Uniting Church welcomes launch of TECS
May 20, 2026
By Paul Wallbank
The Uniting Church in Australia participated in this week’s launch of SSI’s new Train, Engage, Connect and Support
e-learning resource, to aid faith and community leaders in building confidence to recognising and responding to cases of family, domestic and sexual violence.
Launched on Tuesday, 19 May by the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Tanya Plibersek, at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir Centre in Sydney’s Rosehill, the free online training program aims to equip leaders with the confidence, knowledge and practical skills to respond to family, domestic and sexual violence with care, cultural understanding and compassion.
“In a diverse society, resources like this help us build communities marked by care, respect, justice, and hope.” remarked President Rev Charissa Suli
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Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli welcomed the initiative and the collaborative approach that shaped the resource.
“As people of faith, we are called to uphold the dignity, safety, and wellbeing of every person. TECS is an important resource that equips faith and community leaders to respond to family, domestic and sexual violence with wisdom, compassion, and cultural understanding,” Rev Suli said.
“In a diverse society, resources like this help us build communities marked by care, respect, justice, and hope.”
Developed by Settlement Services International with funding from the Australian Government Department of Social Services as part of the First Action Plan Priorities Fund, the course is delivered in partnership with the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA).
The program was developed through national consultation and co-design with faith and community leaders, service providers, and people with lived experience of violence from migrant and refugee communities.
Representatives from 13 religions and 52 nationalities and cultures contributed to the development of the resource, helping ensure the course reflects diverse perspectives and lived experience.
The consultation process included 47 sessions and interviews involving more than 295 participants, including faith leaders, community leaders, service providers and victim-survivors.
Train, Engage, Connect and Support is free for all faith and community group leaders and can be accessed through the Settlement Services International website at
https://diversity.ssi.org.au/faith-and-community-leaders-training.
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