Children and young people have a right to feel safe and to be safe.
Adults enrolled in our schools also have a right to feel safe and to be safe.
“The effective protection of minors and a commitment to ensure their human and spiritual development, in keeping with the dignity of the human person, are integral parts of the Gospel message that the Church and all members of the faithful are called to spread throughout the world.” Pope Francis
Central to the mission of EREA is the safety and wellbeing of all children, young people and adults enrolled in our schools (students). The Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia (TEREA) are committed to fostering a robust culture of safety across all the entities and schools that comprise our educational mission.
We have zero tolerance of child abuse and require that all allegations and safety concerns regarding our students are taken seriously and robustly investigated.
To this end, each board and ministry within EREA ensures the establishment of Safeguarding frameworks, policies and procedures that actively embed a culture where the safety, wellbeing, and participation of all students under our care is paramount. Each of the boards for which we are the Company Member reports to us annually on progress in this regard.
We have publicly acknowledged, apologised, and sought to learn from EREA’s historical failure to protect children (in June 2017 and renewed April 2023). We continue to commit to the full enactment of and compliance with all canonical, civil, national, and jurisdictional obligations in the area of Child Safety and Safeguarding more generally.
We affirm that particular attention is given to the needs of vulnerable students, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students with disability and mental health issues, students from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, children and young people who are unable to live at home, and students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex.
At all times TEREA is committed to acting in the best interests of the children, young people and adults enrolled in our schools.