Clearance for Ministry Application

  • To the Applicant

    The Anglican Diocese of Ballarat takes the safety and wellbeing of all people seriously.

    The Anglican Church of Australia has established standards of conduct for clergy and church workers to maintain a safe and healthy ministry environment. Our commitment to these standards requires that we conduct background referencing for all persons who intend to engage in ordained and lay ministry in Australia. This request for information is being made to comply with Victorian Child Safe Standards and Anglican Church of Australia policies, and not because we have any reason to believe that any applicant has in fact engaged in inappropriate conduct.

    As part of our screening process, we request you to answer a series of questions that are, of necessity, intimate in nature. If you do not understand the question or would like to discuss your answer further, please feel free to call the Diocesan Safe Church Officer on 03 5331 1183.

    • Privacy Statement 

    • This application is confidential. The diocese is protecting your privacy by adhering to the diocesan privacy policy available here.

      It will be kept secure in our confidential files, in accordance with the Privacy Act. Except as may be required by law, the information you supply will be used only for screening and church processes involving disciplinary action, or assessment of suitability for ministry. If required by law, the information you supply will be made available to the applicable authority.

    • What this form does 

    • This form performs the following tasks:

      • It collects your contact and personal information needed to remain in contact with you and process any necessary propity checks.
      • It collects your ministry profile (for both clerics and laypersons) so that the dicoese can issue the appropriate licences and permissions.
      • It uses a screening questioniare to ensure that evevryone is kept safe.  This questionaire adjusts depending on your ministry profile so that you are asked only the questions that are needed.
      • It collects your Working with Children Card details if required.
      • It will ask you to supply referees and your church history (if required)
      • It will ask you to agree to a number of oaths, declarations and statements tailored to your ministry profile.
      • It will redirect you to submit a police check (if required).
    • Collapse Stopper 

    • Instructions

    • Getting Prepared

      To complete this form you will need to know the ministries you conduct.  You can find a list here.

      If you have been a member of your parish for less than three years and you minister to Children, you will need to supply your church membership history and two referees.

      Saving Your Application

      If you need to pause, you can save your application and return to it later by using the save button at the bottom of each page.

      A link will be emailed to you that you can use to continue.

      At the end of this Form

      When you submit this form (10-15 minutes) you will be redirected to the police check application page.

    • Prefilled

    • DPS Referral Fields

    • Esculate to Registrar or DPS
    • Determined Clearance Issuer

    • Licensing Fields

  • Application Type

  • Member Type*
  • Cleric Application Purpose*

  • Layperson Application Purpose*

  • Personal Information

  • Do you have an email address?*

  • Important: Email Addresses

    The diocese will use email to communicate with you on matters of Safe Church including automated expiry date notifications .  If you do not have an email address, your notification emails will be sent to the Diocesan Safe Church Officer by default. 

    If you would like your emails to go to a different person, please contact the Diocesan Safe Church Officer.

  • Important Information: Email Addresses

    A copy of your responses to this form will be emailed to you.  Given the confidential nature of this form, please supply an email address you are comfortable having such information sent to.

    If you do not have one, please select "No" in the question above.

  • Do you have a different postal address?*
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  • Gender*
  • Have you, since the age of 18, been known by any other name other than the one above? This includes maiden, alias and anglicised names.*

  • Layperson Ministry Profile

  • Instruction:

    Please select all of the ministers you are involved in.  You must select at least one ministry

    Your selection will be confirmed by your parish.

  • Frequently Asked Question:

    Q: Do servers or organists need a Clearance for Ministry if there are no children in the sanctuary?

    A: Servers, organists, musicians and choir members only need a Clearance for Ministry if children are involved in the liturgical ministry of their church on a regular basis.

  • Group A: Special Screening Categories
  • Group B: Church Governance & Administration
  • Group C: Ministries involving Children & Young People
  • Group D: Liturgical & Community Ministries

  • *Anglicare: Any member providing volunteer or renumerated service in an Anglicare project, must be cleared though Anglicare, not the Diocese of Ballarat.

  • Question Set and WWCC Triggers

    Hidden for Logic Conditions
  • WWCC Required?
  • Police Check Required?
  • History & Referees Required?

  • Clerical Ministry Profile

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  • Ordination Offer*
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  • Screening Questionnaire

  • Important Information

    The questions in this section are mandatory under the Safe Ministry to Children Canon 2017 and/or the diocesan Clearance for Ministry Protocol. You must answer each of the following questions truthfully and to the best pf your knowledge.

