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Safeguarding Children, Young People & Vulnerable Adults

Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults

Safeguarding Policy Statement

The Parish of Keynsham, the Diocese of Bath and Wells.

The following policy was agreed at the PCC meeting held on 10 January 2017. It will be reviewed in March 2019.

We are committed to:

  1. The care, nurture of, and respectful pastoral ministry with all children, young people and all adults within our church community.
  2. The safeguarding and protection of all children, young people and adults when they are vulnerable.
  3. The establishing of safe, caring communities which provide an environment where there is a culture of ‘informed vigilance’ as to the dangers of abuse.
  4. We will follow safe recruitment procedure to carefully select and train all those with any responsibility within the church for children, young people and vulnerable adults, including the use of criminal records disclosures and registration with the relevant vetting and barring schemes.
  5. We will respond promptly to every concern or complaint made which suggests that a child, young person or vulnerable adult may have been harmed, co‐operating with the Police and local authority in any investigation.
  6. We will seek to work with anyone who has suffered abuse, developing with him or her an appropriate ministry of informed pastoral care.
  7. We will seek to challenge any abuse of power, especially by anyone in a position of trust.
  8. 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.
  9. We will review this policy annually, and, as part of this, check that all our procedures, including DBS disclosures, are up to date.

In all these principles we will follow legislation, guidance and recognized good practice, and are committed to the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Children policy and Safeguarding Adults policy, and the Diocese of Bath and Wells Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults Policy 2011 (available at www.bathandwells.org.uk).

The safeguarding and protection of children and adults at risk is everyone’s responsibility, not just parents, guardians and carers. Procedures and formal processes alone, though essential, will not protect children and adults at risk. The community, including all its members, needs to be aware of the dangers and prepared to report concerns and take actions if necessary.

If you have a concern please contact our Safeguarding Co-ordinator who is Mrs Wendy Harwood via the parish office – Tel. No 0117 986 3354 or email office@keynshamparish.org

  

Parish Policy Statement on

Recruitment and DBS Disclosures

The Parish of Keynsham, Diocese of Bath and Wells

  

  1. This Parish is committed to the recognition of each person’s skills, experience and qualifications. We shall attempt to ensure that these are fully considered in the recruitment and appointment of paid staff and volunteers.
  2. We shall assess all positions (whether for paid staff or volunteers) in order to determine whether a Disclosure is required from the Disclosure and Barring Service and, if so, at what level. For those positions requiring a Disclosure, we shall indicate in any advertisement (or other information about the position) the level of Disclosure and make clear that any offer of position will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory Disclosure information.
  3. Where a position involves a Disclosure, we shall encourage all applicants invited to an interview to provide details of any criminal record before the interview.
  4. We shall obtain Disclosures through the Diocese, following Diocesan procedures.
  5. If the Diocese advises that a Disclosure contains information relevant to the position, we shall work with Diocesan staff to assess the risks and agree a course of action.
  6. We shall follow Diocesan guidance on the re-submission of applications for Disclosure.
  7. We shall ensure that Disclosure information is passed only to those entitled to receive it.
  8. We are committed to the fair and sensitive use of Disclosure information. We shall refer to the Diocese any complaints about the Disclosure process or the accuracy of Disclosure information so that appropriate action can be taken; this may involve the use of the formal complaints procedure.

In dealing with all matters relating to Disclosure, we shall comply with the Disclosure and Barring Service's Code of Practice. We shall also comply with Diocesan policies and follow Diocesan procedures and guidance

 

Further details are available on the Diocese of Bath and Wells website, of Diocesan policy, guidelines and resources.  For details click here