Allegations of abuse
The Salvation Army considers the protection of vulnerable people to be the most serious of its responsibilities.
All allegations of physical, emotional or sexual abuse within The Salvation Army are taken seriously.
There are strong policies and processes in place to ensure any complaints of inappropriate conduct are responded to swiftly. The Salvation Army works closely with police when criminal acts have been committed.
Complaints
If you have a complaint of abuse within The Salvation Army, or are concerned about someone else, please contact our Centre for Restoration (formerly Professional Standards Office.) Any person who comes forward with complaints of abuse will be received with compassion and confidentiality.
Contact Us
Call (02) 9466 3063 or fill in the contact form below.
What happens once a complaint has been made?
Once The Salvation Army has received your complaint, we will make contact with you and explain our processes and your options.
You may want to meet with a member of the Professional Standards Unit to discuss the nature of your complaint. If this is what you want, you may feel more comfortable and confident having a friend or family member, or another professional, with you during this conversation.
We will listen openly to you. We want to understand your history and work with you to reach an outcome which is supportive and of assistance to you.
Children's Homes — Apology to former residents
From 1894 to the 1970s The Salvation Army operated children's homes around Australia. The Salvation Army deeply regrets that not all the children in our care received the love and protection they deserved. Some of the children experienced great fear living with rigid and harsh discipline. Some became victims of physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse.
The Salvation Army acknowledges its failure with those children.
The Salvation Army offers all persons who were hurt an unreserved apology.
If you have a grievance against The Salvation Army, please contact us. We will hear you.
The Salvation Army will encourage you to meet with a psychologist or professional counsellor to prepare a written statement and we will carry the cost of that. Then we will offer to meet with you so you can tell our representatives your story in person. To all survivors, we extend a personal apology.
The Salvation Army may be able to assist with cost of professional counselling.
We cooperate fully with the police when responding to allegations of abuse.