Child Protection

The Diocese of London is committed to care for the spiritual, physical and emotional well-being of the children with whom it has contact. With this in mind, every parish is required to adopt a Child Protection Policy, as outlined in the House of Bishops' Policy Document on Child Protection (1999). This policy will govern the work undertaken with children who attend church or take part in children's activities on church premises or organised by the church within the parish. Liability insurance in relation to such issues may be invalidated if such a policy is not in place and being implemented.

To assist with the drawing up of a parish Child Protection Policy, the Diocese of London has issued guidelines in the document Children in the Diocese of London. Click here to download Copies have been sent to every parish.

A short summary of the Guidelines, suitable for distribution to children's leaders and others (but not a substitute for the complete Guidelines) can be downloaded here .

The guidelines require that PCCs should:

• Discuss the policy, procedures and guidelines presented in "Children in the Diocese of London";
• Adopt a parish policy on Child Protection - a model policy is provided in the Appendix of "Children in the Diocese of London";
• Appoint someone to act as Children's Advocate for the parish, as outlined in Children in the Diocese of London;
• Send a copy of the adopted policy to your Area Archdeacon's Office;
• Implement the policies, procedures and guidelines in the parish;
• Follow the procedures outlined in "Children in the Diocese of London" for the appointment of volunteers to work with children, ensuring that declaration forms are completed, proper references requested and vague or unclear replies are followed up;
• Ensure that all work with children is properly supervised and that those working with children on behalf of the parish are given appropriate support and encouragement.

All general questions about Child Protection Policies and training opportunities should be addressed to the Diocesan Children's Adviser at London Diocesan House.

For advice relating to specific child protection concerns, contact one of the Bishops' Advisers for Child Protection, who are:

Mrs Margaret Morgan	Edmonton Area	020 8346 8367
Mrs Barbara Wheeler	Kensington Area	020 8743 3075
The Revd Hugh Valentine	Two Cities and Stepney Area	020 7735 3138
Mrs Liz Wadland	Willesden Area	01895 613904

The Advisers work collaboratively as a team, so if the Adviser for your Area is unavailable, try to contact one of the others.