Anglican Professional Standards Services
Independent administration of professional standards arrangements for participating Anglican dioceses and institutions.
Kooyoora’s Role in Professional Standards
Kooyoora administers professional standards arrangements for participating Anglican dioceses and institutions. For the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Kooyoora acts as the Scheme Corporation and administers the Professional Standards Uniform legislation as part of the Uniform Scheme.
The Kooyoora Office of Professional Standards has an independent statutory role in handling complaints, screening, redress and training. Kooyoora also conducts investigations and coordinates professional standards processes in accordance with the applicable legislation and agreed arrangements.
“Kooyoora brings a proven track record of deep knowledge and experience working with faith-based communities and volunteer organisations, which is imperative to the quality of an independent safeguarding provider. ”
Information and reporting pathways for participating Anglican dioceses.
How Professional Standards Arrangements Work
Kooyoora’s role is defined by professional standards legislation and the arrangements established with each participating diocese or institution.
Professional standards responsibilities are distributed across Kooyoora, the diocese and independent statutory bodies. Kooyoora administers the legislation and supports the professional standards process. The Professional Standards Committee (PSC) assesses matters, the Professional Standards Board (PSB) determines serious or referred matters, and the Professional Standards Review Board (PSRB) reviews eligible determinations. The Ombudsman is separate from the complaint determination process and oversees the fairness of the process.
Clarifying these roles helps people understand how matters progress through the professional standards process and who is responsible at each stage.
Flexible Professional Standards Arrangements
Kooyoora’s professional standards arrangements operate across a continuum of independence. Depending on the agreed scope, Kooyoora may provide a discrete independent service, manage complaints and investigations while decision-making remains with the organisation, or manage the full professional standards function with independent decision-making built into the arrangement.
The model used depends on the organisation’s governance structure, responsibilities and agreed arrangements. For participating Anglican dioceses, Kooyoora’s role and the authority of each decision-making body are determined by the applicable professional standards legislation.
Kooyoora’s Professional Standards Functions
Complaint Handling
Receiving, assessing and managing complaints under the applicable professional standards legislation and processes.
Investigations
Conducting or coordinating investigations into alleged misconduct, including matters managed under the Professional Standards Uniform legislation.
Screening and Clearances
Administering relevant screening and clearance processes within Kooyoora’s statutory and agreed responsibilities.
Redress
Managing applicable redress processes for participating dioceses and institutions.
Case Coordination
Coordinating professional standards matters, maintaining records and communicating with relevant parties and decision-making bodies.
Training
Providing professional standards training within Kooyoora’s role, while broader decisions about Safe Ministry Training may remain with the diocese or another provider.
The Role of the Diocese and Other Bodies
Professional standards arrangements involve several organisations and clearly defined responsibilities.
Depending on the matter, the diocese, parish, synod or another provider may remain responsible for:
pastoral support
employment and human resources matters
parish recovery
decisions about the amount, type, frequency and audience of training
owning and delivering Safe Ministry Training
making and adopting diocesan legislation and governing instruments
Kooyoora’s role is to administer the professional standards functions assigned to it. Kooyoora does not assume every pastoral, employment, governance or training responsibility of the participating institution.
Related Articles and Resources
Read our article, Understanding the Roles of Anglican Dioceses and Kooyoora in Professional Standards, to learn more about their respective roles and how responsibilities are allocated.
Read Independent Scrutiny in Safeguarding: What Best Practice Looks Like, to learn how independent scrutiny can provide an objective assessment of safeguarding arrangements, identify strengths and gaps, and support organisational learning and improvement.
Discuss Your Professional Standards Arrangements
Kooyoora works with participating Anglican dioceses and institutions to administer clearly defined professional standards arrangements.
Contact Kooyoora to discuss an existing arrangement, clarify roles and responsibilities, or enquire about professional standards administration for your institution.