St. Peter’s Church is proud to be a part of the Diocese of St. Albans in the Church of England, whose Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and leaders are absolutely committed to safeguarding as an integral part of the life and ministry of the Church.
Safeguarding means the action the Church takes to promote a safer culture. This means we will promote the welfare of children, young people and adults, work to prevent abuse from occurring, seek to protect those that are at risk of being abused and respond well to those that have been abused. We will take care to identify where a person may present a risk to others, and offer support to them whilst taking steps to mitigate such risks.
The Church of England affirms the ‘Whole Church’ approach to safeguarding. This approach encompasses a commitment to consistent policy and practice across all Church bodies, Church Officers and that everyone associated with the Church, who comes into contact with children, young people and adults, has a role to play.
The Church will take appropriate steps to maintain a safer environment for all and to practice fully and positively Christ’s Ministry towards children, young people and adults; to respond sensitively and compassionately to their needs in order to help keep them safe from harm.
Although safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone here at St. Peter’s, Mr. Philip McCulloch is our Parish Safeguarding Officer and can be contacted about any safeguarding matter on 07795 807535. You can also speak to our Parish Priest, Father Andrew Burton SSC, on 020 8950 1424 or to the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Jez Hirst, on 01727 818107 / 07867 350886.
Two very useful links:
More information on the Church of England’s National Safeguarding can be found here: www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding
More information about Safeguarding in the Diocese of can be found here: https://www.stalbans.anglican.org/diocese/safeguarding
The Parish Safeguarding Policy appears below:
The following policy was agreed at the Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting held on 26th October 2022
The PCC has adopted the Church of England House of Bishops’ ‘Promoting a Safer Church; safeguarding policy statement’ as its own safeguarding policy. The PCC 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 follow procedures set out in the Church of England’s ‘Parish Safeguarding Handbook’:
- Create a safe and caring place for all.
- Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) 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, dealing promptly with any safeguarding concerns, allegations or suspicions of any kind of abuse, by following the 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.
- The PCC is committed to (and the incumbent is the point of contact for) those who have been victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
- 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, ensuring that any ex-offenders with offences against children or vulnerable adults known to be in the church community are notified to the DSA, who will contribute to managing safeguarding agreements.
- 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.
- Set out an action plan in line with national and local priorities to show how the policy is being put into place and reviewed.
Each person who works within this community will agree to abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this church.
This church appoints Mr. Philip McCulloch as the Parish Safeguarding Officer.