‘Safer Churches which enable communities to flourish’
Ambassador for Safeguarding the Venerable Andy Broom writes:
Our churches are called to be safe places where all can flourish and be welcomed. This is not easy in a changing world and brings constant demands for both our parishes and the wider diocese.
Culture change and establishing good practice takes time – the diocesan Safeguarding Team seek to be available and to enable regular communications, briefings and training events to support these changes.
In the parishes often responsibility falls to a few, to whom we all should be grateful. However, given the heightened responsibility which now falls on clergy and PCC’s to ‘have due regard’ for guidance to be followed it is important that the whole PCC actively shares in the task.
The wider diocese has invested time, money and resources as we seek to ensure the parishes have all they need to create Safer Churches. This last year has seen the following:
Safer Recruitment: a move to electronic DBS processes with the support of CCPAS (the Churches Child Protection Advisory Services); this much quicker service has been well received and there is a significant move away from paper-based applications
Website: the safeguarding pages were overhauled and contain much that is useful Training: the high numbers expected to be trained are challenging but all Clergy and Readers should having completed C3 training by August 2019. C1 being online is appreciated by many but some find this an obstacle but limited capacity means this remains the primary means of delivery. C2 is being offered regularly but there has been a dip in take up which is being monitored given the high numbers that should be completing this.
Staffing: we were delighted to have Julie O’Hara (top) join us as our Safeguarding Adviser and Vanessa Kendall (middle) as her assistant. Vanessa has just begun maternity cover with Rob Marshall (lower) covering for her. We benefit from Becci Leckenby’s (formerly Richardson) oversight of the DBS processes and Kim Philip’s efficiency in arranging training events.
The Safeguarding Team’s brief is wide and demanding and is that of our parishes, together let’s deepen our commitment to making Safer Churches.