Safeguarding

Who may be vulnerable?

Various pieces of legislation give different definitions of who is a vulnerable person for children and adults.

What is abuse?

Abuse maybe defined as the mistreatment and violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by another person or persons. Such abuse can take many forms, from treating someone with disrespect so as to significantly affect his or her quality of life, to causing actual physical suffering.

Abuse may consist of a single act or repeated acts. It may be physical, verbal or psychological; it may be an act of neglect or an omission to act; or it may occur when a vulnerable person is persuaded or coerced to enter into a financial or sexual transaction to which he or she has not consented, or cannot consent.

Abuse can occur within any relationship and may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person subjected to it. See No Secrets act.
Abuse can take many forms:

• Discriminatory abuse is the inappropriate treatment of an adult because of their age, gender, race, religion, cultural background, sexuality, or disability.
  Discriminatory abuse exists when values, beliefs or culture result in a misuse of power that denies opportunity to some groups or individuals by a regime or individuals within an institution in the community. It can occur through repeated acts and can happen anywhere even in places of worship.
• The primary responsibility of the church is to promote a safe worshipping environment, one harm is identified the safeguarding officer have to refer the cases appropriately: for managing any investigation process rests with the managers of Social Care, social services teams, the Care Quality Commission will be involved. Where a crime may have been committed, the police will investigate.

Churches and faith communities should be safe places for all, both children and adults, where everyone is made to feel welcome, are valued, respected and cared for. We can promote this by ensuring that our buildings are accessible, recognising the limitations that the design of some buildings cause and addressing them, together with the acoustics and lighting. It should be borne in mind that negative and uncaring attitudes are also a major barrier to access. We should also be careful to use appropriate language and suitable vocabulary, which can often reflect people’s attitudes towards others.

CCPAS Ten Safeguarding Standards

Churches should have safeguarding policies – for both children and vulnerable adults – which should cover the following:

1. Safeguarding Policy
2. Developing Safeguarding Awareness Training
3. Safe Recruitment
4. Management of Workers
5. Working Safely
6. Communicating Effectively
7. Responding to Concerns
8. Pastoral Care
9. Managing Those who Pose a Risk
10. Working in Partnership with other agencies

website – www.ccpas.co.uk

Safer recruitment and safer organisations Legislation and best practice

Safeguarding awareness

The first opportunity to safeguard vulnerable people is by protecting the entry point to churches or organisations by staff and volunteers by carrying out Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Anyone is accepted is accepted in church.

It is important that all places of worship and faith-based organisations working with vulnerable people are clear about the status of their work, or whether it is “regulated activity” or not. This status will determine precisely what sorts of checks should be undertaken for staff and volunteers (including criminal background checks).

Regardless of what checks are required for certain posts and activities, the responsibility remains to ensure that every appropriate measure has been undertaken in both the recruitment and ongoing management of staff and volunteers. This is to ensure that those who are unsuitable to work with vulnerable people are not given the opportunity to do so. These measures range from the appropriate use of job adverts, role descriptions, application forms, interviewing processes and the taking-up of references, through to providing appropriate support, supervision and training for new workers.

More positively, churches and faith-based organisations have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding and setting an open, positive culture through their employment/ selection practices. Open doors, Open mind, Open hearts.

Pastoral care

It is important that anyone seeking pastoral care should know exactly what to expect in terms of good conduct, that those caring for them are accountable and that any boundaries set are respected at all times.
Those providing pastoral care should avoid any behaviour that may give the impression of anything negative.

How should the church respond?

• The vulnerable person is able to give informed consent and inform them of the action being taken.
• Ensure that any interventions are as limited as possible and carried out in a manner that is the least restrictive of their freedom of action
• Ensure that any decision is made with due regard to the law
• Include the person in any decision or action affecting them as fully as possible
  Any decisions taken that are deemed to be in the person’s best interest should be clearly documented to show how the decision was reached.
• We recognise the personal dignity and rights of vulnerable people and will ensure all our policies and procedures and practice reflect this
• We will promote safer practice and support ,get resources and train leaders and employees and encourage those who undertake this work to follow the agreed procedures of our safeguarding policy.
• Implement the requirements of the relevant legislations.
• Support everyone in the place of worship/organisation who may be affected by abuse of any kind.
• Social Care has the lead responsibility for investigating all allegations or
  suspicions of abuse where there are concerns about a vulnerable people.
• Where an allegation suggests that a criminal offence may have been committed, the police should be contacted as a matter of urgency.
• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
• Refer to the UMC UK safeguarding statement