safeguarding

Our safeguarding policy includes:

• Ensuring the care, nurture of, and respectful pastoral ministry with, all children, young people and adults.

• Carefully selecting and training all those with any responsibility within the Church, in line with safer recruitment principles, including the use of criminal records disclosures and registration with the relevant vetting and barring schemes.

• Supporting, resourcing, training and regularly reviewing those who undertake work with children, young people and adults.

• Establishing safe, caring communities which provide an environment where there is a culture of ‘informed vigilance’ as to the dangers of abuse.

• Recognising that it is the responsibility of each of us to prevent the physical, emotional, sexual, financial and spiritual abuse of children, young people and adults, and to report any such abuse that we discover or suspect.

• Responding without delay to every complaint made which suggests that a child, young person or adult may have been harmed, co-operating with the police and local authority in any investigation.

• Seeking to work with anyone who has suffered abuse, developing with him or her an appropriate ministry of informed pastoral care.

• Committing ourselves to promoting safe practice by those in positions of trust.

• Challenging any abuse of power, especially by anyone in a position of trust.

• Offering pastoral care and support, including supervision and referral to the proper authorities, to any member of our church community known to have offended against a child, young person or adult.