Policies and Standards

The Marist Brothers Australia adhere to policies developed to ensure the safety, wellbeing and benefit of all those involved in our work as staff, volunteers and supporters, as well as those we help including children, adults, the elderly and disadvantaged.

The Marist Brothers were founded for the education and Christian formation of young people, especially the least favoured. The Marist Brothers Province of Australia, including each Brothers’ community, the Province Administration, and each institution, agency, program and event conducted under the responsibility of the Marist Brothers in Australia - nurtures the wellbeing of all children and young people in its care; respects their dignity; ensures their safety; and protects them from harm, exploitation and abuse.

Any report or suspicion of abuse or endangerment is handled with compassion, promptness and integrity in the interests of justice and reconciliation.

The Marist Brothers Province of Australia is committed to these principles:

primary responsibility is to create safe environments for children and young people and to protect them from any form of harm or abuse.
All Brothers and other Marist personnel have a duty of care to support and protect children and young people.
The safeguarding of children and the prevention of abuse require thorough education and training of all engaged in working with children and young people, either directly or indirectly.
All children have equal rights to protection from abuse and exploitation. Culture or other reasons notwithstanding, we must intervene on behalf of any child suspected of being abused.
Any complainant is listened to attentively and offered a compassionate, prompt and just response when making an allegation of abuse.
A responsibility of care extends not only to the young person who may have suffered harm but also to his or her family. Any person accused of abuse also deserves to be treated with justice and compassion.
Truth and transparency should characterise all actions.

Policies and Standards

The Marist Brothers Province of Australia’s Child Protection Policy, Keeping Children Safe, governs how Brothers and employees engage in ministry with young people. The Policy is underpinned by the Gospel imperatives of truth, justice, compassion and reconciliation. It seeks to ensure that “any report or suspicion of abuse or endangerment is handled with compassion, promptness and integrity, in the interests of justice and reconciliation”. All Marist ministries are committed to complying with the principles, standards and protocols detailed in the document.

The Province is a signatory to the protocols developed by the Australian Catholic Church regarding professional standards in ministry. These are outlined in the documents, Integrity in the Service of the Church for Lay Workers and Integrity in Ministry for Clergy and Religious.

Towards Healing is the official statement that outlines principles and procedures to be used by Church authorities in responding to complaints of abuse against personnel of the Church in Australia.

Child Protection Policy

Child Protection Standards - A Framework for MSA-Governed Schools

Child Protection Standards - A Framework for Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat