Safeguarding: Promoting a Safer Church
Policy Statement:
Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults at Kirkwall Baptist Church.
Kirkwall Baptist Church has a Christian care for the welfare of each individual and seeks to make the Church a safe place for all. In particular the Church seeks to protect and safeguard all those who are especially vulnerable, both children and vulnerable adults, with whom it comes into contact through its activities and services.
It is the responsibility of everyone in the Church, including those working with vulnerable groups, to seek to prevent harm or abuse, whether physical, sexual or emotional.
The Church seeks to safeguard these vulnerable groups throughout all of its meetings and activities, in cooperation with the statutory agencies, police and social services.
To this end, the Church is committed to inform those who work on its behalf with children and vulnerable adults, both paid workers and volunteers, how to recognise and report harm or abuse. The Church is also committed to operate safe recruitment and working practices and procedures with respect to all such workers and to offer them appropriate support, supervision and training.
The Church also undertakes to offer pastoral support to individuals in the Church who have been affected by harm or abuse.
In pursuit of this we commit ourselves to the following policies and to the development of procedures to ensure their implementation.
Prevention and reporting of abuse and responding to concern
It is the duty of each church member and each member of the wider church family to prevent the physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children and vulnerable adults. It is the duty of all to respond to concerns about the well-being of children and vulnerable adults, and to report any abuse disclosed, discovered or suspected. The church will fully co-operate with any statutory investigation into any suspected abuse linked with the church.
Safe recruitment, support and supervision of workers
The church will exercise proper care in the selection and appointment of those working with children and vulnerable adults, whether paid or voluntary. All workers will be provided with appropriate training, support and supervision to promote the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
Safe behaviour: a code of behaviour for workers
The church will adopt a code of behaviour for all who are appointed to work with children and vulnerable adults so that all children and adults are shown the respect that is due to them.
Safe practice and safe premises
The church is committed to providing a safe environment for activities with children and vulnerable adults and will adopt ways of working with children and vulnerable adults that promote their safety and well-being.
A safe community
The church is committed to the prevention of bullying of children and vulnerable adults. The church will seek to ensure that the behaviour of any who may pose a risk to children and vulnerable adults in the community of the church is managed appropriately.
Responsible people
The church has appointed Mark Berry as the Safeguarding Trustee to oversee and monitor implementation of the policy and procedures on behalf of the church's charity trustees.
The church has appointed Jenna Graham as the Designated Person for Safeguarding, and Mark Berry as deputy, to:
-
advise the church on any matters related to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults
-
take the appropriate action when abuse is disclosed, discovered or suspected.
Policy and procedures
A copy of the policy statement will be displayed permanently in the foyer of the church building.
Each worker with children and vulnerable adults whether paid or voluntary will be given a full copy of the policy and procedures and will be required to follow them.
A full copy of the policy and procedures will be made available on request to any member of the church, the parents or carers of any child or vulnerable adult from the church or any other person associated with the church.
A copy of the policy and procedures will be sent to Orkney Health and Care.
The policy and procedures will be monitored and reviewed at least annually.
The policy statement will be read annually at the church meeting in November, and a report on the outcome of the annual review will be made available.