Information for Parishes on Safeguarding Children

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Information for Parish Child Protection Representatives 2009.

Guidance notes for the appointment of the Parish Child Protection Representative

The role of Parish Child Protection Representative is to represent the Bishop of Hereford and work on behalf of the PCC in your parish to ensure that all children who take part in church activities or church sponsored activities are protected from harm.

Appointment

The Child Protection Parish Representative should be selected and approved by the Incumbent and PCC as someone who is suitable for this role, ideally having had involvement with the care of children in the past. It is not a role to be held for a specific time, but if there are any changes in the holder of this role it is important to notify Kerry@hereford.anglican.org
or b.gratton@hereford.anglican.org should be advised as soon as possible

The primary duties of the Parish Child Protection Representative are as follows:

The Child Protection Representative should have an understanding of the children's agenda nationally and ideally have been involved with children in a workplace or as a parent.
It is the responsibility of the Child Protection Representative to work within the guidelines of the House of Bishop's Policy 2004 "Protecting All God's Children" and the Diocese of Hereford Safeguarding Policy 2008 to be found at www.hereford.anglican.org.
The Child Protection Representative should attend the Basic Child Protection Course run by the Diocese, as soon as practicable after appointment.
The Child Protection Representative should have an awareness of the post of the Bishop's Adviser for Child Protection and the Children's Officer and how to contact them.
The Child Protection Representative should ensure that any concerns or issues regarding the welfare of children are discussed with the Bishop's Adviser for Child Protection as soon as possible.
Parish Child Protection Representatives should work together with the incumbent and the PCC(s) to ensure the following:-

that each Parish has a Child Protection Policy. A template can be found below.
the PCC reviews and updates this policy on an annual basis and the PCC secretary(s)should record doing so on the PCC agenda.
that a child protection file is kept in a secure place where any incidents or events can be recorded.
to record names of all who work with children and young people within your parish (or benefice) and ensure that each has been CRB checked, has a copy of the Child Protection Guidelines (Protecting All God's Children) with any amendments and further guidance
to invite all who work with children and young people to attend training courses provided by the Diocese and local Safeguarding Boards. Parish Child Protection Representatives should record names of those who have undertaken training.
to ensure that each activity involving children has its own records covering the safety of the children involved e.g. attendance, parental consent forms, adult to child ratio, details of the adults running each session, the recording of any incidents etc.
to be vigilant in the Parish(s) and highlight any areas of concern regarding a child, or any adult you may consider poses a risk to a child, and make a record your concerns (which should be kept securely). Such concerns should be reported to the Bishop's Advisor for Child Protection as soon as possible

Parish Child Protection Representatives will need to complete a CRB check following the procedure detailed below. The post is itself subject to Enhanced Disclosure because of the high status and vital role you will have.

CRIMINAL RECORD BUREAU CHECKS

Please obtain all forms for CRB checks from:
Hereford Diocese, PA to Diocesan Secretary & Office Manager, Pam Brown
telephone 01432 373314 p.brown@hereford.anglican.org

The pack also contains detailed guidance on how to complete the forms . Please follow the guidance carefully as any errors in the form will result in their return by the CRB and may cause considerable delay.

You also need to complete the Confidential Declaration Form which will be included in the pack. The Confidential Declaration should be put into a separate envelope and marked 'strictly confidential'. This will travel with your application form to the Diocesan Administrator for CRB and will be seen only by those acting on the Bishop's behalf. No information in it will be disclosed except where there is a legal duty to do so.

Pass the completed application form and the sealed envelope to the clergy person or other verifier designated by the Diocese to be responsible for the parish or area you will represent. They will need to see your proof of identity. a list of suitable documents is included in the pack. It is the verifier's responsibility to return the forms to Carolyn Harding who processes them for the Diocese.

Disclosure of your criminal records

The post of Child Protection Parish Representative is itself subject to Enhanced Disclosure because of the high status and vital role you will have. Enhanced Disclosure Certificates will show all convictions, spent or otherwise, together with cautions, reprimands and warnings held on the Police National Computer. It will also show relevant information held by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills. In addition it may show relevant non-conviction information held by local police forces. Having a criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining a position. Copies of the Disclosure will be sent to you and to the Umbrella Body Administrator for CRB.
Subject to a satisfactory CRB outcome you will be able to commence this vital this role for your Parish.

Proof of Identity

All CRB forms need to be verified by a checker (this may be the incumbent in the parish or another person appointed by the Diocese). A list of the documents accepted for verification is included in the CRB pack

If you have any questions that remain unanswered please speak to one of those listed below.

Main contacts

For advice and to report any concerns:

Bishop's Adviser for Child Protection - Barbara Gratton
Telephone 01989 730381 b.gratton@hereford.anglican.org

Adviser for Children's Work - Vacant

CRB contacts:

Please obtain all forms for CRB checks from:
Hereford Diocese, PA to Diocesan Secretary & Office Manager, Pam Brown
telephone 01432 373314 p.brown@hereford.anglican.org

TEMPLATE FOR PARISH CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

DIOCESE OF HEREFORD
PARISH SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN'S POLICY STATEMENT

The Parish of .................................................................................

The nominated Parish Child Protection Representative is;
Name:

Address:

Contact telephone number:

The following policy has been agreed and implemented by the PCC.

We will implement the House of Bishops' Child Protection Policy Protecting All God's Children (2004), and the Diocesan safeguarding procedures. A copy of this policy can be found on www.churchofengland.org
. We are committed to safeguarding and the care of the children within our church community.
3. We will carefully select and train ordained and lay ministers; volunteers and paid workers who work with children and young people using the Criminal Records Bureau, to check the background of each person as outlined in the diocesan procedures.
4. We will respond without delay to every complaint made, that a child or young person for whom we are responsible may have been harmed or is in significant danger.
5. We will fully cooperate with statutory agencies during any investigation, into allegations concerning a member of the church community. We will inform the statutory agency of any suspected criminal offences or concerns that we are made aware of in respect of our contact with children.
6. We will offer informed pastoral care to any child, young person or adult survivor of abuse and provide details of local and national support agencies.
7. We will supervise any member of our church community known to have offended against a child.
8. We will review this policy annually, checking that all our procedures and activities involving children and young people are up to date.
9. We will review our insurance policy for those working with children, ensuring we adopt the advice in the House of Bishops' Policy

10. A copy of this Policy will be displayed on the Parish Notice Board alongside a child line poster which can be downloaded from www.childline.org.uk free of charge.

The PCC has identified the below listed activities involving children and young people to which the House of Bishops Policy applies.
(Detail the activities, frequency, location, and person responsible below - you are not limited to 3 you can have as many as you wish)

Activity Frequency /Location Person(s) Responsible
1.

Please note the acceptance of the policy and its implementation should be Minuted at the PCC meeting. The policy and the activities detailed in it should be reviewed by the PCC on an annual basis

A notice detailing the Child Protection Policy for the Parish should be placed on the notice board in the church or church hall.
For further advce the Bishop's Representative for Child Protection can be contacted on 01989 730381.

Signed & dated by:

PCC Chair or representative

Church warden

Child Protection Representative

Incumbent

Diocesan Policy
Protecting All God's Children