Parish Safeguarding Policy

The University Church is committed to the protection, safeguarding, care and nurture of all children and vulnerable adults who visit the church. Below you can find details of our policy and procedures which have been developed in line with guidance from the Church of England. The aim is to ensure a safe environment for everyone who wishes to worship at the church, visit or contribute to its activities. The following policy was agreed at the PCC meeting held on September 24 2018.

We are committed to:

           - The care, nurture of, and respectful pastoral ministry with, all children and all adults 
           - The safeguarding and protection of all children, young people and adults when they are vulnerable
           - The establishing of safe, caring communities which provide a loving environment where there is a culture of ‘informed vigilance’ as
            to the dangers of abuse.

  1. We will carefully select and train all those with any responsibility within the Church, in line with safer recruitment principles, including the use of DBS disclosures.
  2. We will respond without delay to every complaint made which suggests that an adult, child or young person may have been harmed, co-operating with the police and local authority in any investigation and we will have a clear reporting procedure in place.
  3. We will seek to work with anyone who has suffered abuse, developing with him or her an appropriate ministry of informed pastoral care.
  4. We will seek to challenge any abuse of power, especially by anyone in a position of trust.
  5. 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.
  6. In all these principles we will follow statute, guidance and recognised good practice.
  7. We will advise the Diocese which Registered Body we use to process applications for DBS Disclosures.
  8. We will advise the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser if we receive a Disclosure which is ‘blemished’ or ‘positive’.
  9. We will review this policy annually, check that our policies are up to date, and supply a copy of the updated policy statement to the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser.

Our Safeguarding Officer is

Name            Louise Jarvis

Telephone     01865 512786 or 07976951973         

email             lkjarvis@hotmail.co.uk

Schedule regarding Safer Recruitment and Training

The Parish Safeguarding Officer is Mrs Louise Jarvis. All incidents relating to safeguarding issues should be reported to the Safeguarding Officer.

The Designated Recruiter and Verifier is Mrs Ana-Maria Niculcea, the Administrator.

Safer Recruitment

  1. All staff and volunteers must complete a Confidential Declaration Form. 
  2. The following staff must complete a DBS check:            
    1. Clergy
    2. Ministerial Assistant
    3. Heritage Education Officer
    4. Community Engagement and Outreach Officer
    5. Shop Manager
  3. The following volunteers must complete a DBS check:
    1. Sacristans
    2. Sunday School Leaders
    3. Youth Group Leaders

Working with Children and Young People

  1. School groups should always be accompanied by representatives of the school. Volunteer guides leading tours are not required to have DBS checks.
  2. Any organisation hiring the Old Library to work with children and young people must provide a copy of their safeguarding policy. Organisers must provide the Events Manager with written assurance that DBS checks have been secured for staff operating on site.
  3. The minimum age for unsupervised access to the tower is 16. Children below this age must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult. 

Training

All those who work on behalf of St Mary’s with children or vulnerable adults, whether paid or volunteer, should have training in safeguarding appropriate to their role. This should be refreshed every three years. 

  1. All members of the PCC should complete C0. 
  2. All staff and volunteers should complete C0.
  3. Churchwardens, Ministerial Assistant, Sunday School leaders, and the Shop Manager, should complete C1 and C2. 
  4. Parochial clergy should complete C3.
  5. Recruiter and Verifer should complete S1.

This Schedule was approved by the Parochial Church Council on September 24 2018.

Contact Us

If you would like to discuss any issue in relation to safeguarding at the University Church or need to report any concerns, you can contact Louise Jarvis, our Safeguarding Officer, using the following details:

Telephone    01865 512786 or 07976951973   

Email           lkjarvis@hotmail.com