Safeguarding: It’s not just policy, it’s personal by Nikki Roberts

It’s not just policy, it’s personal: Nikki Roberts is the Assistant Safeguarding Trainer for the diocese; here she talks about why safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

Since joining the Diocese in December 2025, I have been made to feel very welcome by both staff and volunteers, and have already met a number of people from around the Diocese who have attended many of the courses run by the Safeguarding Team at the various locations that we visit. All of the people I have met have been engaging, enthusiastic and welcoming towards me, which is lovely to experience. It has been made very clear though, that there is still a definite hesitance, or, dare I say, dread of attending the courses and so I am very excited to be part of the national campaign called ‘It’s Not Just Policy – It’s Personal’ which runs throughout the first two weeks in June 2026. The campaign intends to push the message out there that safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility and at the centre of an allegation, a report, a disclosure, is a person, a victim, a survivor, and someone whom we need to listen to, support and believe. 

The campaign does exactly what it says on the tin, it aims to raise awareness of how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns and is designed to build confidence in responding to disclosures and taking appropriate action. The word “safeguarding” can fill people with fear, but the courses the team run try to dispel these thoughts and emphasise how safeguarding is, in its simplest form, looking out for each other and looking after each other. It is not just a ‘policy tick box’, we don’t ask people to attend courses simply to show we have achieved a certain number of attendees. We invite people to attend so they feel more prepared should someone find the courage to disclose to them that they have experienced, or are experiencing abuse, and to make sure that they have the skillset to deal with that disclosure. We want to encourage and support victims and survivors of abuse to come forward – because it is personal. 

The campaign has been developed by the National Safeguarding Team in response to key recommendations from the Makin Report 2024, which focus on how a church can be confident that abuse, both current and non-recent, is being reported. It intends to place the topic firmly within the agenda and make people feel more comfortable talking about the topic. We want to raise awareness of safeguarding so it becomes daily business, therefore strengthening local practice and creating Safer Churches.
It’s not just policy – it’s personal, and looking after each other is something I feel passionate about.  If you would like to attend any of the courses the team run, please take a look at our current training opportunities and feel free to email me directly to discuss this campaign, attending a course, or any safeguarding concerns you would like advice or support with.

I am sure I will meet many more of you over the coming months and thank you for all you do to create a culture of safety in our parishes.
 

– ENDS –