Safeguarding Children
Our Commitment
Resources
School Student Protection Contacts
Our Commitment
Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns is actively committed to fostering communities of safeguarding that recognise and uphold the dignity and rights of all children. We encourage open communication whereby families and communities are informed of relevant issues and participate in decisions about the safety of children.
It is particularly important to us to look for avenues to empower children to have a say and be listened to. We actively seek to become and remain informed of the causes and signs of child abuse and neglect. When we receive information about concerns or witness any matter relating to abuse of a child, we respond appropriately and report any such concerns to the appropriate authority. This includes contacting the police immediately where there may be immediate risk of harm to any person, especially a child.
Every person within Cairns Catholic Education who comes into contact, or works, with children seeks to uphold the dignity of all children and commits to establishing safe and supportive relationships. Cairns Catholic Education has documented policies and procedures to reduce risks to children and build a strong culture of safeguarding. All priests, brothers, sisters, staff and volunteers are expected to follow these policies and procedures and contribute to the culture of care and protection of all children. Each school has at least two Student Protection Contacts to whom students can report any inappropriate staff conduct towards a student/s that they feel is inappropriate.
We plan, organise and review all activities involving children, proactively considering potential risks and strive to ensure risks are reduced, and eliminated where possible. Everyone is encouraged to communicate any area of concern or where you think our approach may need improvement. Anyone who brings forward a suspicion, concerns, knowledge or allegation of current or past abuse of a child to Cairns Catholic Education will be responded to sensitively, respectfully, actively and in a timely manner, in line with our lawful obligations and our own Complaints Handling Policy. We regularly undertake internal and external auditing of our safeguarding policies and practices to make sure that they always support a culture and practice that puts the safety of children at the centre of our thinking and action.
We listen to the voices of children as we constantly strive to remain vigilant and make improvements.
Criminal offences include:
- Failure to Report Offence: all adults must report sexual offending against children to the police unless they have a reasonable excuse (i.e. the offence has already been reported).
- Failure to Protect Offence: adults in an institutional setting (e.g. a school, church or sporting club) must protect children from the risk of a sexual offence being committed against them. The law attaches a criminal penalty to wilful or negligent failures to do so.
Children need the adults around them to take action to protect them from sexual abuse. The new offences target behaviour that ignores or hides the sexual abuse of children.
Resources
Support, information and advice for victims is available from:
- Victim Assist Queensland
- Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Wellbeing Services
- Legal Aid Queensland and other legal services
Find more information about:
- protecting children and supporting victims of child sexual abuse
- child protection from the Queensland Police
- when you can report to Child Safety Services.
Documents
Websites
Office of the eSafety commissioner
Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse – Final Report
Student Protection Contacts
A Student Protection Contact is one of at least two people nominated in each school, in compliance with the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Regulation 2017 (regulation 16 (3)), to whom a student can report behaviour by a staff member that the student considers inappropriate.
The Principal is always one of the school’s nominated Student Protection Contacts. Other Student Protection Contacts are selected based on the Principal’s assessment of their appropriateness for the role, taking into consideration their position within the school, availability, skills and willingness to participate in specialised training.
Catholic School Authority

Director of Catholic School Authority

Director
Governing Body

Director of Governing Body

Bishop of Cairns
- Good Counsel College, Innisfail
- Good Counsel Primary School, Innisfail
- Holy Cross School, Trinity Park
- Holy Spirit College, Cooktown
- Holy Spirit College, Edmonton
- Holy Spirit College, Manoora
- MacKillop Catholic College, Mount Peter
- Mother of Good Counsel School, North Cairns
- Mount St Bernard College, Herberton
- Newman Catholic College, Smithfield
- Our Lady Help of Christians School, Earlville
- Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School, Thursday Island
- St Andrew’s Catholic College, Redlynch
- St Anthony’s School, Dimbulah
- St Augustine’s College, Parramatta Park
- St Augustine’s School, Mossman
- St Clare’s School, Tully
- St Francis Xavier’s School, Manunda
- St Gerard Majella School, Woree
- St John’s School, Silkwood
- St Joseph’s Parish School, Weipa
- St Joseph’s School, Atherton
- St Joseph’s School, Parramatta Park
- St Mary’s Catholic College, Woree
- St Michael’s School, Gordonvale
- St Monica’s College, Cairns City
- St Rita’s School, Babinda
- St Rita’s School, South Johnstone
- St Stephen’s Catholic College, Mareeba
- St Teresa’s School, Ravenshoe
- St Therese’s School, Bentley Park
- St Thomas’s School, Mareeba
School Student Protection Contacts
St Therese’s School,
Bentley Park
135-167 Robert Road,
PO Box 529
Bentley Park QLD 4869
Ph 4081 3400

Principal

APA
St Augustine’s College,
Parramatta Park
251 Draper Street
Cairns QLD 4870
Ph 4052 9111

Principal

Deputy Principal

Head of Physical Education

Director of Boarding

Senior Girls Residence

Junior Girls Residence
St Monica’s College,
Cairns City
177 Abbott Street
Cairns QLD 4870
Ph 4042 4800

Principal

Deputy Principal
Our Lady Help of Christians School,
Earlville
18 Balaclava Road
Earlville QLD 4870
Ph 4280 7200

Principal

APA

PoL Diversity Prep-3

PoL Diversity 4-6
Holy Spirit College,
Edmonton
189 – 191 Bruce Highway
Edmonton QLD 4869
PO Box 591, Manunda 4870
Ph: 4052 9100

Principal

Teacher

Head of Campus
St Michael’s School,
Gordonvale
58 Mill Street, PO Box 64
Gordonvale QLD 4865
Ph 4258 4100

