of people outside the fellowship to advise them comprising professionals etc. Appointing people in your church, some of whom have no qualifications, and keeping it secret, is not progress. It’s a secret group who give “advice” that is not transparent, under the control of the Overseers.
Ross, this whole group has and is all about being “secret”. You said, “It’s a secret group who give “advice” that is not transparent”. This group is much unlike Jesus who said, “(Matthew 5:14-16) You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Also In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”. Fortunately, there are Christians who do shine in this world.
Sorry – but why do we need an Advisory Group… the steps are clear. If you are a victim and you feel you have the courage to report it – go to the police. If you feel the need for spiritual help, go to God. The workers are not God, and regardless, their OPINION will influence. To me, it just feels like another layer in confusion and opportunity given to keep sweeping stuff under the front door mat of this church. And on a side note… can we please stop referring to older cases as historic cases – pretty sure for victims they are not historic.
I agree on all your comments Barb and I’d add that the workers have no clue about how to deal with this gigantic issue. Our overseer reportedly told a victim to “get over it” and another senior worker told someone to “move on”. To date I have not seen and genuine contrition from any worker for what the church has been responsible for here in Australia and New Zealand.
You’re correct that cases are not “historic” to victims. We live it every day and will until we die. It’s part of us.