    Please note that a YES answer will not necessarily result in your application being unsuccessful. We do not interpret a YES answer to a question as an admission of misconduct, nor does it automatically disqualify you from being issued a clearance for ministry.

    Instruction

    You must answer every question

  • Q1. Do you have any health condition(s), which may affect your work with children or young people?*
  • Q2. Do you have a history of substance abuse including alcohol, prescription, over-the-counter, recreational or illegal drugs?*
  • Q3. Do you have a history of problem gambling?*

  • Definition: Charged

    Throughout this document “charged” or “charges” indicates allegations made in writing and known to you OR allegations made to a court, disciplinary tribunal or employer in Australia or in any other country. 

  • Q4. Have you ever been charged* with a criminal offence in Australia or in any other country? (Note. Getting a parking or speeding fine is not a criminal offence.)*
  • Q5. Has disciplinary action of any sort ever been taken against you by a licensing board, professional or community association, employer, educational institution, church or any other body?*
  • Q6. Has anyone in Australia or in any other country alleged to a court, disciplinary tribunal or employer that you have committed a criminal offence?*
  • Q7. Have you ever had a Working with Children Card refused, cancelled, revoked or suspended?*
  • Q8. Have you ever been charged* with any offence related to cruelty to animals?*
  • Q9. In the last ten years, have you ever been charged* with a traffic offence which required you to attend court?*
  • Q10. In the last ten years, has your licence to drive a motor vehicle ever been revoked or suspended?*
  • Q11. Have you ever had a licence to own firearms refused or revoked?*
  • Q12. Have you ever been asked to resign or been terminated by a training program, employer or church body?*
  • Q13. Have you ever had a civil suit brought against you arising out of alleged professional misconduct, or is any such suit pending?*
  • Q14. Have you ever had professional indemnity insurance declined, suspended or revoked for any reason?*
  • Q15. Have you ever been charged* with misappropriating funds, or otherwise breaching financial duties in any capacity?*
  • Q16. Have you ever been charged* with an offence under the taxation laws?*
  • Q17. Have you ever had an order made against you or entered into a composition with creditors or an assignment for the benefit of creditors under the Bankruptcy Act or have you ever had an order made against you under any Act regulating corporations?*
  • Q18. Have you ever had an apprehended violence order, order for protection or the like issued against you as a result of allegations of violence, abuse, likely harm, harassment or stalking?*
  • Q19. Have you ever been charged* with verbal or physical harassment?*
  • Q20. Have you ever been charged* with an offence related to sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or sexual assault?*

  • Definition: Child Abuse

    Child abuse means the following conduct in relation to a child:

    • Bullying
    • Emotional abuse
    • Harassment
    • Neglect
    • Physical abuse
    • Sexual assault
    • Spiritual abuse
    • Grooming
    • The willful or reckless failure to comply with the laws of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory requiring the reporting of child abuse to the police or other authority
    • The possession, production or distribution of child exploitation material

    The context of the conduct includes personally, virtually or by any electronic means.

    Definition: Child Exploitation Material

    Child exploitation material means material that describes or depicts a person who is or who appears to be a child

    • That is engaged in sexual activity
    • In a sexual context
    • As the subject of torture, cruelty or abuse (whether or not in a sexual context)

    in a way that a reasonable person would regard as being, in all the circumstances, offensive.  Child exploitation material can include any film, printed matter, electronic data, computer image and any other depiction. The context of the conduct includes personally, virtually or by any electronic means.

  • Q21. Has a child or dependent young person in your care (as a parent or in any other capacity) ever been removed from your care, or been the subject of a risk assessment by the authorities?*
  • Q22. Have you ever been charged* with or engaged in, the production, sale or distribution of, or illegal access to child exploitation material?*
  • Q23. Have you done anything in the past or present that may result in allegations being made against you of child abuse?*
  • Q24. Have you ever been charged with, or engaged in sexual conduct or attempted sexual conduct with a person with whom you had a pastoral or professional relationship other than your spouse (e.g. a parishioner, a client, a patient, an employee, a student, a subordinate) ?*
  • Q25. Have you ever been charged with, or engaged in, sexual contact with a person under the age of consent or with an adult not competent to give consent?*
  • Q26. Have you ever been charged with, or engaged in conduct likely to cause harm to a child or young person, or to put them at risk of harm?*
  • Q27. Have you ever had permission to undertake paid or voluntary work with children refused, suspended or withdrawn in Australia or any other country?*

  • Further Information

  • Instruction:

    You have answered "YES" to one or more of the above questions.

