Promoting a Safer Church Policy and Handbook

The PSOs have looked at the Promoting a Safer Church policy and handbook and identified where they are different to the policy and procedures currently in place across our parishes.

The aim is for all four parishes to adopt the C of E policy and handbook in its entirety. This will create a common approach to working across the team - essential where working together is becoming more common.

To facilitate this we have:

  • a Joint Parish Working statement

  • additional local safer recruitment process

  • supplementary local guidelines for those in safeguarding roles, recruiting and running groups

The PSOs are working with Parishes to get the policy and handbook submitted and endorsed to PCCs.
Supporting documentation and pocket guides have been made available.
The website safeguarding page is ready to go live.

Pastoral Support for Vulnerable Adults

The following is from Helen Trotter and is possibly part of a bigger issue around vulnerable adults. Shall we put it on the agenda for January? It feels really important and has been identified as an area we do need to develop.

Going forward I wondered if something could be outlined regarding pastoral situations and vulnerable adults SPECIFICALLY where these are over zoom or phone calls.  Volunteers would not want to be put in difficult situations if , say the relative of a vulnerable person had a complaint and, more importantly we would not want for a person already vulnerable to feel they have been on the receiving end of words which could be misinterpreted .

There is a new pastoral support group in GB and whilst the existing guidelines still apply it might be worthwhile emphasising issues to do with keeping a note of phone calls.  I think where a volunteer is phoning  on behalf of the church (rather than an individual friendly chat to someone they know well) they need to bear this in mind.

Questions from Great Bowden

The following items were raised by Jackie requiring clarity.

On page 2 – “proper account” in appointment and selection.  If this means anything other than safer recruitment perhaps you would be kind enough to let me know if there is a wider sense.

On page 15 – “token items” – with regard to the acceptance of gifts – I wonder if going forward an example or two could be given or a reference to, say, “no substantive monetary value” …. I personally have been used to this because of having worked for many years in the public sector but it may be difficult for volunteers to make an appropriate judgement ….

This can be on the agenda for the Team Safeguarding meeting in January.

Merging of the under 18 and adult Safeguarding Policies

Alistair Helm has suggested that the 2 separate policies should be brought together into a Safeguarding Policy that includes under 18s and vulnerable adults.

This seems like a good way forward and is the approach taken by the Church of England, but to do a good job it is more than just adding the 2 lists together. Therefore, I recommend that for this Autumns PCCs the policy remain as 2 separate policies and the task of bringing them together into one policy will be carried out over 2020/21 by the newly appointed Parish Safeguarding Officers.

Comments welcome…

2020 PCC Approvals

PCC approval will be sought in Sep/Oct 2020.

The deadline for change requests is 31 August 2020.

All changes will be recorded here and submitted to the Safeguarding Team (Parish Safeguarding Officers and Parish Lead Clergy) in advance.

The submission to PCCs will include :

  • Team Safeguarding Policies and Procedures

  • Changes made to the above

New Team Safeguarding Policies and Procedure

The following lists the changes that have been made to the new Team Safeguarding Policies and Procedures. They will be submitted to PCCs for approval in Sep/Oct 2020.

General

  • There is a box on the front-page Team and Parish Working making it clear that all responsibility for the policies and procedures continues to rest with the Lead Parish Clergy and Parish Safeguarding Officers.

  • There is a section at the start of each policy and procedure Team Safeguarding Policy explaining how each parish in the team is adopting the same policies and procedures.

  • To make it clear that when we talk about children we are including young people under the age of 18, we have used the phrase children and young people rather than just children.

  • The term Safeguarding Coordinator has been replaced with Safeguarding Officer. This is the title used by the Church of England in all its safeguarding information.

  • The term Lead Parish Clergy is used rather than minister, clergy or incumbent.

  • The Safeguarding Procedures include children and young people and adults. There are 2 Safeguarding Policies; Children & Young People and Adults.

Safeguarding Policy for adults

  • No changes

Safeguarding Policy for Children and Young people

  • The Safer Recruitment policies and procedures produced by the Harborough Anglican Team have been included with Church of England and Diocese of Leicester policies and procedures.

  • Risk assessments for activities and groups are now reviewed annually rather than periodically. Some parishes already had annual reviews in place. They have now been brought in line across the team.

Safeguarding Procedures

  • Section 1 remains unchanged

  • Section 2 provides a list of what is required when setting up and maintaining a group or activity. This is in line with the Church of England Parish Safeguarding Handbook. The list of activities and groups that include under 18s is now an attachment to the Safeguarding Procedures and covers all parishes.

  • Section 3 shows amended ratios of adults to children in line with the Church of England Parish Safeguarding Handbook.

  • Section 4 Safer Recruitment has been replaced with the Harborough Anglican Team procedures.

  • Section 5 Code of Behaviour has an added item under you should not; Hold digital contact details or contact under 16s without authority and without parental permission.

  • Section 6 – 9 Procedures to be followed are unchanged

  • Section 10 Registration has added school and school year to the consent form.

  • Section 11 Activities away from church premises remains unchanged

  • Section 12 Acceptable Touch is a new section clarifying what is acceptable taken from the Church of England Parish Safeguarding Handbook

  • Section 13 Visiting Adults is a new section taken from the Church of England Parish Safeguarding Handbook

  • Section 14 Support, supervision and training remains unchanged

  • Section 15 Health & Safety and First Aid has an added item explaining that Safeguarding Officers keep a record of the dates risk assessments have been carried out and notify when they need to be reviewed.

  • Section 16 Social Media has been replaced with the information in the Church of England Parish Safeguarding Handbook.

  • Section 17 is new and covers the use of live online meetings

  • Section 18 Identity Checking for DBS no change

  • Section 19 Implementation of the policy now includes the support role of Policy Coordinator.

  • Section 20 Procedure for regular reporting to PCC now includes that PCCs will be advised of and asked to authorise new volunteers for groups and activities they hold responsibility for. 

  • Section 21 Safeguarding Reviews records the frequency and purpose of Team Safeguarding meetings to manage our safeguarding policies and procedures.

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