In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy our church is committed to:
• Promoting a safer environment and culture.
• Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people, and vulnerable adults within the church.
• Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.
• Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons.
• Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.
• Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.
At St James’s we have a Parish Safeguarding Officer (Annalea Gratton) together with the Vicar (Derek Winterburn), they work to implement all the policies and procedures; they report appropriately to the PCC at every meeting on any concern or issue.
The London Diocese has a professional team of skilled advisors who provide help and resources to the parishes on safeguarding matters; there is a named advisor for our Episcopal Area as well as an out of hours helpline.
St James’s takes advantage of the online dashboard that provides an overview of the state of all the checks and safeguards that need to be in place. All those on the PCC and those who have any regular contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults must undergo regular training and have a DBS check.
Photo Permissions Policy
An Under 18's Photo Permissions Policy, with a revised consent form, was implemented with effect from September 2019 and regular checking procedures take place. The Policy and Procedure Statement explains clearly how photographs are taken and used by the church. It is displayed on the church website and in the office. The new consent form is designed to be clear and unambiguous and is sent to all parents of under 18s involved in church related activities for signing, so that the office records can be checked and updated.
Displaying information about Safeguarding
The following documents are displayed in the window of the church office:
• The signed Parish Safeguarding Policy
• Which includes contact details for the Parish Safeguarding Officer, the Vicar, the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor, the Local Single Point of Access (SPA) and the Police
• Information about where to get help with child and adult safeguarding issues
• The under 18s photo permission policy.
This Safeguarding page is accessible from a prominent main link on the Home page of the St James’s Church website.
Care and Contact (Parish Visitors)Team
Both these teams have regular meetings at which current practice is discussed, along with future planning and any safeguarding updates.
Risk Assessment Reviews
All Risk Assessments for church-led activities involving children were reviewed and updated in March 2019. The CSO and Derek, with input from Parish Visitors, have drawn up a Risk Assessment for Parish Visitors. Risk Assessments for one-off church events are being produced, including event-specific RAs for the exciting activities organised for young people in the parish.
Disclosure and Barring (DBS) checks and online training
Nick Bagge has been trained as a Lead Recruiter, in addition to his role as Evidence Checker, and is now informed directly of the outcomes of DBS applications. The office system for processing DBS applications for PCC members, new employees and volunteers working with young people and vulnerable adults is working very well, with applications processed more speedily than in the past.
Safer Recruitment
The safer recruitment process is working well. Applications for new DBS checks and renewals are now being processed more speedily, without the backlogs we used to experience in the past.
Safeguarding Self-Audit
There is an annual Parish Safeguarding Self-Audit. It is encouraging to note that although there will always be a need for a robust Action Plan, there has been very significant progress in addressing outstanding safeguarding issues in the parish.
Find out more
Safeguarding Policy Statement (document 2024-2025)
Under 18's Photo Permissions Policy (document)
Annual Parochial Church Meeting Reports (these documents contain the annual reports of the various church teams or groups associated with St James's Church. They also contain the latest Safeguarding Reports. Scroll down the document of the year you are interested in to find the report you want)
Safeguarding Poster with contacts
