The following policy was agreed at the Parochial Church Council meeting held on Monday 16th June 2025.

In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy our church is committed to:

  • Promoting a safer environment and culture.
  • Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people, and vulnerable adults within the church.
  • Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.
  • Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons.
  • Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.
  • Responding to those who may pose a present risk to others.

The Parish will:

  • Create a safe and caring place for all.
  • Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and PCC to implement policy and procedures.
  • Safely recruit, train and support those with any responsibility for children, young people, and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.
  • Ensure 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 Bishop guidance, notifying Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser and statutory agencies immediately.
  • Offer support to victims / survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.
  • Care for and monitor 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 health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place 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.

This church appoints Jane Girt as Parish Safeguarding Officer.

Parish Safeguarding Officer
Jane Girt – Tel. 07941 689873

Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor
Juliette Mclellan – Tel. 0113 3530257 e mail safeguarding@leeds.anglican.org

National Safeguarding Standards

Our Parish

THE FIVE STANDARDS

  • Culture, Leadership and Capacity
    Church bodies have safe and healthy cultures, effective leadership, resourcing and scrutiny arrangements necessary to deliver high quality safeguarding practices and outcomes.

  • Prevention
    Church bodies have in place a planned range of measures which together are effective in preventing abuse in their context.

  • Recognising, Assessing and Managing Risk
    Risk assessments, safety plans and associated processes are of a high quality and result in positive outcomes. The assessment and management of risk is underpinned by effective partnership working.

  • A Victims and Survivors
    Victims and survivors experience the timeliness and quality of Church bodies’ responses to disclosures, and their subsequent support, as positively meeting their needs, including their search for justice and helping their healing process.

  • Learning, Supervision and Support
    All those engaged in safeguarding related activity in Church bodies receive the type and level of learning, professional development, support and supervision necessary to respond to safeguarding situations, victims and survivors, and respondents, effectively.

  • Culture, Leadership and Capacity

    • Fosters and promotes a safe and healthy culture.
    • Engages with and promotes the welfare and voice of children, vulnerable adults, victims and survivors of abuse, as well as those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse.

  • Prevention

    • Follows ‘Safer Recruitment and People Management’ House of Bishops’ Guidance.
    • Discusses safeguarding understanding in individual reviews and/or supervision meetings.
    • Uses a range of good materials and methods to promote safeguarding to all audiences (e.g., children and young people).
    • Regularly discusses safeguarding at PCC, volunteer, congregational, and children and youth meetings and activities.
    • Develops, adopts and shares good safeguarding practice.
    • Considers the needs, experiences and voices of children, vulnerable adults, and survivors in prevention planning.
    • Raises awareness of different kinds of abuse (e.g., domestic and spiritual abuse) and contemporary safeguarding issues (e.g. modern slavery, county lines).
    • Manages risk for all church activities, identifying safeguarding risks to both those delivering and those receiving activities.
    • Avoids lone working (appropriate precautions are taken to keep everyone safe when it is necessary and unavoidable).
    • Understands appropriate boundaries (e.g., touch, in respect of passing the peace and hugs by the Welcome Team).
    • Is aware of the safeguarding risks that are associated with the layout of the church building (e.g., access to toilets and potential blind spots).

  • Recognising, Assessing and Managing Risk

    • Identifies, reports and responds to concerns that constitute a safeguarding matter, in accordance with House of Bishops’ Guidance/Code and statutory guidelines.
    • Records all concerns in a clear and concise manner.
    • Stores and shares all personal information in ways which are compliant with data protection legislation and the GDPR.
    • Shares safeguarding information through work-provided (non-personal) forms of communication.

  • A Victims and Survivors

    • Hears, respects, believes and genuinely cares for those who are reporting abuse.
    • Responds to safeguarding disclosures in a victim-centred and trauma-informed way.
    • Is aware of the routes to disclosure and the processes that follow and can communicate that to those who report abuse.
    • Acts on safeguarding concerns appropriately, transparently and in a timely manner.
    • Fulfils the support requirements set out in the ‘Responding Well to Victims and Survivors of Abuse’ House of Bishops’ Guidance.
    • Also supports victims and survivors of non-Church based abuse, abuse within churches other than the Church of England, and those with broader safeguarding issues (e.g., mental health, homelessness) in accessing relevant support services.
    • Ensures that the Bible and Christian theology is used with victims and survivors sensitively and with their consent, to provide care and support.

  • Learning, Supervision and Support

    • Ensures church officers ensure are up to date with their safeguarding learning and development requirements.
    • Supports Clergy and Parish Safeguarding Officers (PSOs) in their safeguarding colt
    • Ensures that new PSOs have attended induction programmes.