POLICY DOCUMENT OF THORPE HESLEY HOLY TRINITY LEP, ROTHERHAM SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS.
POLICY DATE: JANUARY 2019 (REVIEWED AND UPDATED BY JANE HORE, KAY
HESTER)
REVIEW DATE: JANUARY 2020
As a Church Council we adopt the following statement:
“We the people of Holy Trinity, seek to safeguard all members of the Church community, of all ages. It is the responsibility of each of us to prevent the physical, sexual or emotional abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults” (def:
appendix 1)
GUIDELINE 1
Always plan the work of the organisation so as to minimise situations where abuse can occur:
a) An adult should never be left alone with a child, young person or vulnerable adult.
b) Ensure that leaders do not meet children or young people at any time without their parents being aware or visit vulnerable adults alone.
c) There should always be at least two adults present in a group.
d) A group should never be taken off the premise without at least two adults present and a Risk Assessment should be in place for this.
e) The movement of children back and forth from Church to the TCC building should always be supervised.
f) Where groups of children are being supervised in the TCC building, appropriate security measures should be in place to safeguard movement in and out of the premises – closing and locking of doors and only admitting persons who need to enter the premises for genuine reasons. These persons should not have direct access to the children unless monitored.
g) Where groups of vulnerable adults are meeting in the TCC building appropriate security measures and health and safety measures should be in place following Health and Safety guidelines.
h) When children, young people or vulnerable adults have to be transported to events or given lifts home, the appropriate adults should ensure that they are never left alone with them in a car.
i) The leaders of group should check that all drivers transporting children, young people or vulnerable adults should have a valid driving licence and insurance certificate that allows them to do so. When checked the information should be passed on to Kay Hester, Jane Hore or Rev. Lynn Broadhead.
j) Safeguarding will be on the agenda at each Church council meeting and each AGM.
k) The Safeguarding Policy will be displayed at all times on the notice board in the Narthex and a copy will be sent to all Church Council members . It is available on request for anyone to read from Kay Hester or Jane Hore.
GUIDELINE 2
Ensure that a system is in place whereby a child may talk to an independent person. The Childline number is displayed in Church and in the T.C.C building for children and young people to access and should be pointed out to them at regular intervals. They should know who the safeguarding Officers are – Kay Hester, Jane Hore – their pictures will be displayed
in the Narthex to allow children to identify them.
GUIDELINE 3
All adults working with children, young people and vulnerable adults should have a full and enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring) check. Anyone wishing to work with children, young people or vulnerable must have a full DBS check and the Safeguarding Officers must have a copy of this before they will be allowed access to work with them. All copies will be held securely at the Vicarage. These should be reviewed annually by the Safeguarding Officers.
GUIDELINE 4
All adults working with children, young people or vulnerable adults must conduct themselves in an appropriate manner and must not be under the influence of alcohol or any other substances which may impair their ability to care for them. Anyone taking medication (prescribed or otherwise) which may also impair their ability should make this aware to the person in charge who will contact the Safeguarding Officers as appropriate. A decision will be made as to whether the adult is considered safe to work with these groups of people.
GUIDELINE 5
All paid staff and volunteers should be given clear roles.
1) All those working with children, young people or vulnerable adults should be given a clear job description which is updated as and when appropriate.
2) Leaders should meet once a term to plan and review their work and at these meeting Safeguarding should always be on the agenda.
3) Church Leaders should ensure that all children’s workers, and those working with vulnerable adults are given adequate training/guidance for their role where appropriate.
4) At least one reference should be sought for any person wishing to work with children, young people or vulnerable adults (paid or unpaid work).
5) Church Leaders should explore all previous work undertaken by the individual. Their name and job description should then be taken to the Church Council for validation.
6) All paid and voluntary appointments should be conditional on the successful completion of a probationary period, after which a report will be brought to the Church Council for their decision.
GUIDELINE 6
The Safeguarding Officers will undertake to keep up with all new guidelines and information. They will attend training courses when necessary and will arrange training for group leaders and the Church Council members when they feel this is necessary.
GUIDELINE 7
All adults should be aware of social networking. Leaders must not contact children, young people or vulnerable adults in their care on a personal level via Facebook, Twitter, email or text. Only information which is necessary to publicise events, arrange contact for meetings etc is permissible. Always be aware of anything that you may post on these sites and never give out personal or confidential details about individuals or those regarding any discussions that have taken place in a group context.
GUIDELINE 8
Children’s photos should not be taken under any circumstances without prior consent from Parents or Guardians and where photos are allowed, permission must be also be given to use these images on the Church website or through any other media.
GUIDELINE 9
1) When Church is open to the public there will always be two adults present.
2) If you are alone in the Church for any reason then always lock the doors but remove the key from the lock. Always ensure that you tell someone where you are and update them if you are delayed for any reason.
GUIDELINE 10
When there is a special event e.g. Holiday Club, children’s party, outing, meeting of a group involving vulnerable adults then Safeguarding guidelines must be followed and any additional procedures taken into account e.g. risk assessments of the activity and the volunteers who help. DBS checks must be in place for the leaders of the group. Volunteers will always be supervised and not left alone with children, young people or vulnerable adults. Vigilance must be taken to ensure that if photographs of children are taken they are done so with prior Parental permission.
GUIDELINE 11
When a member of the church who is considered to be a ‘Vulnerable Adult’ requests a visit or is deemed to be in need of a visit by the Church in their own home, (for reasons of pastoral care or Home Communion) there should be two people taking part in the visit. This is to ensure safeguarding protection and protocol for both parties.
GUIDELINE 12
HOW TO DEAL WITH ANY SUSPECTED SAFEGUARDING ISSUES
1) All adults working with children, young people and vulnerable adults should be vigilant to the signs and symptoms of abuse – whether sexual, physical, emotional or neglect. In order to do this they need to have some knowledge of what to look out for. The Diocese of Sheffield Safeguarding Policy has a list of the signs and symptoms in section 5 which adults should familiarise themselves with before working with children, young people or vulnerable adults.
2) If abuse is suspected it should be reported in the first instance to the Safeguarding Officers Kay Hester, Jane Hore or to Rev. Lynn Broadhead. This should be done as soon as possible after the event in order to minimise a further Safeguarding situation.
3) If all of the above people are on holiday then any issues should be reported to the Church Wardens or Stewards.
4) Once the incident has been reported it will be followed up immediately to the appropriate authorities and any action will be taken with guidance from the Safeguarding Officers within the Diocese.
5) If an adult has an allegation of abuse made against them this must be reported immediately to the Safeguarding Officers. This adult may then be suspended temporarily from working with children, young people or vulnerable adults until the allegation is investigated. This may be an internal or external investigation depending on the severity of the allegation.
Appendix 1. Definition of a Vulnerable adult ‘A person who is 18 years of age or over, and who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of themselves, or unable to protect themselves against harm or serious exploitation.’
Please note:-
This Safeguarding Policy is specific to Thorpe Hesley Holy Trinity LEP.
The Diocese of Sheffield Safeguarding Policy should also be adhered to and used as a
reference point at all times. It provides more detailed information on:-
Section 3: Principles and Responsibilities
Section 4: Safer Working Practices
Section 5: Child Abuse
Section 6: Safer Recruitment
Section 7: Dealing with concerns
A copy is kept in Church and TCC for reference purposes.
Reviewed and updated January 2019
Signed: Kay Hester; Jane Hore
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