Safeguarding Documents

There are various guidance notes and documents available relating to Safeguarding issues under each of the following headings.  This area is a “work in progress” and if there is anything you would particularly like to see included here, do please email the Safeguarding Adviser with your suggestions.

Good practice guidelines:

• Best Practice Guidance for Working with Children
• Best Practice Guidance for Working with Vulnerable Adults

Parish policy templates:

• Safe Use of Images Policy
• Responding Well to Domestic Abuse Policy 2017

Recruitment guidelines:

• ThirtyOne:Eight Applying for a DBS Basic Disclosure
• ThirtyOne:Eight Applying for a DBS Enhanced Disclosure
• ThirtyOne:Eight Recruiters guide E-Bulk system from Basics to Enhanced
• Thirtyone:Eight (Formerly CCPAS) Disclosure Service St Albans
• ThirtyOne:Eight Registration form
• ThirtyOne:Eight New Recruiters Application form

For a comprehensive range of associated documents, please visit the Thirtyone:Eight (Formerly CCPAS) website.

Risk Assessment:

• Risk Assessments – general guidance
• Personal risk assessment tool
• Activities risk assessment template
• Health & Safety checklist
• Lone Working Guidelines
• Messy Church risk assessment example
• Pastoral visiting risk assessment example
• Childrens Church risk assessment example

Consent Forms:

• General consent form
• Email & mobile consent form
• Trips out & non-usual activities consent form
• Special Activity consent form
• Medical consent form and Medication form

Information sheets:

• Safeguarding in Your Parish – Who’s Who?
• Model Parish Safeguarding Checklist
• Model Parish Safeguarding Officer Role
• Holidays and Residential Trips with children, young people and adults who may be vulnerable
• First Aid and administration of medication
• Registering with OFSTED
• Touch
• Transport – private cars and minibuses
• Safer working practice with children, young people and vulnerable adults
• Inappropriate behaviour by children, young people or vulnerable adults
• Unaccompanied children, young people or vulnerable adults at church services
• Sleepovers – including sleeping on church premises
• Bellringers – General Safeguarding Statement
• Food hygiene
• Duty of care
• What to Consider when Letting Church Halls
• Model Safeguarding Provision to attach to a Hire of Church Premises Agreement
• The Truth about Self Harm – produced by the Mental Health Foundation
• Youth produced sexual imagery guidance – produced by the National Youth Council
• Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 – The changed definition of ‘Vulnerable Adult’ in the context of adult protection

Useful links:

• NSPCC Safeguarding Children website
• Gov.UK Safeguarding children & young people website
• Get safe online website
• UK Council for Child Internet Safety website
• Digital Safety

House of Bishops Policies and Practice Guidance:

Policy Statements

• Promoting a Safer Church 2017 – Safeguarding Policy Statement of the Church of England
• Promoting A Safer Church Poster
• Protecting All God’s Children (Safeguarding Policy for Children and Young People, 4th edition 2010)
• Promoting a Safe Church (Safeguarding Policy for Adults) 2006

Practice Guidance

• Identifying and Reporting Safeguarding Serious Incidents to the Charity Commission: Guidance for DBFs, PCCs and Religious Communities (August2019)
• Practical Guidance: How to make a Safeguarding Serious Incident Report to the Charity Commission (August 2019)
• Serious Incident Reporting FAQs (revised 1 August 2019) N.B.  Part 3 relates to Safeguarding Incidents
• PCC Template Delegations (Jan 2019)
• Responding to Safeguarding Concerns or Allegations that relate to Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults Guidance
• Parish Safeguarding Handbook 2018
• Glossary Reference Document 2017
• Key Roles and Responsibilities of Church Office Holders and Bodies Practice Guidance 2017
• Responding to, assessing and managing Safeguarding concerns or allegations against church officers 2017
• Responding Well to Domestic Abuse – Policy and Practice Guidlines 2017
• Safeguarding Training Development 2019
• Safer Recruitment Practice Guidance 2016
• Responding Well to those who have been sexually abused 2011
• Safeguarding in Religious Communities Practice Guidance 2015

Joint Practice Guidance with The Methodist Church

• Safeguarding Records – Joint Practice Guidance for the Church of England and Methodist Church 2015
• Safeguarding Guidance for Single Congregation and Local Ecumenical Partnerships 2015

Volunteer Trainer Documents:

• There are currently no vacancies for Volunteer Trainers.