The members of the SVD AUS Provincial Council recently undertook a workshop and reflection day on Professional Standards, to ensure the leadership team continues to be well versed in current policies, procedures and requirements in this important area.
The reflection day was facilitated by Dr Sharon McCallum (pictured right), a consultant on ethics, complaints management and professional standards, who says the program focused on the Church’s response to allegations of harm to children or vulnerable people.
“We work with members of religious orders in relation to the Church’s policies and procedures in these matters, as well as looking at how well an Order is travelling in relation to the Towards Healing framework, and their responses towards vulnerable people,” Sharon says.
The workshop looked at topics including the complaints management process, complex cases, how religious congregations should respond to complaints, and how leadership teams can support leaders in this work.
“So for the SVD Provincial Council, it was an opportunity to reflect on how they respond to these issues, and what they might do differently in the future” she says.
“The policy for complaints handling within the Church is clear and the Order’s role is to participate in the process in a meaningful way that engages with the process, the victim, and the care and oversight of the confrere who may have been accused.
“For some Orders that responsibility rests solely with the Provincial, but with the SVDs their leadership team is closely involved in supporting their Provincial, which is excellent.
“This Order has really taken this issue seriously and embraced it very well. The Order chooses to be engaged, positive, interested and concerned and they know the process very well, even though they have had relatively few complaints made against them.”
Sharon says the day of reflection and discussion also touched on questions of how the members of the Provincial Council (pictured left) personally feel about the impact of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Abuse on them and their ministry, what it means for them and the formation of confreres, and how they are still able to work pastorally in a fully engaged way.
“We looked at risk management and where they are sitting with that at this tumultuous time, as well as how they see themselves going forward from here.”
AUS Provincial, Fr Henry Adler SVD, says the reflection day and workshop was an excellent way of ensuring the SVD AUS Province remains fully aware of and engaged in the appropriate policies, responses and protocols in the Professional Standards Area.
“We believe this is a very important topic of formation for our Provincial Council members and the broader Congregation,” he says. “We are committed to learning and living out Best Practice in this area and passing it on through our work in SVD ministry and formation. We thank Sharon for sharing her expertise and experience with us.”