    Please give details to the questions you answered "YES" to.  Be as detailed as possible. The Director of Professional Standards will contact you if further information is required.

    Please note that a YES answer above will not necessarily result in your application being unsuccessful. We do not interpret a YES answer to a question as an admission of misconduct, nor does it automatically disqualify you from being issued a clearance for ministry.

  • Working with Children Card

  • Instruction:

    Your ministries require that you hold a valid Working with Children Card.  Please enter your card number below.

    If you do not have a Working with Children Card, you must apply for one.  Your Clearance for Ministry will not be issued until your card is verified by the Diocesan Safe Church Officer.

  • Do you have a Victorian Working with Children Card?*
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  • Applying for a Working with Children Card

    You must apply for a Working with Children Card.

    You can apply for a Working with Children Card from the Clearance for Ministry or Member Administration pages of the Safe Church Portal.

    You can do this at a later time, but your clearance will not be approved until your Working with Children Card has been received by the diocese. 

  • Notifying Working with Children Card Victoria

    Teachers registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) must inform Working With Children Check Victoria (WWCCV) of any other child-related work you do.  This includes volunteer work.

    Please use the VIT WWCC Notification Tool on the Member Admin page of the Safe Church Portal. 

    You can do this at a later time, but your clearance will not be approved until notification has been received by the diocese.

  • Church History & Referees

  • Have you been a member of your current parish for more than three years?*
  • Is your current parish the first church/parish you have attended regularly as an adult?*
  • Church History & Referee Checks Required?

  • Information:

    Lay Ministers who have been members of their parish for less than three years must provide their church membership history and two referees.  

  • Church History

  • Current Parish

  • Instruction:

    Please provide a date for when you started attending your current parish regularly.

  • Instruction:

    Please provide details for the last two churches/parishes you attended regularly as an adult, starting with the most recent.  

  • Church 1 (Most Recent)

  • Have you attended another church regularly in the past?*

  • Church 2

  • Character Referees

  • Important Information:

    Referees must be over eighteen years of age and be able to give a report (by telephone only) on your good character and suitability for ministry. 

    They must NOT be a relative or a close friend.

    If you have lived in another state or country, please include a referee from your last parish or placement in that state and/or country.

  • Referee 1: Church Referee

  • Instruction:

    Your Church Referee must be a church leader who knows you well enough to provide a character reference. Examples of a church leader are: parish priest, warden, youth leader, or a member of parish council.

  • Referee 2: Secular Referee

  • Instruction:

    Your Secular Referee must be a member of the wider community, who has known you for longer than 3 years and knows you well enough to provide a character reference.

    For example, An employer, manager, teacher or community leader.

  • Layperson Declarations & Statements

  • Instruction:

    Please read and agree to the following by ticking the box at the bottom of the page.

  • Oaths & Declarations

  • The Declaration and Assent to Doctrine and Formularies

    I {personal_firstName} {personal_surname} do solemnly make the following declarations:

    I firmly and sincerely believe the Catholic Faith and I give my assent to the doctrine of the Anglican Church as expressed in the Book of Common Prayer and the ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons and the Articles of Religion, as acknowledged in section 4 of the Constitution, and believe that doctrine to be agreeable to the Word of God.

    I declare my assent to the Fundamental Declarations of the Anglican Church of Australia as set out in sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Constitution.

    The Assent to Constitution and Laws

    I do solemnly and sincerely declare my assent to be bound by the Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia and the Constitution of the Province of Victoria and of this Diocese and by the canons, statutes, ordinances and rules, however described, from time to time of the synod of this Diocese and of the General Synod which have force in this diocese, including:

    • Child Safe Policy 2018
    • Safe Church Policy 2018
    • The National Code of Conduct: Faithfulness in Service
    • Electronic Communications Guidelines 2018

    The Oath of Canonical Obedience

    I do swear that I will pay true and canonical obedience to the Bishop of Ballarat and the successors of that bishop in all things lawful and honest. So help me God.

  • Statements

  • I {personal_firstName} {personal_surname} do so make the following statements:

    Authority for Information

    I understand that it is the policy of the Anglican Church of Australia to ask:

    • those who serve or have served as my bishop;
    • character referees;
    • churches I have regularly attended as an adult; and
    • my employers (for renumerated church workers);

    whether to the best of their knowledge, I have engaged in conduct that is relevant to the assessment of whether I am a suitable person to undertake ministry in the Church.

