What is SIM’s Approach to the Care and Safety for Children?

SIM Australia’s Purpose & Mission Statement says, “Convinced that everyone needs to hear the Gospel, our heart is to make disciples of Jesus in communities where He is least known.”

We seek to pursue this vision with a flourishing and growing SIM community, including all our SIM workers and their children.

What are the Biblical principles of care & safety for children?

SIM’s Child Safety program is built upon the basic Biblical principle of God as Defender of the Vulnerable. We believe all people are valuable and worthy of respect and care because they are made in the image of God. We believe that the Lord Jesus cares for and values all children and young people.

Therefore, SIM believes that we have a responsibility as an organisation, before God, to care for children connected with SIM and to protect them from harm.

The program is designed to fulfill our Biblical, ethical and legal responsibility for the safety of children within SIM and children that our mission workers may come in contact with, as well as help us guard the integrity of its members.

What are SIM’s Foundational Principles for care & safety of children?

These are SIM’s Foundational Principles following on our Biblical principles:

  • RISK – There is a risk of harm or injury to children in any organisation, whether it is Christian or secular. The harm can be intentional or unintentional. The child who is harmed could be from within or outside of the organisation.
  • RESPONSIBILITY – The program is designed to fulfill our Biblical, ethical and legal responsibility for the safety of children within SIM and children that our members may come in contact with, as well as help us guard the integrity of its members.
  • RESPONSE – Organisations must therefore respond to the responsibility for managing the risk of child harm within their organisation. This response needs to be formally administered as a policy and program.
  • REQUIREMENT – Our Child Safety Program requires the awareness, understanding, and cooperation of every SIM worker to create safety for children.

What is Child Safety in SIM?

Child Safety within an organisation is the set of practices intended to reduce the probability of children suffering serious harm. Child Safety includes practices intended to prevent harm from occurring and practices for responding to child safety concerns.

Child Safety is about what we can do in our families, our communities and our organisations to prevent children from being seriously harmed.

What is SIM’s Child Safety Program?

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” (Proverbs 31:8)

The aim of our Child Safety Program is to reduce the risk of harm to children under the care of SIM and to reduce the risk of misconduct towards children by its personnel. To achieve these objectives, SIM implements prevention and response strategies.

What are SIM’s Prevention Strategies?

Care for children of past SIM mission workers and children who attended SIM associated missions schools

Children of mission workers and children who attended SIM associated missions schools are very important to us. We acknowledge that their lives were not always easy and that some experienced trauma in their time as children of mission workers or as students at mission schools. For that we are deeply sorry. We desire to hear and know their stories and want to connect and care for them to give them a space to feel heard and heal if they need.

The button below labelled “SIM’s apology” will lead to SIM’s apology and commitment to the children of mission workers who have experienced harm in the past. If you would like to share your story, you can download the pdf questionnaire or complete the online questionnaire below.

If you have any further questions, click this link –  SIM Child Safety Officer to reach out confidentially at this secure email address.

Read SIM Apology document Download the pdf "Share Your Story" Questionnaire "Share Your Story" Online Questionnaire

Questions about Safety and Well-Being of Children with SIM

Children are vulnerable and therefore potentially subject to harm which can impact them for a lifetime.

To help prevent harm to children, SIM requires our mission workers to promote safer communities through:

  • Supervision – Ensuring adults provide active supervision of children.
  • Attentiveness – Being attentive to the voice and needs of children.
  • Find Support – Child safety advocates being available to all in SIM.
  • Educate – Helping all involved in SIM ministry understand and follow child safety procedures.
  • Raise concerns – Have clear channels open for child safety concerns to be raised.

Please find the reference link for our child safety policy here. Our Child Safety program is designed to fulfill our Biblical, ethical and legal responsibility for the safety of children within our global community.

The SIM Child Safety Team promotes the safety of children and the protection of SIM workers through prevention and response strategies that fulfill our Biblical, legal and ethical responsibilities, thereby helping to preserve the integrity of SIM Australia.

Do you want to ask our SIM Child Safety Team questions about SIM’s approach to caring and safety of children?

If you have any further questions, concerns or would like more information regarding SIM’s Child Safety Program, please feel free to contact:

  • Susan Strong – SIM Australia Child Safety Coordinator
  • Jason Hazell – SIM International Child Safety Coordinator

Click here to send a message to our SIM child safety advocate.