Safeguarding
In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy, St Stephen’s 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 church will:
- Create a safe and caring place for all.
- Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and the churchwardens to implement policy and procedures.
- Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.
- Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken of behalf of the church or on church premises.
- Display in church premises and on the church 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 Bishops guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) 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.
St Stephen’s has appointed as the Parish Safeguarding Officer Steph Dragun. Her contact details are 0141 255654.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A SAFEGUARDING CONCERN
In a Safeguarding emergency the local Police or the relevant team within the States of Guernsey Committee for Health and Social Care should be contacted. Main details as follows:
Children and Young People - Islands Safeguarding Children’s Partnership
Adults - Islands Adult-Safeguarding
All other safeguarding concerns within a parish should be brought to the attention of the Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) or local parish clergy in the first instance. They can then seek further guidance from the Diocese of Salisbury Safeguarding Team and refer to statutory agencies if necessary.
If your concern relates to the PSO or your local member of clergy, please contact the Salisbury Diocesan Safeguarding Team directly. There may also be occasions where someone has a safeguarding concern but does not want to discuss this within the local setting. If this is the case, the Diocesan Safeguarding Team can again be contacted directly.
The team can be contacted via email at safeguarding@salisbury.anglican.org or by phone on 01722 438651. Contact via email is encouraged as this will generate the quickest response, due to this team often working online.
Mr Jem (Jeremy) Carter, from the Diocesan Team has lead responsibility for Guernsey related Safeguarding business.
Jem Carter works 9 am – 5 pm, Tuesday – Friday inclusive, either from Church House, Salisbury or from home. Jem can be contacted by email on email Jem Carter. He is also available via mobile phone on 07469 857888. An online discussion can be arranged if necessary. In his absence, you should speak to one of the other Team members, who will have full access to Safeguarding case records.
Out of hours/bank holidays:
From 5pm on Friday, weekend cover is provided by 31:8, an external Safeguarding consultancy commissioned by the Diocese. They also cover bank holidays. Their usual operating hours are 9am until 10pm (anything outside of these hours is likely to be a Safeguarding emergency).
31:8’s contact number is 0303 003 1111. Contact with 31:8 automatically generates a notification to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team, who will follow up with you on their return.
Again, out of hours, if the matter is urgent the local Police or the relevant team within the States of Guernsey Committee for Health and Social Care should be contacted.
Independent support for Victims and Survivors of Church related abuse can be obtained from Safe Spaces – details of which can be found here: Home - Safe Spaces England and Wales.
Salisbury Diocesan Safeguarding Advisers
In ensuring high standards of practice in safeguarding, we are supported by the Diocese of Salisbury’s safeguarding team, who work closely with the Guernsey Police and specialist staff of the States of Guernsey Committee for Health and Social Care.
The Safeguarding Advisers are qualified and experienced social care practitioners who can provide advice and guidance to parishes and others in the diocese on child and adult protection. They can offer advice, discuss any protection matters and clarify anything in the National Guidelines. They are always ready to work with you to plan a detailed response to any protection issue, taking into account all aspects of your particular situation. Please do not hesitate to contact them; they are always very ready to help.
Diocese of Salisbury contact details
Tel: 01722 411922
Church House
99 Crane St
Salisbury
SP1 2QB
Further Information
More information about the Church of England’s commitment to safeguarding can be found here.
For information about the Guernsey Police Public Protection Unit, click here.
If you are concerned about a child in Guernsey or Alderney, contact the Islands Safeguarding Children Partnership.
