An Update From Chris Woolley, Chief Executive Officer EREA Colleges Ltd - Issue 8, 13 June 2024

Key Messages

Joint Board and Principals gathering, Adelaide June 2024 

Last week the EREA Colleges Board and EREA Colleges Principals gathered at Christian Brothers College in Adeliade to hold a joint meeting for the first time since the inception of EREA Colleges Ltd.   

The EREA Colleges Board and Leadership Team presented the draft 2024 – 2029 EREA Colleges Strategic Plan, outlining the key strategic areas and actions proposed to support our schools and centres over the next five years.

Both the Board and I appreciate how busy this time of year is for our leaders as we approach the end of Term 2.  I’m also mindful of our Board who volunteer their time and wisdom to help shape EREA Colleges.  

This unique opportunity for the Board and Principals to share time together and focus on our shared vision to deliver Catholic education founded on the mission of Jesus, the vision of Blessed Edmund Rice and being part of the global Catholic community.  

The Strategic Plan will be released to Colleges shortly and will compliment the EREA Charter. It will be accompanied by an annual operational plan and key performance measures to ensure our Board receives regular reporting from EREA Colleges Leadership on how we are meeting key priorities and objectives. 

We thank CBC Adelaide Principal, David Johnston and all his staff for their hospitality. We especially thank Mrs Jenny Dunncliff from CBC Adelaide for her organisation, attention to detail and assistance over the two days.  

Farewell to Leesa Jeffcoat AM 

This week I was privileged to attend the farewell mass for retiring Director of Catholic Education, Diocese of Rockhampton, Leesa Jeffcoat AM after 23 years in the role (and many more years’ service to Catholic education).  The mass, led by the Most Rev Michael McCarthy, Bishop of Rockhampton, was a fitting celebration and recognition of her outstanding contribution to Catholic education over many years. 

Leesa has been a wonderful supporter of EREA and, in particular, St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon. We thank Lessa for her service; she will be missed. I am looking forward to working with the new Director, Michael McCusker. 

Mr Chris Woolley
Chief Executive Officer

Updates

Financial Matters

National Business Manager’s Conference 8-10 May hosted by CBC Fremantle and Trinity College

Thankyou to the Conference organising committee, CBC Fremantle and Trinity College for hosting the event and to the Principals and support staff who assisted in making the conference a great success. It was enjoyable to see Business Manager’s and Accountants from Schools from each of the new subsidiaries come together under the new structure.  The CFOs provided an update on each of the new structures and some of the highlights for the conference were from the keynote speakers Rabia Saddique, Danny Green and Gihan Perera.  We also thank our many sponsors in support this event including Willis Towers Watson, Catholic Development Funds, Higgins Painting, Programmed, Alii, Paywise, TASS, Edstart, Intrepid Cleaning, McInnes Wilson Lawyers, Southgate, Perm-a-Pleat, Southgate. 

Safeguarding

Mandatory training – bookings for 2025  

Recognising that some Colleges are developing their calendars for 2025, please consider if you would prefer to offer your staff the alternative of a face-to-face learning for the Safeguarding and Code of Conduct modules. Please email your request, inclusive of preferred dates and any specific content to be addressed to safeguardingcolleges@erea.edu.au 

Safeguarding Conference  

Thank you for the immense commitment demonstrated by those many staff who attended the EREA Colleges Safeguarding Conference on Friday 17 May. EREA Colleges anticipates hosting a similar, in person event in 2025 for the ongoing professional development and support of staff who hold additional safeguarding responsibilities. Dates and locations will be communicated over coming months. Please contact safeguardingcolleges@erea.edu.au if you are yet to receive a copy of the train the trainer scenarios presented for your use in your own College or ELC community. 

We were thrilled that HE Chiara Porro, Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, shared the following message with all participants: 

I am grateful for the invitation to share some brief reflections during this timely conference dedicated to safeguarding. Despite the distance between Brisbane and Rome, I am pleased that we have found a way to connect and engage on this important subject.  

Safeguarding is a key priority for the Australian Embassy to the Holy See. We work with the Vatican to support partnerships that will improve safety standards within the Catholic Church and other institutions, and embed zero tolerance for harm to children. We actively seek opportunities to share and promote Australian best practice.  

