“There is a growing understanding that protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults is at the core of our faith. Safeguarding is about creating churches that are a safe space for everyone; a space where children can flourish and adults can live up to their potential. It is about enabling everyone to come to Jesus without stumbling blocks of abuse, ignorance, fear, compassion fatigue or the failure to recognise the experiences that so many carry within our communities.” – Elizabeth Hall, Safeguarding Advisor, Methodist Church in Britain

The last Church Council agreed a new policy to meet the recent changes made by The Methodist Church and the law. Policies and forms do not in themselves provide security, but informed vigilance means that our awareness is heightened. The policy will be published generally, given to all workers and put on the website. A good practice guide will also be attached to the policy.

CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) forms become DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) forms

We are all used to completing CRB forms when working with children and young people under 18. This continues as a ‘DBS’ form. Even if we are occasional helpers on a rota, we still ‘represent the church’ in our role, however infrequently and so require a DBS.

Additionally, DBS forms will be required for specified work with vulnerable adults. If one was, at the request of the church, helping someone with their finances (e.g. collecting pensions) or regularly shopping, or driving someone to a group / church because of their disability, illness or age, a DBS would be required.

For everyone’s safety, there are stricter rules on driving children and young people to events and I am talking to all our youth leaders about these.

I would ask you all to consider whether you fall into these categories and if so, speak to Anne-Marie Jenkins or me if you have not completed a CRB / DBS form through the church in the last 5 years. We will help you complete the forms so there is no worry for you and it doesn’t take long. If you have a CRB / DBS from elsewhere, despite what the TV tells you, we cannot accept it. This is because we would still have to make all the background checks ourselves (passports etc.) to ensure the CRB / DBS was applied for correctly and obtain references from your employer / organisation. In reality, the work for us to complete a new DBS is much quicker and safer.

Pastoral visitors do not need a DBS, unless individuals feel they fall into the situations I have listed above. If you are unsure whether you require a DBS, please speak to myself or Anne-Marie.

You may well feel some of this is unnecessary, but you would not want the trustees or myself to be breaking the law – would you? Ultimately, we are trying our best to protect the vulnerable and ourselves.

Creating Safer Space

People often ask for ‘training’ in various aspects of church life. We have not always been good at providing it. Creating Safer Space offers a basic safeguarding instruction and gets you to discuss with others some possible scenarios. This has been particularly useful as we realise the importance of safeguarding vulnerable adults. If you require a DBS for church work, or hold a specific office (e.g. steward, pastoral visitor) you are required to attend just one, 2 hour session. If you have not yet completed this, you will receive an invite and since the administration and delivery for this is mostly voluntary, your prompt replies save a lot of time.

Those of you who have completed safeguarding training at work are still required to attend. There are no exemptions. The Methodist Church has made it clear that an unwillingness to participate in Creating Safer Space would indicate that the individual wished to withdraw from the activity with children, young people or vulnerable adults. This is because the church is a ‘unique’ environment, quite unlike the controlled space of e.g. a school. It helps us all to think of our role in situ and if we do bring secular experience, this has proved invaluable to all participants.

Church Council responsibilities

In turn, the Church Council undertakes to review this policy annually, make sure its premises are fit for the activities concerned and support the safeguarding team in overseeing this process.

Past Case Reviews

The Methodist Church is soon carrying out a survey of all its ministers, dating back to the 1950s, asking them if there are any safeguarding concerns that were not reported or not dealt with adequately. Although this was set up before the recent high profile media attention on celebrities, I need hardly explain the seriousness of the project. If you have any concerns that you feel were not dealt with adequately, please speak to me, although please understand I may need to take your concern further. I have been assured that any initial ‘enquiries and investigations’ will be handled very discreetly by people from the district or nationally, to establish whether there is any case to answer.

Lent discipline

If any aspect of these comments troubles you, I would be very pleased to meet you and talk it over or explain more fully. We talk about Lent being a spiritual discipline. As Elizabeth Hall notes above, safeguarding is at the core of our faith, so that everyone may come to Jesus without fear. I pray that we might accept safeguarding, with all its challenges, as a discipline of faith.