The Parish of St Frideswide with Binsey

Parish Safeguarding Policy for Promoting a Safer Church

The policy was agreed at the Parochial Church Council Meeting held on 21st March 2022

1. In the name of Christ, we are committed to:

·         The care, nurture of, and respectful pastoral ministry with, all children and all adults

·         The safeguarding and protection of all children, young people and adults when they are vulnerable

·         The establishing of safe, caring communities which provide a loving environment where there is a culture of ‘informed vigilance’ as to the dangers of abuse.

2. We will carefully select and train all those with any responsibility within the Church, in line with the most recent Church of England guidance and safer recruitment principles, including, where indicated, the use of Disclosure and Barring Service criminal records checks. We will advise the Diocese which Registered Body we use to process applications for Disclosure and Barring Service checks. We will advise the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser if we receive a Disclosure which is ‘blemished’ or ‘positive’.

3. We will appoint a named Parish Safeguarding Officer who will work closely with the incumbent, church wardens and PCC to implement policies and procedures. Safeguarding will be a standing item on the agenda of every PCC meeting.

4. We will display on church premises and on the front page of the parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs, and display the reporting procedure in the form of a flow chart and a list of contact details and help lines.

5. We will listen to, take seriously and respond to every safeguarding concern or allegation, and will report any safeguarding concern to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and the statutory agencies and co-operate with them in any resulting investigation.

7. We will seek to work with anyone who has suffered abuse, developing with him or her an appropriate ministry of informed pastoral care.

8. We will seek to challenge any abuse of power, especially by anyone in a position of trust.

9. We will seek to offer 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 vulnerable adult.

10. We will review this policy annually, check that it is up to date, and supply a copy of the updated policy statement to the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser.

The Parish Safeguarding Officer is Jo Moffet-Levy 

Incumbent Revd Clare Sykes

Church Warden Paul Spencer-Longhurst

Church Warden Jenny Shearan

Date 21/03/2022