Why You Need Compliance Training in Your Church

A safe church is a place where people can worship and follow their faith without the fear of abuse or bad conduct in any form. To ensure that people are as safe as possible while they are in your care, you must implement compliance training in your church. A culture of safety also includes the emotional, spiritual, and even financial safety of people, along with their physical safety.

One way to promote an environment of safety in your church is by developing safe church policies and procedures for your organisation. Communicating the benefits and need for church compliance training for your staff and volunteers is a crucial stepping stone to creating a culture of safety. This culture will become an embedded part of your church.

Need for Compliance Training in Your Church

Compliance training in your church can highlight your beliefs and values. It also helps ensure that people who visit or engage with your institution in any way do not have to face any compromises regarding their safety. The most common yet important considerations about the need for training include:

1. Implement Important Safety Measures

Churches are liable to comply with state safety regulations and measures. Some of these common measures include attending to fire safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, fire blankets, hose reels, etc.; maintaining proper emergency exit doors, lighting, and signs; and testing and tagging electrical equipment.

Non-compliance with these regulations can lead to penalties or prosecution in severe cases. Risks of lawsuits and voiding of insurance in case of non-compliance or negligence are not uncommon either.

2. Ensure Children’s Safety

Churches also need to follow the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations to provide a safe environment for children. These principles aim to provide protection and safety to children inside the church. Some of these principles include the safe recruitment of employees after working with children, police checks, training leaders, and establishing and following codes of conduct.

Your institution must also pay heed to the allegations of harm made against your employees/leaders and respond promptly in a positive manner.

3. Enhanced Emergency Management

State legislation requirements for emergency planning for churches might be perceived as similar to the safety regulations, but they include much more. They include implementing and communicating church safety rules, creating church safety teams, and developing emergency procedures to be executed by these teams.

Running regular evacuation drills is also one of the best ways to ensure effective emergency management. Regulations also require your teams to undergo safety skills training every six months, which covers the use of fire extinguishers and emergency procedures.

4. Ensure Premises Safety

An institution that follows safe housekeeping or premises safety regulations efficiently has visible advantages over the ones that do not. Ensuring details such as the floors are free of slip and fall hazards, the stairs, steps, and handrails, safe use of electricity, kitchen and roofing system maintenance, etc., count in to keep the premises running safely.

Developing a safe church culture starts with acknowledging that every individual has a right to respect and safety. This recognition helps your institution to commit to people’s safety within all programs, ministries, and events organised within or outside of your premises. Church compliance training helps make sure your institution is meeting its legal and compliance obligations.

We at Sentrient provide workplace compliance training with the aim of allowing hassle-free compliance for all organisations across Australia. Organisations of varying sizes and types, including religious and educational institutions, have effectively utilised our services.