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Serving God in the heart of our community since 1881

St Andrew's Church, Taunton

 www.standrewstaunton.org.uk
 

 

St Andrew’s Church, Taunton:

Child Protection Policy

 

Children (which refers to all persons from birth up to their eighteenth birthday) are a key part of any church community. They can also be particularly vulnerable to abuse, both by those who are supposed to care for them and by others within our community who are careless about children’s safety or may actively set out to harm them.

 

As a church community, we at St Andrew’s Church commit ourselves to making children’s need for safety within our community paramount. We endorse the child protection policy of the Church of England and its procedures and guidelines (Protecting all God’s Children 2004), which states:

“The Church of England, in all aspects of its life, is committed to and will champion the protection of children and young people both in society as a whole and in its own community. It fully accepts, endorses and will implement the principle enshrined in the Children Act 1989 that the welfare of the child is paramount. The Church of England will foster and encourage best practice within its community by setting standards for working with children and young people and by supporting parents in the care of their children. It will work with statutory bodies, voluntary agencies and other faith communities to promote the safety and well-being of children and young people. It is committed to acting promptly whenever a concern is raised about a child or young person or about the behaviour of an adult, and will work with the appropriate statutory bodies when an investigation into child abuse is necessary.”

We particularly recognize our responsibility for addressing four challenges:

 

1. To be aware of the possibility that child abuse could happen in our community. This means that we will

  • attempt to be available to and listen carefully to children when they are concerned, and reassure and support them where necessary;

  • record carefully any concerns in writing;

  • report any concerns to the appropriate person (Police, Social Care (Social Services), Diocesan Child Protection Adviser, or Appointed Person).

  • make sure that all key staff and volunteers receive regular training in order to address these points, even if no abuse has been known to occur in the parish.

2. To be thorough with all appointments of staff and volunteers, and not just of those who have direct contact with children.

This means that we will:

  • develop a job description for each task carried out by those who have contact with children, spelling out duties

  • ensure that all applications are made in writing and that jobs are subject to regular review;

  • take up references for all appointments;

  • seek Criminal Record Bureau disclosures for all people appointed to work with children every three years.

We are aware that we might be deemed to be legally answerable if we do not act according these rules.

 

3. To be a community that supports people, whether adults or children, who have been abused and who are vulnerable, so that they can feel safe and respected within St Andrew’s.

 

This means that we will be attentive to those adults or children, whether regular or occasional church goers, as well as those who attend other activities run by the church, and who may still be suffering the after effects of childhood abuse or domestic abuse and violence. We recognize that the signs of this will not always be obvious, and people do not always share such information readily with others, but we will always aim to make anyone attending church services or other activities feel welcome and included.

 

4. To minister to those who have abused children and/or are at risk of doing so in the future.

 

This means setting up a written agreement about what issues of safety (including having no contact with children) will be adhered to by the person concerned, and what part other nominated members of the church will play in offering an environment that will protect children from harm..

 

St Andrew’s Church recognizes that, although most people do not abuse children, some do, and that there is always some degree of risk to children of being harmed. We regard it as the responsibility of individuals and ourselves as a faith community to make sure that we attend to the safety points above and encourage others, such as parents and professionals, to do the same. Whilst we recognize the importance of confidentiality, we also realize that our responsibility to the safety of children may override this.

 

We undertake to review the processes for appointment of staff, training, and this policy regularly, and no less than every two years.

 

This policy was adopted by the Parish Church Council of St Andrew’s at the PCC Meeting in July 2007.

 

ChildLine is the free helpline for children and young people in the UK. If you need some advice or just want to talk call Childline

on 0800 1111 at any time, or visit their website at http://www.childline.org.uk/

 

If you are an adult and worried about a child call the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline on 0808 800 5000, or visit http://www.nspcc.org.uk

 

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Page updated 30/09/2007