SAFEGUARDING

Church of England and Guildford Diocese Safeguarding Policy

The Church of England safeguarding responsibilities for parishes are outlined in the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance.  A Parish Safeguarding E-mannual has been published to support the day to day work of parishes. This e-manual contains the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Guidance and Safeguarding Code of Practice. Each specific piece of Guidance / Code comprises a Chapter of the e-manual. This can be found by clicking here. We adhere to the Guildford Diocese Safeguarding Policy which incorporates the House of Bishop’s Safeguarding Policy and Guidance. If you wish to see more detail of the Diocese Safeguarding policies please click here. We  have adopted the Church of England’s House of Bishops’ Promoting a Safer Church Safeguarding Policy which can be found by clicking here.

The following policy was agreed at the Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting held on 17th October 2022.

This policy statement actively underpins all safeguarding work within the church.

In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy our church is committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of everyone within our community, and will ensure that we will

1. Adopt and implement the House of Bishops’ safeguarding policy and practice guidance.

2. Promote and publicise the ‘Promoting a Safer Church’ policy statement, and ensure all church officers have access to it.

3. Have a plan in place that sets out, in line with national and local priorities, how the policy will be put into action.

4. Ensure that any person who works with vulnerable groups is aware of and abides by national and local safeguarding guidance.

5. Review the policy regularly to ensure best practice

Promoting a Safer Church sets out the Church of England’s commitment to making the church a safer place for all.
The Policies and Practice Guidance apply to all Church bodies and officers. All authorised clergy , bishops, archdeacons licensed readers and lay workers, church wardens and PCCs are required by section 5 Clergy Disciplinary Measure to have “due regard” to safeguarding guidance issued by the House of Bishops.
The Policy Statement, Policies, Practice Guidance and Protocols are available to view on the diocesan website together with the Parish Handbook

The Parish will:

• Create a safe and caring place for all.

• Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and the PCC to implement policy and procedures.

• Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and vulnerable adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.

• Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish.

• Display in church premises and on the Parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs.

• Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse.

• Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, following House of Bishops guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) and statutory agencies immediately.

• Offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.

• Following advice from the DSA support and manage the safe involvement of any member of the church community who may pose a risk to children and adults whilst maintaining appropriate confidentiality and the safety of all parties.

• Ensure that procedures and risk assessments are in place for all activities and that these are reviewed annually.

• Review the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices at least annually.

Each person who works within this church community will agree to abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this church.