Safeguarding
Carmelite Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity, Nedlands
Safeguarding Policy
“I came to do right, seek justice and defend the oppressed.”
— cf. Isaiah 1:17
The Carmelite Monastery of Nedlands is a community of contemplative women in the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth. As a community we affirm that each person is a gift from God to be valued, cherished, respected and protected from harm of any kind, whether it be physical, emotional, sexual harm or harm caused through neglect.
Each sister in the community understands the importance of the specific role she plays, individually and collectively, to ensure the wellbeing and safety of children and adults.
The Prioress will ensure that every member of our community reads and adheres to this Policy. The Prioress will appoint a Community Designated Liaison Person.
In our commitment to living the Gospel, and the words of Jesus to "Let the children come to me and do not hinder them.” (Matt 19:14) we strive to do everything in our power to safeguard others.
To assist us in our commitment we adopt and adhere to the Archdiocese of Perth Safeguarding Policy and the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards. Thus, the Carmelite Monastery of Nedlands takes a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse.
As contemplative nuns we do not have direct ministry with children or adults at risk. We observe papal enclosure and our contacts with people are normally confined to the door, the parlour and chapel from within the enclosure. There may be times when visitors partake in special events or want to hear more about the Carmelites. In this case we ensure that children and adults at risk are accompanied by a responsible adult, teacher or parent.
Whilst maintaining confidentiality in all other matters, allegations of child or adult abuse brought to the notice of any member of the community (including volunteers) will be passed on to the Statutory Authorities by the Community Designated Liaison Person.
Helpful Contacts
WA State Government Department of Communities 1800 176 888 enquiries@communities.wa.gov.au
WA Department of Communities Child Protection Line1800 273 889
National Disability Hotline 1800 880 052
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission 1800 951 822
WA Police Contact police on131 444, your local police station or report online through the Safe2Say portal
Lifeline13 11 14
Lifeline Crisis Text Service 0477 13 11 14
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
1800MEDICARE1800 633 422
13 Yarn (an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support line) 13 92 76
CarersWA (general line Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm) 1300 227 377
CarersWA (counselling line Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm) 1800 007 332
Carer Gateway (Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm) 1800 422 737
CAMHS Crisis Connect(Mental health advice and support for children and young people in Western Australia, available 24/7) 1800 048 636
Western Australia Professional Standards Office: Freecall 1800 072 390 or phone +61 (08) 9221 7762
The Western Australia Professional Standards Office (WAPSO), while an office of the Catholic Church, exercises functional independence in order to run the church-based complaint process. WAPSO serves as a point of contact for survivors and offers support and assists them in seeking a response from the responsible Church Entity.
Carmelite Community Nedlands Designated Person: Sister Deborah Sachse, OCD (Prioress) Phone: (08) 9386 3672
What to do if a person comes with a Safeguarding Concern
Be welcoming and supportive
Listen to what the person has to say
Do not question the person
Do not seek to investigate the concern yourself
Let the person making the complaint know the concern will be passed on to the relevant Statutory Authority by the Community Designated Liaison Person
It is essential that you tell the person that their complaint/concern will not be discussed with other members of the community
Code of Conduct
Treat all children and adults with respect regardless of their race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, nationality, ethnicity, social origin, property, disability, sexual orientation or other status
Ensure another adult is present when interacting with children or adults at risk
Avoid all inappropriate communication through the internet, e-mail, text messages or other social media
Ensure that permission of the parent/guardian and/or the person is obtained when taking photographs, videos or any kind of recording of children and/ or adults at risk in the case of ministry or otherwise
Avoid any act that could be perceived as inappropriate
Respect the boundary of physical and emotional space of another
In our monastery we behave towards each other with courtesy and respect; consequently
We do not talk disrespectfully or inappropriately about each other or other people
We do not tolerate any harassment, discrimination, bullying, manipulation or any disrespectful behaviours or language
This policy will be displayed in noticeable places at the Monastery.
Signed on behalf of the Carmelite Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity, Nedlands by:
Sister Deborah Sachse, OCD (Prioress)
Effective date: 1st March 2026 Next Review: 1st March 2029
Carmelite Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity, Nedlands
Safeguarding Commitment Statement
As a Discalced Carmelite community within the Archdiocese of Perth, we are committed to ensuring that all people are respected and treated with the dignity that is theirs as created in the image and likeness of God. We endeavour to ensure that all who visit our monastery feel safe and we affirm that each person is a gift from God to be valued, cherished, respected and protected from harm of any kind, whether it be physical, emotional, sexual harm or harm caused through neglect.
We are committed to:
Zero tolerance of abuse of children and adults.
Implementing the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards as they apply to our contemplative community
Upholding the dignity of all people to establish safe and supportive relationships.
Maintaining and managing policies and procedures that build a strong culture of safeguarding.
Supporting anyone who brings forward a suspicion, concern, knowledge, or allegation of current or past abuse.
Responding appropriately to any matters related to abuse in a sensitive, respectful and in a timely way.
We have documented policies and procedures to promote a strong culture of safeguarding.
Sisters and volunteers are expected to follow these policies and procedures and contribute to the culture of care and protection within the Church.
Any of our volunteers that may interact with children in the course of their work for us hold current Working with Children Checks or equivalent.
We listen to the voices of children and adults at risk.
We remain vigilant to emerging risks and opportunities for us to continuously improve our practice.
The Western Australia Professional Standards Office (WAPSO) can be found here.
To report abuse please click here
Or freecall: 1800 072 390
Carmelite Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity, Nedlands
Complaints Handling Policy
Effective Date: 1st March 2026 Next Review: 1st March 2029
We adopt the Safeguarding Program of the Archdiocese of Perth (see The Safeguarding Program of the Archdiocese of Perth – Safeguarding Program Office) at https://safeguarding.perthcatholic.org.au/about/.
Any complaint made against a member of our community will be forwarded to the Western Australian Professional Standards Office (WAPSO) of the Archdiocese by our Community Designated Liaison Person.
In the event that a complaint is lodged against the sister who is currently the Designated Liaison Person, she will not be involved in handling the complaint in any way other than to immediately inform the deputy Designated Liaison Person who will then refer the complaint to the Western Australian Professional Standards Office (WAPSO).
In the event that a sister wishes to bring to the attention of the relevant authorities a failure on the part of another sister to observe our Code of Conduct, she will notify the current Community Designated Liaison Person in writing of her concerns, who will forward the complaint to the Western Australian Professional Standards Office (WAPSO) in the Archdiocese of Perth. If the complaint is about the Designated Liaison Person, she will notify the Deputy Designated Liaison Person who will follow the same procedure.
Current Community Designated Liaison Person: Sister Deborah Sachse, OCD (Prioress)
Current Community Deputy Designated Liaison Person: Sr Thanh Bui, OCD.