Protecting children and vulnerable adults in our community
William Temple Church welcomes all members of the community and we are committed to ensuring it is a safe place for everyone.
We have adopted the House of Bishops Safeguarding Policy (see the Parish Safeguarding Handbook) for children, young people & adults and commit to:
Promoting a safer environment and culture.
Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children and vulnerable adults.
Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.
Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse or other affected persons.
Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns/allegations of abuse and other affected persons.
Responding to those that may pose a present risk.
You can find out more about the national policies and procedures at https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding
In the event of the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser being unavailable due to being on holiday or other absence, you will be advised to contact thirtyone:eight for safeguarding advice on 0303 003 1111. This also includes any emergency safeguarding queries outside of office hours on weekdays and weekends. An Information Sharing Agreement between the two organisations will allow the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser to receive a copy of the advice thirtyone:eight may offer the parish church/caller.
If you have a safeguarding concern about a child, young person, or vulnerable adult, please follow these steps:
All concerns are taken seriously and will be handled sensitively. You will be kept informed of actions taken where appropriate.
All staff and volunteers working with children or vulnerable adults undergo a thorough recruitment process.
The Diocese of Manchester partners with thirtyone:eight in relation to Disclosure (i.e. DBS) services and accessing their safeguarding Helpline when required.
For DBS related queries, please contact them on 0303 003 1111 option 1.
All volunteers receive appropriate safeguarding training and regular updates.
We have clear guidelines for appropriate behaviour when working with children and vulnerable adults.
The Diocese of Manchester also uses thirtyone:eight as its approved Listening Service provider, supporting anyone impacted by abuse. Should you be interested in this service, please contact he Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser in the first instance and we will offer you more information. You can read more about thirtyone:eight’s Listening service here: https://thirtyoneeight.org/safeguarding-services/consultancy/listening-service/https://thirtyoneeight.org/media/2392/listening-service-leaflet.pdf