It’s been an important year for us in this area of church governance – find out the 4 steps we’ve taken as a church towards the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.

This report below was delivered at our APCM (annual church meeting) on April 18th at the Village Hall.

Report on Safeguarding in the Parish

One of the developments that took place during the interregnum (the time with no vicar) was the advancement of our approach to the important issue of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults within the church.

Four steps have now been taken.

Step One: In the autumn two training sessions were held on one day at Childerley Hall for members of our PCC. The sessions were also opened out to all members of our church, and to participants from other local parishes. Each participant took an online course (C0: Basic Awareness) prior to the day. The two courses taken on the day itself were C1: Foundation and C2: Leadership. All who attended were awarded three certificates to confirm completion of all three courses.

Step Two: As a PCC, we have now adopted a Safeguarding Policy which can be downloaded from our Safeguarding page.

Step Three: At our APCM we elected a new Safeguarding Officer for the parish, Dr John H. Barker (subject to pending checks). Information on how to contact him can also be found on our Safeguarding page.

Step Four: Our Safeguarding Policy, together with information and advice on what to do if you suspect abuse, is now up on this website, accessed from the Safeguarding link in the footer menu.