This guidance is intended to inform parishes about some of the elements that contribute to ensuring a safer culture is developed and reflects the good practice that should be seen.
Good practice safeguards people who may be vulnerable. It also protects anyone from a congregation who comes into contact with them, in whatever context, from being wrongly accused of abuse or misconduct. The ‘Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy‘ provide a good practice guide for all those involved in pastoral ministry in the Diocese. Everyone, whether paid or unpaid, clergy or laity, should be working within church policies and guidelines.
The following areas are included as being specifically relevant and useful to safeguarding children and young people’s activities. The House of Bishops’ policy on child protection (Protecting All God’s Children’, 2010) requires all clergy and lay people (including volunteers) to maintain the highest professional standards in their work and relationships with children. The Diocese has adopted a Code of Safer Working Practice (see page 6 of our policy, ‘Safeguarding in the Diocese of London‘, 2015) which is intended to keep children and young people safe from harm and adults protected from suspicions, false allegations or temptation. We ask all to agree to abide by this code which forms part of the volunteer agreement.
The PCC should ensure that both paid staff and volunteers have the opportunity to meet together regularly to discuss any concerns, to receive support and be helped to review their work.
Supervision is the formal reviewing and planning of the work of employees and volunteers. Supervisors are responsible for making the work purposeful and focused.
Training is the ongoing activity of learning for the purpose of carrying out your responsibilities well and to the required standard. All those working with children and young people should attend safeguarding training. Details of this can be found on the events section of this site.
Children and young people are best protected within environments and relationships that are trusting and open. This can be achieved by colleagues supporting each other to keep their practice within the Diocesan ‘Code of Safer Working Practice’ and acting without delay on behaviour that puts a worker or vulnerable person at risk.
The highest level of confidentiality should be maintained at all times in relationships with children and vulnerable adults. Concerns about abuse and maltreatment however, must not be kept secret or deemed confidential. Where a child is suffering or likely to suffer harm, information must be shared promptly in order to protect the child (advice sought / matter reported within 24 hours). Research and experience affirm that keeping such secrets ‘confidential’ enables the abuse and its harm to continue and only serves to protect the abuser.
Anyone whose ministry brings them into contact with vulnerable people should remain aware of their own behaviours and how these might be viewed by a vulnerable adult. Pastoral relationships will often run parallel with friendships and social contacts, but should always remain distinct. Perceptions can be difficult to manage and workers and volunteers should always seek to have a clear understanding with vulnerable people of the nature and boundaries of their contact with them.
Along with the points in the ‘Code of Safer Working Practice’ (see above), the following principles should be followed:
Church pastoral workers / clergy must always be aware of their language and behaviour and should consider in advance the:
Workers / clergy should always establish the nature of the meeting at the outset of each interaction in respect to subject matter, confidentiality and duration. All conversations / interviews should be recorded and stored securely.
The sexual conduct of church workers / clergy will have an impact on their ministry within the Church. It is never appropriate for workers to take advantage of their role and engage in sexual activity with anyone with whom they have a pastoral relationship.
Workers and volunteers should be aware of the power imbalance inherent in pastoral relationships and
Financial dealings can have an impact on attitudes to the Church and the community, and must always be handled with integrity. Those with responsibility for such matters should maintain proper systems and not delegate that responsibility to anyone else. Church workers and volunteers should:
