KAIROS PRISON MINISTRY AUSTRALIA
OPERATIONS MANUAL
KAIROS PRISON MINISTRYAUSTRALIA
“I was in prison and you visited me” Matthew 25:36
ABN 55 081 496 175
ForewOrd
This document is issued by Kairos Prison Ministry Australia and is intended to be a primary source of information on the structure and operations of the Kairos prison ministry in Australia. It also contains commentary on the structure, ethos, objectives and basic principles of Kairos.
Each member of the Board, Board Committees, State Councils and Regional Committees should hold a copy of this Operations Manual and be responsible for maintaining it in an up to date form based on revisions issued by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO/ED) from time to time, on the authority of Kairos Prison Ministry Australia.
This version is an updated version of the 2005 manual, the draft 2004 GOPM and the January 2000 redraft of the Kairos Inc. USA Organisational Manual. While reinforcing the fundamental principles and methods of the Kairos Program and ministry as set out in original manuals, this current Australian version incorporates the differences in structure, laws, culture, prison systems and language necessary for the ministry to operate successfully in Australia.
CONTENTS
ForewOrd
RECORD OF CHANGES
1EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2Acronyms and Abbreviations
3KAIROS PRISON MINISTRY
3.1KAIROS PRISON MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL
3.2THE KAIROS MINISTRY
3.3KAIROS PRISON MINISTRY AUSTRALIA (KPMA)
3.3.1Relationship With KPMI
3.3.2Statement of faith
3.3.3Delegation of Authority by KPMA
3.4PROGRAM SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT GROUP
3.5STATE COUNCILS
3.6REGIONAL COMMITTEES
4ESSENTIALS OF KAIROS
4.1ESSENTIALS OF THE MINISTRY
4.2ESSENTIALS OF THE PROGRAMS
4.2.1Preparation
4.2.2Team Formation
4.2.3The Short Course or Kairos Outside Weekend
4.2.4The Journey Program and Kairos Outside Reunions
4.3ESSENTIALS OF THE BOARD
4.4ESSENTIALS OF THE PROGRAM SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT GROUP
4.4.1Application
4.5ESSENTIALS OF THE STATE COUNCIL
4.6ESSENTIALS OF THE REGIONAL COMMITTEE
4.7PUBLICATIONS
5STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE OF KAIROS IN AUSTRALIA
5.1KAIROS GOVERNANCE CONSTITUENT DOCUMENTS
5.2REGIONAL COMMITTEE GUIDELINES
5.3HEAD AND HEART PEOPLE
5.4ORGANISATION CHART
5.5COMPLIANCE RESPONSIBILITIES
5.6RESPONSIBILITY
5.7THE STRUCTURE
5.7.1Licence Agreement with KPMI
5.7.2Affiliation Agreements
5.7.3Institutional Memorandum of Understanding
5.8THE MANUALS
5.9CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS
5.10POLICIES
6THE BOARD
6.1DETAILED FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD
6.2MEMBERSHIP OF THE BOARD.
6.3PURPOSE, FREQUENCY AND ADMINISTRATION OF BOARD MEETINGS.
6.3.1Purpose
6.3.2Frequency
6.3.3Administration
7NATIONAL OFFICE OF KPMA
7.1CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
7.1.1Scope:
7.1.2Specific Responsibilities:
7.1.3Supervision and Evaluation:
7.2NATIONAL OFFICE FUNCTIONS
8PROGRAM Support and DEVELOPMENT GROUP
8.1DELEGATION AND AUTHORITY
8.2FUNCTIONS OF THE PROGRAM SUPPORT & DEVELOPMENT GROUP
8.3ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
8.4PURPOSE, FREQUENCY AND ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM SUPPORT & DEVELOPMENT GROUP ACTIVITIES.
8.4.1Purpose
8.4.2Application
8.4.3National Forum of Regional Committee Representatives
8.4.4Overall Functions of The PSDG
8.4.5PSDG Executive
8.4.6PSDG Members
8.4.7Detailed Functions
8.4.8Specific Roles within the PSDG
8.4.9Skills & Attributes
8.4.10Relationship With State Councils
8.4.11Frequency of Activities and Meetings
8.4.12Administration and Funding
9STATE COUNCILS
9.1MAKE UP AND HEALTH
9.2LEADERSHIP
9.3DETAILED FUNCTIONS OF THE STATE COUNCIL
9.4MEMBERSHIP OF STATE COUNCILS.
9.5PURPOSE, FREQUENCY AND ADMINISTRATION OF STATE COUNCIL MEETINGS.
9.5.1Purpose
9.5.2Frequency
9.5.3Administration
9.6FINANCES AND FUNDS
9.7DUTIES OF THE STATE COUNCIL CHAIR
10REGIONAL COMMITTEES
10.1MAKEUP AND HEALTH
10.1.1Journey Program Committee
10.2Governance Duties of the Regional Committee
10.3LEADERSHIP
10.4DETAILED FUNCTIONS OF THE REGIONAL COMMITTEES
10.5MEMBERSHIP OF REGIONAL COMMITTEES.
10.6PURPOSE, FREQUENCY AND ADMINISTRATION OF REGIONAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
10.6.1Purpose
10.6.2Frequency
10.6.3Administration
10.7FINANCES AND FUNDS
10.8DUTIES OF THE CHAIR
11KAIROS PEOPLE
11.1VOLUNTEERS
11.2REGIONAL COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITY
11.3INVOLVEMENT OF RESIDENTS IN SHORT COURSES AND JOURNEY PROGRAMS
11.4COMPLIANCE WITH KAIROS METHODS
11.5PROCEDURE FOR ADJUDICATION OF COMPLAINTS
11.5.1Principles
11.5.2Procedures
12LAUNCHING KAIROS IN A NEW PRISON
12.1CHECKLIST
12.1.1First Initiatives Stage
12.1.2Ad Hoc Committee Stage
12.1.3Documents and Materials needed
12.2Support Available
12.3Formation of Regional Committee
12.4Formation of State Council
13LAUNCHING A NEW KAIROS OUTSIDE
13.1CHECKLIST
13.1.1First Initiatives Stage
13.1.2Considerations and Criteria for Formation of an Ad Hoc Committee
13.1.3Ad Hoc Committee Stage
13.1.4Documents and Materials needed
14Additional Notes on Launching a New state
14.1.1Initial Enquiry
14.1.2An Interdenominational Ministry
14.1.3Organisation
14.1.4Observing A Kairos Short Course Or Kairos Outside Weekend
14.1.5Institutional Memorandum Of Understanding
14.1.6Prison Preparation For Short Course
14.1.7Workshop For Volunteers
14.1.8Affiliation Agreements
14.1.9Team Formation
14.1.10Advisors for the Short Course
15POLICY PROCESS
Appendix 1 – Formation of a New KO Region
First Initiatives Committee
Funding
Team
Community Support
Team Formation And Training
Guests
Re-unions
Ongoing team support for guests
Compliance with Kairos regulations
Alternatives
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
KPMA CONSTITUTION
AGREEMENT WITH KPMI
INSTITUTIONAL MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
TRIPARTITE AFFILIATION AGREEMENT – KPMA - STATE COUNCIL – REGIONAL COMMITTEE
CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS
FINANCE MANUAL
PROGRAM MANUALS
TRAINING MANUALS
RECORD OF CHANGES
Date / Description/Reason for Change / Prepared ByJanuary 2000 / Original Issue. Redraft of the Kairos Inc. USA Organisational Manual. / KPMA ED
2004 / General Update with terminology, processes and practices / KPMA ED
November 2005 / General Update / KPMA CEO/ED
February 2009
Version 090211 / Inclusion of functions of the Program Support and Development Group.
Inclusion of functional statements for Board, State Councils and Regional Committees
Update of format, terminology and practices, with removal of material covered elsewhere.
Document renamed from GOPM to Operations Manual / KPMA CEO/ED
Governance Committee
16 Feb 09 / Change Term of Office for Board Committee and other Committee chairs to 3 years maximum. / KPMA CEO/ED
20 Oct 09 / Text corrections and amendments suggested by Regional Committees and Board of Directors / KPMA CEO/ED
1EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Manual
The purpose of this Operations Manual for Kairos Prison Ministry Australia (KPMA) is to describe what the Ministry is, and how it is formed in order to most effectively accomplish the purposes listed in its Constitution.
The Purpose of KPMA
KPMA exists to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to incarcerated individuals, their families and those who work with them, in order to build strong Christian communities inside prisons, juvenile detention centres and amongst relatives and supporters of those in prison. In doing so, we recognize that we are privileged to participate in God’s interdenominational ministry. Each person who wishes to engage in the Ministry must confirm acceptance of the Christian Nicene Creed.
KPMA is a Corporation
KPMA is a public company limited by guarantee, registered as an income tax exempt charity with status as a public benevolent institution and deductible gift recipient status. As a corporate entity, it is governed by a Board of Directors, who as the sole members of the company, authorise committees of the Board, State Councils and Regional Committees to conduct Kairos programs throughout Australia.
Documents and Manuals
All Kairos programs are documented for the guidance of those who conduct them. The manuals and team formation guidelines are founded on best practice and are to be followed on all occasions.
The structure of Kairos in all its parts is described in its Constituent Documents, which include the:
- KPMA Constitution
- International Affiliation and Licence Agreement with KPMI,
- Affiliation Agreements between KPMA, State Councils and Regional Committees,
- Memoranda of Understanding with Prisons,
- Code of Conduct and Ethics,
- The Finance Manual, and
- This Operations Manual.
Compliance with these provisions, as well as State and Federal laws and regulations, is essential for the continuance of the Ministry.
Servanthood and Responsibility.
Kairos Teams of volunteers come together as a living organism and a witness to the life of Christ in them, to serve inmates, their families and supporters and the staff of correctional centres. The remainder of the Kairos organisation exists to enable and empower teams to accomplish their goals.
Regional Committees are formed to serve, support and enable the teams in their work.
State Councils exist to serve and support Regional Committees.
The Program Support and Development Group has been formed to enable learning and growth in:
- Personal development- from orientation of new volunteers to encouragement of experienced mentors
- Training of new Ad Hoc and Regional Committees
- Organisational competency, and
- Its own processes and procedures.
The National Office and KPMA exist to provide levels of support and integration that are essential to the ministry, but which are not easily provided by other organisational elements.
The energy flow from Kairos is outward to serve. But responsibility for the conduct of programs, safety of volunteers, and financial compliance is inward. Each part of the organisation honours the parts that support and enable it to do its work.
The parent child analogy is apt. Good parenting provides for the growth and enabling of children to be all that they can be. Children honour and respect their parents in return.
Expansion and Growth
A desire to establish Kairos programs in new regions must be balanced by a sustainable foundation of volunteers, experience, community support, funding, institutional agreements, continuity of participants and team formation and training in all aspects of the Ministry. Consequently new programs are only established under the supervision of the Board and State Councils, whose members are charged with evaluation of these factors during the establishment process. Kairos provides advice, assistance and mentoring for establishment of new regions / programs through the Program Support and Development Group to ensure the consistency and quality of its programs are maintained across all Regions.
Head and Heart
A distinction is drawn between ‘Kairos’, as the heart of the ministry, and KPMA, the company responsible for the administration of the ministry. As with many Christian ministries there will sometimes be tension between these two concepts. Kairos has as its head Jesus Christ and its source documents are the course manuals. The heart of the Ministry is the energy flow, or the body living out its experience of Jesus. KPMA has as its head Directors and its source documents are the Constitution of KPMA and other regulatory documents.
A Specific Ministry
Kairos is a very specific ministry. From time to time its members will be asked to assist with different aspects of rehabilitation of offenders or their families into the community, but without the necessary skills and access to resources, such well meaning efforts will almost always end in disappointment. All Kairos volunteers are called on to recognise that it is God’s Spirit accepted into a person’s life, that enables progressive growth into the new life promised by Jesus, and that although other material things are needed, there are other organisations to which offenders, ex offenders and their families can be referred for more competent assistance.
2Acronyms and Abbreviations
The following terms are used in this manual:
(D)CS / (Department of) Corrective or Correctional Services4th Day Movements / Includes Anglican and Catholic Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, Antioch, Alarga, Chrysallis movements which are weekend programs designed for encouragement of persons in their Christian Journey. These are also the foundations upon which Kairos programs were built, and on which Kairos has relied in seeking committed team members.
Ad Hoc Committee / A committee formed to explore and develop the potential for initiating a Kairos Program in a new Region.
CCLI / Christian Copyright Licensing International
CEO / Executive Director / The person to whom Directors assigns responsibility for the day to day leadership and management of the Kairos Ministry in Australia.
DGR / Deductible Gift Recipient – a status confered by the Tax Office on KPMA, which enables KPMA to issue receipts for donations that are tax deductible in the hands of the donor.
FAQ / Frequently Asked Questions – Policies determined by The Board as a result of situations that have previously arisen, and translated into a question and answer format for publication on the website ( for the information of volunteers and others interested in Kairos.
Journey Program / A series of regular follow up visits to prison Residents who have completed a Short Course, by members of the last Kairos Program Team members.
KLA / Kairos Liaison Assistant – a lay person from the Kairos community who visits a correctional centre to assist the Chaplain with administrative arrangements within the prison that are related to Kairos programs.
KO / Kairos Outside – a Program either for adult female, or for adult male relatives or supporters of prisoners.
KPMA / Kairos Prison Ministry Australia as a corporate entity, including its Ministry functions
KPMI / Kairos Prison Ministry International Inc. from which organisation KPMA holds its licence to use the Kairos Programs.
Leader / The person appointed by a Regional Committee to manage and conduct a Program
Ministry / The activities and programs conducted by KPMA and its constitutent elements.
National Forum of Regional Committee Representatives / Occasional gathering of delegates from Regional Committees designed to share experience and provide feedback to the PSDG on the operation and content of Kairos Programs.
NO / National Office of KPMA
OH&S / Occupational Health and Safety
Prison / The term used in preference to gaol, for a Correctional Centre
Program / A Short Course, Journey Program, Weekend or Reunion.
PSDG / Program Support and Development Group – a National body of expertise formed to provide consistency and a learning and growth capability across each of the Arms of the Ministry
RC / Regional Committee – an elected group of volunteers who support and provide continuity for Kairos programs in a specific region.
Region / For Kairos Inside and Torch, Region means a specific prison. For Kairos Outside, Region means a specfic geographic area.
Resident / The term used to describe a person who is imprisoned in a Correctional Centre
Short Course / The approved initial program conducted in prisons by a Kairos Team.
State Council / The body of representatives from Regional Committees within a particular State, which has the responsibility to oversee and facilitate the operation of Programs within the State.
SWAP Group / A mutual support or mentoring group of graduates of a Kairos Outside Program for Women (Sharing with a Purpose)
The Board / Directors of KPMA
Weekend / The Kairos Outside program, conducted from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.
3KAIROS PRISON MINISTRY
By way of general information the background comments on Kairos, as contained in the introduction to the Kairos Prison Ministry International Inc (KPMI) Organisational Manual, are set out below:
“Kairos Prison Ministry is an international prison ministry whose parent organisation (KPMI) is a not-for-profit corporation chartered in the State of Florida. Kairos Prison Ministry is a ministry, not a movement. It is governed by a national board of directors in which vests absolute authority for the administration and content of the ministry. The Kairos logo is a registered trademark and Kairos manuals are copyrighted. All rights are reserved”.
3.1KAIROS PRISON MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL
KPMI is a corporation the sole members of which are the members of its Board of Directors. KPMI is made up of a representative from each certified district, at-large members equal to one half the district representatives and ex-officio members representing various environments important to the ministry. They are individually elected to specific terms by the Board.
In the USA KPMI authorises annually affiliated districts to present Kairos ministries within their district, following directions contained in Kairos manuals which are updated as specific needs arise. Internationally, KPMI authorises the ministry to be carried out in other countries. Australia is one of 5 such countries at the time of writing.
3.2THE KAIROS MINISTRY
Kairos is a God-given gift to the incarcerated and their families, whose lives have been impacted by the ravages of crime and its punishment. Kairos is also a gift to the thousands of volunteers who come to work in this ministry and find themselves being healed of wounds previously unrecognised.
It is the goal of this Manual to present in the clearest way possible the governance processes, operational procedures, policies and guidelines which have brought this interdenominational ministry to where it is today. Collective wisdom, born of mistakes and painful realisation, has fashioned the structure and policy in such a way that change can take place under specific procedures, but at the same time the integrity of the ministry is preserved and the servant hearts of volunteers are nurtured.
Recognising that Kairos is indeed God's ministry, every level of the Kairos organisation in Australia, from the Board to the State Councils to Regional Committees to individual volunteers, must continually focus on servanthood. Our egos want us to make the ministry ours, but it is not. When we try to make it ours, some of the beauty is dimmed for those whose lives are touched.
By prayerfully applying ourselves as servants to the structure as presented in this Manual Kairos will grow beyond our limited vision, shining brightly and always moving forward.
3.3KAIROS PRISON MINISTRY AUSTRALIA (KPMA)
Kairos Prison Ministry in Australia (KPMA) is as a public company limited by guarantee under Division 1, Part 2.2 of the Corporations Act. KPMA was registered under the seal of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission on 3 February 1998.
KPMA applies for authority to raise funds for its operation in each State and Territory. KPMA has status with the Australian Tax Office as an Income Tax Exempt Charity (ITEC). On 31 January 2004 KPMA was granted status as a Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) along with Deductible Gift Recipient status (DGR).
Like KPMI, KPMA is a corporation the sole members of which are the members of its Board of Directors. KPMA is the central policy and decision-making body for the Kairos ministry in Australia. The members of the Board carry all legal and corporate responsibility for the ministry in Australia. The work of the Board is directed to the promotion of the ministry within the laws of Australia and its contractual obligations with KPMI, as well as the protection of the volunteers involved in the ministry.
Throughout this Manual the word ‘Kairos’ is used to refer to the ministry in its broadest terms. The term ‘KPMA’ is used to refer to the company responsible for the Kairos ministry in Australia.
3.3.1Relationship With KPMI
KPMA operates as a separate entity to KPMI. Since its inception the relationship with KPMI has been governed under an “Annual Affiliation Agreement”. In July 2004 a new International Affiliation and Licence Agreement was signed between KPMA and KPMI acknowledging KPMI’s interests in the Kairos name and materials, committing KPMA to the ‘fundamental principles and methods’ of the Kairos ministry, but allowing modification of the manuals and materials to take into account the Australian environment.
On 26 February 1998 KPMI authorised KPMA to use the Kairos logo in Australia. The authority included superimposing the Kairos logo over an outline of Australia and the reproduction on any KPMA approved garment, bag, hat or other item of merchandise.