    I hereby authorise:

    • the Anglican Church and its delegates to contact and exchange information with church organisations, churches, parishes or congregations;
    • every one of these bodies to provide to the Anglican Church and its delegates any information they may have that is relevant to assessing whether I am a suitable person to undertake ministry in the Church; and
    • my referees (where requested) to provide to the Anglican Church and its delegates any information relevant to my application for appointment as a volunteer or renumerated church worker; and
    • the Director of Professional Standards or Diocesan Safe Church Officer to conduct a National Register Report Request.

    National Criminal History Checks (Police Checks)

    The Anglican Church reserves the right to request a National Criminal History Check when it deems it relevant to assessing whether I am a suitable person to undertake ministry in the Church.

    Release from Liability

    I hereby release from liability any person or organisation that provides information relevant to the assessment of my suitability to undertake ministry in the Church.

    I also agree to release the Anglican Church and its delegates from any and all liability as it relates to any investigation by them regarding the information contained in this application, or any action by them as a result of such investigation.

    Acknowledgement

    I understand that any intentional error or omission in the information in this application may prevent me from undertaking voluntary ministry in the Church.

    I understand that the Director of Professional Standards, Diocesan Safe Ministry Officer or other authority may request additional information in order to issue a Clearance for Ministry.

    Continuation of Ministry

    I understand that the continuation of authority to conduct any form of ministry in the Anglican Church is contingent on maintaining the validity and currency of all qualifications to minister, including Safe Church Training, Clearance for Ministry and Working with Children Card currency.

  • Clerical & Religious Statements

  • Instruction:

    Please read and agree to the following by ticking the box at the bottom of the page.

  • I {personal_firstName} {personal_surname} do so make the following statements:

    Authority for Information

    I understand that it is the policy of the Anglican Church of Australia to ask:

    • those who serve or have served as my bishop;
    • character referees;
    • churches I have regularly attended as an adult; and
    • my employers (for renumerated church workers);

    whether to the best of their knowledge, I have engaged in conduct that is relevant to the assessment of whether I am a suitable person to undertake ministry in the Church.

    I hereby authorise:

    • the Anglican Church and its delegates to contact and exchange information with church organisations, churches, parishes or congregations in the Record of Ministry (where requested) and/or Church History section (where requested);
    • every one of these bodies to provide to the Anglican Church and its delegates any information they may have that is relevant to assessing whether I am a suitable person to undertake, ministry in the Church; and
    • my referees (where requested) to provide to the Anglican Church and its delegates any information relevant to my application for appointment as a volunteer or renumerated church worker; and
    • the Director of Professional Standards or Diocesan Safe Church Officer to conduct a National Register Report Request.

    Release from Liability

    I hereby release from liability any person or organisation that provides information relevant to the assessment of my suitability to undertake ministry in the Church.

    I also agree to release the Anglican Church and its delegates from any and all liability as it relates to any investigation by them regarding the information contained in this application, or any action by them as a result of such investigation.

    Acknowledgement

    I understand that any intentional error or omission in the information in this application may prevent me from undertaking voluntary ministry with children in the Church.

    I understand that the Director of Professional Standards, Diocesan Safe Ministry Officer or other authority may request additional information in order to issue a Clearance for Ministry.

    Continuation of Ministry

    I understand that the continuation of authority to conduct any form of ministry in the Anglican Church is contingent on maintaining the validity and currency of all qualifications to minister, including Safe Church Training, Clearance for Ministry and Working with Children Card currency.

  • Some Final Matters

  • Police Checks

    In most cases, police checks are no longer required.  However, if one is required to further your application for a Clearance for Ministry, you will be contacted by the Diocesan Safe Church Officer.

  • Assisted Completion

    Have you been assisted in filling out this form? If yes, please enter the name of the person who assisted you below.

  • Application Submission

  • Thank you!

    The following happens when you click the submit button:

    • Your application will be lodged with the Diocesan Safe Church Officer
    • If further action is required, you will be contacted by the Diocesan Safe Church Officer.
    • You can expect your application to be processed within 1 month of lodgement unless otherwise notified.
    • If you do not have a Safety Management Online account, you will receive an email from Safety Management Online asking you to set a password when your account is created by the Diocesan Safe Church Officer.

    If you have any questions about your application, please contact your Parish Safe Church Officer or the Diocesan Safe Church Officer.

     

  • Hidden Fields for Processing and PDFs

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