Winchester Diocesan Guidelines and Procedures

Winchester Diocesan Guidelines and Procedures WDBF 2016 Page 1 of 115 For Clarification Parish Child Protection Policy The Policy the parish produce. Most parishes use the template included here and amend it to suit their situation and activities. Parish Policy Statement Is a short, usually one side statement summarising the policy Diocesan Child Protection Guidance Manual This document provides a wealth of information to support and inform Child Protection. Diocesan Policy and Procedures are described in this Manual. Key Contact Details Diocesan Safeguarding Manager Monday – Friday 08:00 – 18:00 01962 737317 / [email protected] General Enquiries / Safeguarding Registry 01962 737347 / [email protected] Emergency / Immediate and urgent concerns Monday – Friday 08:00 – 18:00 01962 737317 Monday – Sunday and Bank Holidays 18:00 – 08:00 Hampshire out of hours team 0300 555 1373. If you use this number please ensure you also inform the Diocesan Safeguarding Manager as soon as possible. Diocesan Communications Team Luther Pendragon Diocese of Winchester Media Line 24/7 020 7618 9197 / [email protected] Page 2 of 115 FOREWORD BY THE BISHOP OF WINCHESTER In many ways the community of the church is becoming a rare thing in our society: a place where people of all classes, races and ages come together with a unity of purpose. It is a wonderful gift. It is also a gift which brings with it responsibilities. As we have seen so clearly and terribly in the last few years, a church which does not take the safeguarding of the young and the vulnerable seriously can be a dangerous place, and the consequences of safeguarding failures can last for decades. Yet we do not work to ensure our churches are safe communities because we are afraid of the consequences if we do not. We work to safeguard the weakest among us because it is a gospel imperative: to seek out the least, the last and the lost. We have many excellent children’s and young people’s leaders and workers in the parishes across the Diocese, and we highly value the work they do, but we must all take on our part of this responsibility. This manual brings together in a single, convenient resource with guidelines and examples of best practice in this area. The Church of England nationally has set out the expectations and the standards which we must strive to achieve, and the importance of keeping our arrangements under regular review and scrutiny to ensure they are operating appropriately. Inevitably a document of this kind will be written in terms which at times appear directive or restrictive, but I hope that all the good advice and wisdom which it contains will also be a positive encouragement, demonstrating the value we place on our children and our conviction that keeping them safe forms a core part of our commitment to living the mission of Jesus together. We are fortunate in having access to highly skilled professional advisers to help us in this area. They will be very happy to assist you should you have any concerns or questions, as indicated in this manual. I am very grateful to those who have contributed a great deal of time, care and energy to compiling this manual. It is an invaluable resource and a gift to us all. Page 3 of 115 INTRODUCTION Aims and Purpose The purpose of this guidance is to identify and outline the issues and principles of safeguarding children within the Church of England and the Diocese of Winchester. This document should be read in conjunction with other documents in this series: Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Addressing Domestic Abuse Safer Recruitment Responding Well The Diocese works with statutory agencies to help safeguard children. There are references to statutory provisions in this policy. Matters which are the subject of statutory provisions should be brought to the relevant agencies for determination. This is particularly important if there is a possible need for statutory action to protect a child or adult, or to bring an alleged offender to justice. To facilitate this the Diocese has and continues to develop working practises and information sharing protocols with statutory agencies and works closely with a range of agencies on specific cases. Key Values and Principles Working Together to Safeguard Children (March 2013) The following are regarded as important underpinning for our safeguarding practice: 1. The welfare of the child is paramount 2. Prevention is vital 3. Transparency 4. Accountability 5. Partnership with statutory authorities 6. Use of independent specialist advice 7. The active management of risk 8. A ‘one church’ approach 9. A culture of informed vigilance Responsibility Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility Page 4 of 115 Everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe. No single professional can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances and, if children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action. The theology of safeguarding is also important and some reflections on this are set out in Annex A. For many of us the point in the communion service where we share the peace is a very positive experience. But, think before your next service about how it might feel if you have experienced abuse as a child, if you have been in an abusive relationship where physical contact was a prelude to abuse or where a man or woman putting their arms round you engenders feelings of pain, disgust, despair, hurt, guilt, depression. Child abuse is a difficult and emotive subject. It is one that will stir very strong responses in us. But it is a subject that we as the Church must continue to engage with. We must be continually on the watch for those who would seek to abuse or harm children and young people. It might be unpalatable to think that we need to be cautious with those in our churches, those with whom we share fellowship week by week, those we consider our close friends. But it is just because it is so unpalatable that abuse happens. It is far easier to believe that ‘that sort of thing doesn’t happen here, we are all Christians’. Whilst most abuse happens in families or with close friends we have to accept that, sadly, it does ‘happen here’. It does happen in families and church groups. Recent reports indicate that many sex-offenders released from custody seek to become involved in churches. For some this will be a genuine attempt to start a new life, for others it will be a conscious route for grooming - targeting and gaining access to children and young people. It is our responsibility to do all in our power to ensure that children and young people who come into contact with church and church activities are protected from all forms of abuse. Purpose of Policy A robust child protection policy and procedures that are widely understood by all in positions of responsibility and rigorously implemented will serve to do a number of things: . Protect children and young people by creating a safe environment and minimising the opportunities for people to abuse them; . Protect workers from putting themselves into situations where they (even unintentionally) cross the line of acceptable behaviour; . Protect workers from accusations of inappropriate behaviour; . Create working practises that will remain after the present post holders move on and will make it very difficult for those who might wish to abuse to gain access to children or young people; . Protect individual churches and PCCs from potentially costly law suits and adverse publicity. Page 5 of 115 Possible Circumstances It is important to be aware of the possible circumstances in which we may come across abuse: . From those who seek to or are engaged in work for or on behalf of the church with children and young people; . Children or young people disclosing abuse from another source; . Adults disclosing past abuse by someone linked to the church; . Adults disclosing past abuse which occurred within another place or organisation; . Children or young people presenting signs or indications that may indicate abuse. Definitions and Descriptions Working Together to Safeguard Children March 2013 Child / Children Anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday is a child. The fact that a child has reached 16 years of age, is living independently or is in further education, is a member of the armed forces, is in hospital or in custody, does not change his/her status or entitlements to services or protection. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children This is defined for the purposes of this guidance as: . Protecting children from maltreatment; . Preventing impairment of children’s health or development; . Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; . Taking action to enable all children to have the best life chances. Child Protection This is part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm. Abuse This is a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others (e.g. via the internet). They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children. Safeguarding Concern A Safeguarding concern is anything which causes you concern for the welfare of a child or where you perceive that a child is experiencing abuse or neglect.

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