SAFEGUARDING
We aim to be a church where everyone feels safe and taken care of. “Safeguarding” means looking after each other, it is the responsibility of everyone in the church community and we take it extremely seriously. We have a friendly and dedicated team of safeguarding officers and champions for children, young people, vulnerable adults and people with disabilities.
This page tells you who to contact if you have a safeguarding concern and the processes we follow. You will also find a list of all our safeguarding policies should you want to find out more.
If you have a concern the first person to contact is the Parish Safeguarding Officer Mrs Thandi Lopes, if your concern is about any member of the congregation, volunteer or a paid member of staff please contact the Rector Fr Michael Gill. If your concern is about Fr Michael Gill or a member of the clergy then please contact Caryn Weber, the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor. All these contact details are below.
PARISH SAFEGUARDING POLICY
our 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 that may pose a present risk to others.
The Parish will:
·
Create a safe and
caring place for all.
·
Have a named Church
Safeguarding Officer (CSO) to work with the incumbent and the PCC 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 in the name of the parish.
·
Display in church
premises and on the Parish 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.
Each person who works within this church community will agree to
abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this church.
If there is immediate risk of harm, please contact the emergency services on 999.
Safeguarding officer:
Mrs Thandi Lopes
thandilopes@hotmail.co.uk
020 8707 7373
Our parish safeguarding officer is the first person to contact if you have any concerns around the welfare of a child or adult at risk.
Diocesan Safeguarding Team:
If you would prefer to speak to someone outside of our church, please contact the London Diocesan Safeguarding Team on: 020 7932 1224 or safeguarding@london.anglican.org.
Our Kensington Area Safeguarding officer is Caryn Weber.
The London Diocesan Safeguarding page is https://www.london.anglican.org/church-and-parish-support/safeguarding/
Other Organisations:
If you’re struggling right now:
Samaritans Helpline: Call 116 123 - if you’d like to talk with someone on the phone. Shout: Text ‘Shout’ to 85258 - if you’d like to talk by text instead of phone.
Organisations offering help and support:
London Boroughs of Hounslow and Hillingdon NSPCC – 0808 800 5000 – nspcc.org.uk - specialising in child protection, with statutory powers, which means we can take action to safeguard children at risk of abuse. Stop it Now – 0808 1000 900 – stopitnow.org.uk - anonymous support and advice to anyone with concerns about child sexual abuse Childline: 0800 1111, www.childline.org.uk - for any children who feel unsafe in any situation. Family Lives: 0808 800 2222, www.familylives.org.uk - help & support for families.
· Thirtyone:Eight: 0303 003 1111
NAPAC – 0808 801 0331 – https://napac.org.uk/ National Association for People Abused in Childhood Action on Elder Abuse – 0808 808 8141 Hub of Hope - https://hubofhope.co.uk/ - UK’s largest mental health support directory
Domestic Violence Support:
For women: 0808 2000 247 - The National Domestic Abuse Helpline For men: 0808 801 0327, www.mensadviceline.org.uk
The Diocese of London website has links to other organisations, such as ones which can support Survivors of violence and abuse. See https://www.london.anglican.org/church-and-parish-support/safeguarding/useful-safeguarding-links/links-to-other-organisations/
