Diocese of Southwark
PARISH OF KINGSWOOD, SAFEGUARDING.
We take the safeguarding and care of children and vulnerable adults very seriously at Kingswood. Our Parish Safeguarding Officer and Churchwardens can be contacted as follows:
Who to contact:
Priest-in-Charge: Rev’d Christine Colton 01737 241161 Churchwarden: Anne Bennett 01737 813496
Safeguarding Officer: Lizzie Searle 01737 244330
Contact details of Diocesan Officers and other agencies can be found at the Safeguarding Contacts tab on the left of this page.
POLICY for SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN.
We are committed to promoting and supporting environments which:
- are youth-friendly and child friendly and nurture their positive development
- enable children and young people to be active contributors to the church community
- protect children and young people from actual or potential harm
- enable and encourage concerns to be raised and responded to openly and consistently.
We recognize that:
- the welfare of the child or young person is paramount
- all children (regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity) have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
- abuse of children can occur in all communities and is most likely to occur within families and by people known to the child
- working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
We will endeavor to safeguard children and young people by:
In all our activities –
- valuing, listening to and respecting children and young people
- fostering and encouraging best practice by setting standards for working with children and young people, in co-operation with statutory bodies, voluntary agencies and other faith communities
In our recruitment of paid staff and volunteers, following Diocesan procedures in-
- ensuring careful selection and recruitment of ordained and lay ministers as appropriate, voluntary workers, and paid workers with children and young people, in line with safer recruitment principles and checks
- providing supervision, support and training
In our publicity-
- Sharing information about good safeguarding practice with children, parents, and all those working with them
When concerns are raised, following Diocesan procedures in-
- responding without delay to every concern raised that a child or young person may have been harmed, or be at risk from harm; or about the behavior of an adult or child
- working with the Diocese and appropriate statutory bodies during an investigation into child abuse, including when allegations are made against a member of the church community
- challenging any abuse of power, especially by anyone in a position of trust
In our care-
- ensuring that informed and appropriate pastoral care is offered to any child, young person or adult who has suffered abuse
- ensuring that appropriate pastoral care is offered to any member of our church community against whom an allegation is made
In our supervision, following Diocesan procedures in-
- ensuring, in partnership with the Diocese and other agencies, that care and supervision is provided for any member of our church community known to have offended against a child or young person, or to pose a risk to them.
We are committed to reviewing our policy and procedures annually.
June 2019.