In September last year, for example, we held a panel discussion with two highly respected Australian experts on safeguarding: Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner (who leads the world’s first government agency dedicated to online safety) and Chris Field PSM, Ombudsman for Western Australia. These two experts led a conversation with members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors – the Pope’s advisory board on safeguarding – to draw lessons from the value of independent oversight to achieve the highest standards for the protection of children and vulnerable people.  

More recently we facilitated an exchange between Australian academics and the Pontifical Gregorian University’s Centre for Child Protection (now the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care), which promotes safeguarding through education and research, drawing on the Catholic Church’s extensive networks around the world. We look forward to soon welcoming a large Australian delegation, led by Bishop Bennet from Victoria, attending the 2024 International Safeguarding Conference, hosted by the Institute in Rome.  

Talking about harm and abuse is confronting. But it is a vital step to drive the society-wide effort we need to tackle abuse and build a true culture of safety. It raises awareness, encourages active management of risks to children, and provides an opportunity to share lessons learned. In this regard, and to support your work on safeguarding, I highly recommend drawing on the resources of the Australian Government’s National Office for Child Safety.  

Listening to testimonies of survivors is also of critical importance. Their voices are essential to raise awareness of signs of abuse, to reduce stigma and improve outcomes for survivors, to build capacity for trauma-informed practice, and of course, to develop comprehensive systems for preventing the occurrence of abuse. The efficacy of our safeguarding policies hinges on our ability to make survivors feel believed, respected and listened to.  

As stated in the 5-year strategy published last year by the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse – whose establishment was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission – “our work is fundamentally about the people we help.” 

If there is one message I’d wish to leave with you today, it is this: placing survivors at the heart of our actions is crucial to advancing in the journey to improve institutional responses to abuse. I hope that your discussions throughout the day are successful in this objective and help embed a culture of safety within EREA Colleges and beyond.  

My best wishes for your sessions ahead.  

Chiara Porro 

Risk and Compliance

Many thanks to all who attended the EREA Colleges Ltd inaugural Risk & Compliance Conference at St Laurence’s College (Brisbane) on 16 May.  The Conference was well attended with representation from all Colleges and Early Learning Centres.   

The Conference was designed to be interactive and participatory with a panel discussion incorporating privacy, cyber security, artificial intelligence and child safety with panel representatives providing insights from legal, insurance and school experiences.  Special thanks to Zachary Preston from CBC Fremantle and Nick Lieschke from St Laurence’s College for their contributions as panellists.  Additionally, EREA’s Mental Health Toolkit aimed at practical ways of assessing and managing psychosocial risk was launched.  Case studies in risk assessments for overseas student excursions and procedures for responding to requests for personal information were explored with much interest. The day finished with a hands-on workshop from the team at Ideagen CompliSpace taking participants through developing reporting frameworks in our online systems.  We look forward to receiving feedback on this year’s Conference as we look to our planning for 2025. 

Around the Grounds

St Edmund’s College Canberra Founders Day 

On Friday 3 May, St Edmund’s College Canberra (SECC) celebrated Blessed Edmund Rice on its 70th anniversary with great enthusiasm on Founder's Day.  Chris Woolley and Peter Fullagar (Regional Director of Education - Queensland, Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania), were honoured to attend this special occasion. They joined the community for Mass and morning tea. 

During the celebration, SECC took the opportunity to honour their staff for their dedicated service. The recipients of the Br Matt McKeon Faith & Service Awards were also recognized for their outstanding contributions. 

CESA Leadership Excellence Award – Paul Belton  

We congratulate Mr Paul Belton (College Principal) St Paul’s College on receiving the 2024 ‘Leadership Excellence’ Award, presented by Catholic Education South Australia. Mr Belton's dedication to Catholic education spans an impressive 45 years, including 10 years of exceptional leadership as Principal of St Paul's College! 
 
Mr Belton is known for his unwavering commitment, humility, student-centred approach and strong Catholic ethos. 

The Educators Australia Rising Stars Award   - Josh Foulis  

Current Acting Principal, Joshua Foulis, St Paul’s College has been named to The Educators Australia - Rising Stars - Top Teachers and Educators in Australia, list. 

Josh is a dedicated and compassionate leader, who always has the best interest of the College community at heart.  His commitment to excellence and tireless efforts make him truly deserving of this honour. 

