By Herald Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR – In-Person Safeguarding and Protection of Children (PSO) trainings by the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur are currently being conducted in multiple languages throughout the year to ensure inclusivity.
As a Church community, safeguarding God’s children is the duty of each one of us. In line with this, the fourth Professional Standards Officer (PSO) training session for the year was recently held at the Church of the Divine Mercy, Shah Alam, bringing together representatives from various ministries of churches in the Klang Valley to ensure that churches remain a safe haven for our children.
Held on Aug 3, in Bahasa Melayu, the three-hour training session further amplifies the archdiocese’s commitment to safeguarding children within the church communities. The training saw the participation of 25 individuals from various ministries, including representatives from the liturgy, catechist, choir, and music ministry coming together to learn about safeguarding our children.
PSO training is established to ensure individuals working in various roles in the church understand the importance of creating a safe environment for children, by putting in place protocols and best practices for religious employees and volunteers within the archdiocese who work with children up to the age of 18 years old.
The training saw participants taking a deep dive into the guidelines on how church workers and every individual in the parish can ensure a safe environment for minors, protocols to be followed when a complaint is received, and the repercussions of not reporting or hiding a possible injustice to a minor. This diversity in representation underscored the importance of safeguarding across all facets of church life.
Fr Gregory Chan who dropped in to meet the participants during the training session said, in Vos estis lux mundi, the scope of safeguarding has expanded from “children” to “any vulnerable person.”
“Hence, we have to be vigilant to a larger community. And safeguarding makes us more attuned with the community,” he added.
Facilitated by three distinguished individuals: Sumathy, a nationally recognised advocate and expert in child safety; Devamary, a child support worker with JKM and Edmund, a lawyer, who brought a wealth of knowledge to the session, participants received comprehensive guidance in the areas of child safety and protection of all individuals within the church.
The training focused on understanding the types of injustice a child may face, becoming the individual who is able to identify that a child needs help, how to report an injustice, and the laws protecting a child, as well as each individual in the parish community. Their combined experience and dedication to safeguarding were evident throughout the training, making it an enriching experience for all attendees.
Acknowledging the linguistic diversity of the Klang Valley, training sessions were conducted in four languages throughout the year – English, Mandarin, Tamil, and Bahasa Melayu. This inclusive approach ensured that language barriers did not impede the learning process. Earlier sessions were held in English at the Church of St Francis Xavier in April, in Mandarin at the Church of St Ignatius in May, and in Tamil at the Church of St Anthony in June.
The PSO training was not just about imparting knowledge, but it was also an opportunity for participants to share their experiences in providing a more conducive and inclusive environment for children in their respective parishes. The interactive sessions provided an avenue for meaningful discussions, where participants had the opportunity to learn from each other’s challenges and successes.
Looking ahead, the PSO team will be planning training sessions to continue the important work of safeguarding our children within our churches. A Google registration link for sessions will be shared with all respective parish priests.
Interested individuals are encouraged to contact their parish priests to obtain the registration link and participate in the upcoming training sessions. – Herald Malaysia
