Leadership formation focused on safe communities

By Heather Excell

Leaders from across the Archdiocese of Hobart and its agencies commenced a major safeguarding training program aimed at further strengthening a culture of safety throughout the Catholic Church in Tasmania.

The Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd. (ACSL) Leaders and Leadership Teams Training began this week, bringing together leaders from across the Archdiocese, CatholicCare Tasmania, Catholic Education Tasmania, Loreto Community Housing, St Joseph Affordable Homes and the Safe Communities Office.

The six-week program facilitated by ACSL combines online learning with two in-person group gatherings, and focuses on supporting leaders to strengthen leadership, culture and accountability.

The course follows recommendations made after the Archdiocese of Hobart’s 2025 safeguarding audit, which found the Archdiocese demonstrated a high degree of compliance with the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS) and a strong commitment to “zero tolerance” of abuse.

“The main purpose of the course is to provide professional learning to our leaders in Safeguarding within the Catholic Church,” said Kathy Tarte, Director of Safe Communities. “It focuses on cultural change, safeguarding policies, and procedures at a leadership level.”

The program explores a range of themes including the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, Safeguarding Responsibilities of Church Authorities, Managing Complaints Effectively at the Leadership Level, Managing and Mitigating Safeguarding Risks and Safeguarding in the Digital World.

Kathy said she hopes the training will “strengthen our leaders’ knowledge about the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards and information on how to embed these into their respective agencies and programs”.

Participation in the course has been warmly embraced by agencies across the Archdiocese, reflecting a strong commitment to safeguarding and the wellbeing of those in the Church’s care.

“I also hope that as we are coming together across the Archdiocese, that we continue to build our networks in this area and work collegially with one another to build a safe, kind and connected Catholic community in Tasmania,” she said. “This approach will ensure a strong culture and one where our leaders are accountable.”

Kathy also emphasised the value of Archbishop Tony Ireland’s presence throughout the training, highlighting that his commitment and leadership “demonstrates the value our leaders place on keeping those in our care safe”.

The first in-person session was held on 26 May, with Di Kelly from the Safe Communities Office coordinating the gathering.

“The first ACSL training session brought everyone together in a really positive and collaborative way,” she said. “There was a strong focus on the importance of safeguarding and the shared responsibility we all have in creating a safe and supportive environment.”

Di reflected on the level of attention in the room, saying one of the key highlights was “seeing safeguarding become embedded into our organisation’s culture and everyday practice, rather than it simply being another policy rollout.”

As the program continues over the coming weeks, leaders will work together to further develop the knowledge and practices needed to foster safe Catholic communities throughout Tasmania.