Since April 1996, all parishes in the Diocese of St. Albans have been required to implement child protection procedures. The current guidelines and recommendations for practice are contained within the House of Bishops’ Child Protection Policy for the Church of England – “Protecting all God’s Children 2004.”

This policy document was produced in response to the Children Act 1989 and “Safe From Harm 1993” (the Home Office Code of Practice for Safeguarding the Welfare of Children in voluntary organisations), the Protection of Children Act 1999 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006. The House of Bishops’ policy document contains recommendations as to how the policy on child protection may be implemented and is obtainable from:-

Church House Book Shop
Church House
31 Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BN
Tel 020 7898 1301
e.mail www.chpublishing.co.uk
Price £5.95 plus pp.

It is important that all parishes are fully conversant with the recommendations in the policy document Protecting all God’s Children 2004. It is each parish’s responsibility to ensure compliance with the Policy. Failure to take steps necessary for the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults in their care could have serious implications for the effectiveness of parish insurance.

The Bishop’s Representative for Child Protection was appointed in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of our children and young persons. This is achieved by ensuring compliance with safe recruiting procedures of both paid and voluntary staff and providing training to identified people in basic child protection procedures. The appointed officer will advise of the procedures to be followed when allegations of child abuse are made or issues that may impede a child’s health or development. He will also provide advice when concern is expressed about an adult’s behaviour towards a child or young person, and carry out a risk assessment where this is appropriate. Support may be provided to parishes in drawing up an agreement with an adult who may pose as a risk to children, provided the level of risk is acceptable and realistically manageable.

The Bishop’s Representative is responsible, in consultation with diocesan officers, for providing training and advice to clergy, paid staff, PCCs and parish child protection representatives about good practice, in order to limit opportunities for abuse and to minimise the risks of wrongful accusations being made. He will also advise the Bishop on practical arrangements concerning both survivors and alleged offenders and provide advice and professional support for clergy, paid staff and volunteers who may have concerns about pastoral situations in which they find themselves.

Appointment Process
The process for appointing people to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults is fully set out in the document Protecting all God’s Children 2004. In addition, regular training sessions are held throughout the diocese. They offer guidance in the recruiting process, and basic training in child protection procedures. Those responsible for the appointment of volunteers and employees should follow the principles outlined in “Safe from Harm 1993” and referred to in Protecting all God’s Children 2004, when seeking to appoint to a post involving direct contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults.
In summary, prospective appointees should:-

1. Be regarded as job applicants and have a defined role.
2. Complete an application form
3. Name two referees, one of which should be from the current employer or previous church.
4. Complete a confidential declaration form
5. Have an appropriate interview.

If the decision is made to appoint, the appointee should:
● Provide a disclosure at an Enhanced Level from the Criminal Records Bureau.
● Have the appointment confirmed in writing by the authorizing body.
● Be offered a post subject to a probationary period.
● Be formally commissioned for their role.

In the event of a disclosure following an enhanced check, details of the offence will be passed to an appointed panel based at the Diocesan Office, who will consider the suitability of the person for the post applied for. Consideration will be given to a number of factors, including, the seriousness of the offence, the plea entered, the age of the conviction, and any other circumstances that may be relevant. Advice as to the suitability of the applicant, and any safeguards which should be put into
place, will be offered to the parish concerned. The decision will be advisory only; it will be a matter for the parish to accept the guidance or not. It should be noted that a criminal record may not automatically render an applicant unsuitable: the record might be irrelevant (e.g. a minor driving offence).

Any person expressing an interest in working with children or young people must have an Enhanced Disclosure for the post applied for within this Diocese; portability of disclosures from other organisations is not accepted. If staff move from a position with no access to one which involves access to children and young people, then they must apply for clearance at an Enhanced Level with the Criminal Records Bureau.

For further information on diocesan policy and the House of Bishops’ policy document Protecting all God’s Children 2004 please contact the current Child Protection Officer for the Diocese of St Albans, whose details are available in the Diocesan Directory, or by e-mail: childprotection@stalbans.anglican.org