Jesus invites us to be used by him in building his church. We all have a part to play, using the gifts God has given us, to serve his church.

City on a Hill is committed to the spiritual, emotional and physical safety and well-being of all people participating in the life and ministries of our churches. To that end we ask all those who volunteer with us to complete the disclosure questionnaire and adhere to the volunteer code of conduct.

The next page of this online form is the disclosure questionnaire, after which you will be presented with our volunteer code of conduct which you will be asked to uphold. 

To help us meet our commitment to safe ministry, we ask everyone who wants to serve with City on a Hill to answer some important questions. We ask them because they are part of an important process that helps keep you and our churches safe.

All information provided will be treated with confidentiality, care and respect in accordance with our Privacy Policy which can be found at: cityonahill.com.au/privacy. Except as required by law, your answers will only be used for assessment of suitability for ministry. This information will be disclosed to the relevant ministry leader.

This code of conduct applies to people serving in a volunteer ‘team member’ role with City on a Hill or Many Rooms. A team member is defined as a volunteer role, where having a spiritual input into a person’s life if NOT an expectation of the role. Volunteers serving in a leadership position are required to uphold the extended leader code of conduct. Failure to uphold this code of conduct may result in removal from volunteering.

This code of conduct summarises the minimum behaviour requirements of people serving in volunteer team member roles with City on a Hill or Many Rooms. It is not intended to be exhaustive, but does outline areas of essential conduct.

Serving as a volunteer comes with varying degrees of actual or perceived authority within the community. With this comes a responsibility to serve in a way that honours and respects other people. People serving as a volunteer are to be particularly aware of this when dealing with children and vulnerable people, even if their volunteer role does not involve direct contact with these groups. Abuse arises from the misuse of authority or power. Any form of abuse is always wrong.

In addition to the general standards of behaviour stated in this document, all people serving in volunteer roles are required to comply with:

• the polices of the Anglican diocese in which they operate (if relevant),
• the policies of City on a Hill or Many Rooms as applicable, and
• the legislation of state and commonwealth governments.

Sections pertaining to appropriate conduct with children applies to all people serving in any role with City on a Hill or Many Rooms, and not just those in roles that directly involve children and vulnerable people.

 Key terms appear in bold italics the first time they appear and are defined in the Safe Ministry Terminology document.

In this document a child refers to anyone under the age of 18. A vulnerable person refers to an individual aged 18 years and above who is unable to protect themselves against harm or exploitation by reason of age, illness, trauma, disability, or any other reason.

THE CODE OF CONDUCT

As a person serving in a volunteer team member role within City on a Hill, you must:

1. Recognise the power, trust and limitations of your volunteer role.
   
   
2. Recognise the limits of your personal responsibilities, vulnerabilities, skills, experience and competencies.
   
   
3. Be sensitive to, protect and respect all people from all backgrounds; taking particular care in ministry with children, young people and other vulnerable persons.
   
   
4. Not abuse, harass, or harm another person (including bullying, emotional abuse, harassment, physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, spiritual abuse, grooming, or online abuse), and actively promote a safe environment where harassment or abuse of any kind of any person is neither tolerated nor accepted.
   
   
5. Ensure that the spaces and activities you are responsible for are safe and do not put people at risk of harm.
   
   
6. Not make any prohibited material available to children.
   
   
7. Not be under the influence of alcohol or other sustances whilst undertaking your volunteer role. 
   
   
8. Not take property belonging to others (including intellectual property),  seeking to give appropriate and lawful honour to the work of others.
   
   
9. Be committed to truth in the course of your volunteer role, and not knowingly make statements that are false, misleading, deceptive, or defamatory (including in use of online communication).
   
   
10. Respect people’s privacy, and not disclosing or accessing private or sensitive information without a valid reason.
    
    
11. Seek to live as respectful members of society, obeying the laws of the governing authorities.
    
    
12. Not be alone with a child away from the presence of other adults (unless you are the parent, legal guardian, or appointed by the parent or legal guardian to be the carer of that child).
    
    
13. Not touch a child in a manner which is inappropriate given their age, gender or cultural background. Never touch a child in a sexual nature.
    
    
14. Not develop inappropriate or special relationships with particular children that could be seen as involving favouritism or any form of special treatment.
    
    
15. Not engage in any contact with a child that is secretive (whether physical or through electronic media or in any other way).
    
    
16. If over 18, not pursue or become romantically involved with any person under the age of 18.
    
    
17. Include vulnerable people (and/or their carers/significant other) in discussions about decisions that will significantly affect them.
    
    
18. Disclose immediately to the church leadership if you have previously been or currently are under investigation for any criminal offences.
    
    
19. Report any concerns or suspicions about harmful behaviours and significant risks without bias or partiality, and report any known or suspected abuse of a child or vulnerable person to the relevant authorities.

REPORTING CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS

City on a Hill requires you to report any concerns or suspicions about harmful behaviours and significant risks, and any known or suspected abuse of a child or vulnerable adult. 

Details on how you can make a report can be found at cityonahill.com.au/safe-ministry.

You can also contact our independent professional standards body, Kooyoora, directly by calling 1800 135 246.

Thank you for your commitment and contribution to a culture and practice of safe ministry for all people at City on a Hill. If you have any questions please contact the City on a Hill office at compliance@cityonahill.com.au or 03 9640 0990.