A leading safeguarding advocate from the Diocese of Parramatta is heading to Rome to take part in the annual International Safeguarding Conference (ISC) in June, which this year will have a strengths-based focus on the safety of women, “Women of Faith, Women of Strength”.
Ballina Gee, a founding member of the Diocese’s Safeguarding Council, will be representing the Diocese at the conference, to be held at the Pontifical Gregorian University from 17 to 20 June.
The conference brings together safeguarding specialists, trauma experts and others dedicated to finding solutions and sharing best practices in safeguarding. This year it will hear not just from religious speakers, but also those from academia and community organisations.
Ballina said she was looking forward to hearing about the latest thinking on how to keep women safe from abuse, as well as strengths-based solutions to support survivors.
The Diocese of Parramatta had led the way in many areas of safeguarding in Australia – from children and family violence to the elderly – but has long planned to focus specifically on women, she said. Perhaps this conference will be the catalyst to propel this work in the Diocese when Ballina reports back to the Safeguarding Council.
“I’ve been working with women for over 20 years in advocating for their safeguarding,” she said. “So I’m excited about this particular conference because it brings together all the experts in the Catholic Church from around the world – religious advocates, practitioners – and we’re going to be sharing best practices and exploring innovation, strategies and what works in different countries.
“That worldwide focus is important. We’re a multicultural country, so hearing what might work in Africa or Canada, in their indigenous communities as well, we can learn from each other and take that knowledge away.”
But she also believes the unique way the Diocese of Parramatta approaches safeguarding is something she can share with our international colleagues.
When the Diocesan Safeguarding Council was set up five years ago to give strategic advice on safeguarding matters, it brought together not just academics, church representatives, others with legal and medical expertise, but those who represent survivors of trauma and abuse, and those from indigenous and different cultural backgrounds, Ballina said.
“When I look at the Board for the ISC, I see an opportunity for more cultural diversity and lived experience representation,” she said.
“I believe there’s something about the ‘Parramatta Way’ of safeguarding that we can discuss with delegates, sharing the benefits of an inclusive approach and how it has transformed our framework, while also learning from others converging in Rome for this unique conference.
“We embrace people’s diversity and dignity, we’ve incorporated that within the safeguarding framework of the Diocese, and I think that’s very unique, especially the indigenous healing component.”
Ballina will be joined by three other women from the Diocese for the ISC to connect and collaborate with key leaders and global stakeholders as “safeguarding is a complex, universal challenge that demands a collective response,” according to the organisers. Safeguarding is a continual journey that is never complete.
The “Parramatta Way” of Safeguarding is a commitment to being a community of safeguarding that actively promotes the dignity and rights of children and of all persons, particularly those who may be vulnerable.
As Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv stated: “We have zero tolerance to abuse of any form. We are committed to ensuring that all children and vulnerable adults under our care are safe, protected and enabled to flourish.
“The Diocese of Parramatta offers its unreserved and deepest apologies to survivors of abuse and their families for the hurt and suffering this abuse has caused throughout their lives. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that no child entrusted to our care is ever harmed again.”
You can read the Bishop’s full statement here.
Listen to Ballina discussing safeguarding on Koori Radio here.