Principal

PoL – Learning & Teaching

Teacher

Teacher

Learning & Teaching

Finance Officer
St Francis Xavier’s School,
Manunda
5 Atkinson Street,
PO Box 565
Manunda QLD 4870
Ph 4037 9900

Principal

Assistant Principal Administration


Student Counsellor

Teacher Year 3
Holy Spirit College,
Manoora
13 Moignard Street
Manoora QLD 4870
PO Box 591, Manunda 4870
Ph: 4082 1900

Principal

Head of Campus
MacKillop Catholic College,
Mount Peter
1 MacKillop Road, Cnr Mount Peter Road
PO Box 1027 Edmonton 4869
Mount Peter QLD 4869
Ph 4081 7600

College Principal

Deputy Principal – Secondary



School Counsellor – Primary and Secondary

Head of Year 7


Head of Year 9

Head of Year 10

Head of Year 11 and 12
Mother of Good Counsel School,
North Cairns
394 Sheridan St,
PO Box 22N
North Cairns QLD 4870
Ph 4053 9700

Principal

APRE

APA

Wellbeing Support Teacher

Teacher
St Joseph’s School,
Parramatta Park
11 Loeven Street
Parramatta Park QLD 4870
Ph 4038 5100

Principal

Assistant Principal

Assistant Principal

Counsellor
St Andrew’s Catholic College,
Redlynch Valley
185-205 Redlynch Intake Road,
PO Box 150
Redlynch QLD 4870
Ph: 4039 5200

College Principal

Head of College – Secondary

Head of College – Primary

Assistant Principal Wellbeing & Diversity

Middle Leader – Wellbeing & Engagement
Newman Catholic College,
Smithfield
Panguna St
Smithfield QLD 4878
PO Box 831, Smithfield QLD 4878
Ph 4281 6790

Principal

Executive Assistant to the Principal

Leader of Pastoral Care – Year 8

Leader of Pastoral Care – Year 9

Leader of Pastoral Care – Year 7
Holy Cross School,
Trinity Park
Reed Road
Trinity Park QLD 4879
PO Box 1026, Smithfield 4878
Ph 4050 6300

Principal

Deputy Principal

St Gerard Majella School,
Woree
63 Anderson Road
Woree QLD 4868
PO Box 12131 Cairns DC 4870
Ph 4280 7300

Principal

APRE

Student Counsellor / Wellbeing

School Officer / Wellbeing

Year 3 Class Teacher

Year 2 Class Teacher
St Mary’s Catholic College,
Woree
53 Anderson Road
Woree QLD 4868
PO Box 259E Earlville 4870
Ph 4044 4200

Principal

Assistant Principal Junior Secondary

Assistant Principal Senior Secondary

Head of Year 12


Head of Year 10

Head of Year 9

Head of Year 8

Head of Year 7
Holy Spirit College,
Cooktown
Cnr Hope and Burkitt
Cooktown QLD 4895
Ph: 4252 9100
PO Box 591, Manunda 4870

Principal

Head of Campus
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School,
Thursday Island & Hammond Island
Normanby Street, PO Box 544
Thursday Island QLD 4875
Ph 4213 0050

Principal

APRE

Acting Indigenous Liaison Officer

Acting Leader of Diversity

Deputised Teacher – Kerriri/Hammond Is.
St Augustine’s School,
Mossman
24 Grogan St, PO Box 327
Mossman QLD 4873
Ph 4099 7500

Principal

APRE

Middle Leadership – Learning and Teaching
St Joseph’s Parish School,
Weipa
Boundary Road, PO Box 1409
Weipa QLD 4874
Ph 4214 6600

Principal

Acting APRE

Middle Leader Diversity

Leader Learning & Teaching
St Joseph’s School,
Atherton
Cnr Alice & Jack Streets,
PO Box 829
Atherton QLD 4883
Ph 4095 9000

Principal

APRE

St Anthony’s School,
Dimbulah
3 Hyde Street,
PO Box 128
Dimbulah QLD 4872
Ph 4094 6900

Principal

APRE

Position of Leadership-Diversity
Mount St Bernard College,
Herberton
15 Broadway
Herberton QLD 4887
Ph 4096 1444

Principal

Acting Assistant Principal Student Wellbeing

Deputy Principal Residential

Counsellor

Counsellor
St Stephen’s Catholic College,
Mareeba
McIver Road,
PO Box 624
Mareeba QLD 4880
Ph 4086 2500

Principal

Assistant Principal Students

Guidance Counsellor

Guidance Counsellor

St Thomas’ School,
Mareeba
63 Constance St
Mareeba QLD 4880
Ph 4092 1570

Principal

APA
St Teresa’s School,
Ravenshoe
6 Moffatt Street,
PO Box 249
Ravenshoe QLD 4888
Ph 4095 9050

Principal

Teacher

School Officer
St Rita’s School,
Babinda
7-13 Church Street,
PO Box 363
Babinda QLD 4861
Ph 4065 9580

Principal

Assistant Principal
Good Counsel College,
Innisfail
66 Owen Street,
PO Box 839
Innisfail QLD 4860
Ph 4063 5300

Principal

Assistant Principal

School Counsellor – Wellbeing

Leader of Wellbeing

Leader of Wellbeing

Leader of Wellbeing
Good Counsel Primary School,
Innisfail
96 Rankin Street,
Innisfail QLD 4860
Ph 4063 0600

Principal

APRE
St John’s School,
Silkwood
Harold Street,
PO Box 252
Silkwood QLD 4856
Ph 4065 9530

Principal

Acting APRE
St Rita’s School,
South Johnstone
8 Green Street,
PO Box 8
South Johnstone QLD 4859
Ph 4065 9500


Leadership – Learning & Teaching

St Clare’s School,
Tully
13 Mars Street,
PO Box 97
Tully QLD 4854
Ph 4065 9550

Principal

Acting APRE