Afriqueensland Awards 2024 – Excellence Award – St James College 

St James College recently received the Excellence Award at the Afriqueensland Awards 2024 during a momentous awards evening attended by the Deputy Premier, Ministers, Parliamentarians, a Senator, and the Mayor of Logan. Congratulations to all the staff and the community for this remarkable achievement. The college was commended for its diverse African staff, initiatives, and empowerment efforts. 

This recognition is a significant commendation for Edmund Rice Catholic education. 

Award Recipients

2024 Spirit of Catholic Education Award Nominees

2024 Spirit of Catholic Education Award Nominees 

The Queensland Catholic Education Spirit of Catholic Education Awards are presented annually in conjunction with Catholic Education Week to celebrate outstanding contributions to Catholic education in Queensland. 

We have recently been advised that the following EREA Colleges staff have been nominated for a QCEC Spirit of Catholic Education Award 2024 and I wanted to extend my congratulations to them on this significant achievement. 

Congratulations to these staff and we now await the outcome of the nomination process. 

The passion and dedication of all our staff is inspiring, and I have no doubt that you will continue to shine brightly in all your endeavours. 

Staffing Updates

Principal Recruitment  

The recruitment processes for St Edmund’s College, Canberra and St Paul’s College, Gilles Plains are now finalised.    

It was recently announced that Mr Tim Cleary has been appointed as Principal for St Edmund’s College, Canberra. Tim is an inspirational and faith-focused leader who has worked in Catholic education for over 30 years and is currently Principal of St Thomas Aquinas Primary School in West Belconnen. Tim has a special connection to the college community having started his teaching career at St Edmund’s and previously serving as Deputy Principal of the College for five years earlier in his career.   

Last week, Mr Patrick Harmer was appointed as Principal for St Paul’s College, Gilles Plains from January 2025. Patrick is currently the Deputy Principal at Cardijn College, an R-12 Catholic School in the Marist tradition comprising three campuses and an RTO (Registered Training Organisation), with nearly 2200 students and over 300 staff.   

The incoming Principal for St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe will be announced in the coming weeks and recruitment for St James College, Spring Hill is ongoing.  

 Deputy Principal Recruitment  

Following the resignation of the Deputy Principal of Ignatius Park College (IPC), Mr John Doolan, a recruitment process was undertaken, and Mr Shane Dove has been appointed to the role, commencing Semester 2. Shane has nearly 30 years of experience in educational leadership roles across State, Catholic and Independent school sectors and currently holds the position of Director of Education at the College. I would like to acknowledge John’s skills, expertise, dedication and shared vision for the development and enhancement of IPC since 2015.  

 Regional Director of Education (SA/WA) 

A selection process for this role has commenced and will be finalised in the coming weeks.    

 EREA Colleges office staff 

Two new starters commenced in the week beginning 27 May 2024, a full-time Receptionist named Rebecca Dew who will primarily be providing executive assistance support to the CEOs and Regional Directors of Education. Lara Machado also joins the team, as a Financial and Data Analyst, working full time and supporting our Chief Finance Officer and Senior Accountant. We’re continuing to assess resourcing within the EREA Colleges office to ensure we are providing appropriate support to our educational bodies.  

The EREA Colleges office is now recruiting for Legal Counsel to provide expert legal advice and support to EREA Colleges, and the educational bodies, including general advice and all aspects of employment law and workplace relations. For more information about the role, please contact EREA Colleges Ltd - Edmund Rice Education Australia 

Policy and Publications

The following EREA Colleges Ltd policies have been submitted to the Board for approval at their meeting on 7 June: 

• Business Continuity 
• Co-Curricular Volunteers 
• Gifts, Benefits & Hospitality 
• Modern Slavery 
• Naming Schools, Property & Facilities 
• Overseas Travel 
• Records & Archives 
• Risk Management Framework (includes Policy) and Risk Appetite Statement 

Changes to the Family Law Act 1975 effective 6 May 2024 

Family Court Orders are an increasingly complex area schools continue to navigate. The Family Law Amendment Act 2023 sets out new laws including:  

• what the Courts must consider when determining what is in the child's best interests; and  

• how separated parents are to make decisions about long-term issues for their children.  

It’s important to note that the changes will not disrupt any existing Orders.  They will only affect cases (including Application for Consent Orders) determined by the Court on or after 6 May 2024.  Please see this article for further information. 

Principals Gathering 2024