“The care and protection of children, young people, and vulnerable adults involved in Church activities is the responsibility of the whole Church. Everyone who participates in the life of the Church has a role to play in promoting a Safer Church for all.”
Everyone has a part to play in keeping our church safe for children, young people, and vulnerable adults. To play that part, we need to be aware of
- the risks that children, young people, and vulnerable adults might face in church contexts;
- the signs that something is going wrong; and
- the actions we can take if we have concerns.
St Brandon’s PCC therefore encourages everyone in the congregation to take a simple online tutorial that can help you understand these things.
It is particularly important for sacristans, servers, welcomers, refreshment helpers, sidespersons, and PCC members – but we encourage everyone else in the congregation to take it too.
(Other forms of training are required for those who have specific responsibilities in relation to children, young people, and vulnerable adults, but those people are contacted separately.)
The tutorial is the Church of England’s ‘C0 Safeguarding – Basic Awareness’ course. It is simple and accessible, and will only take an hour or so of your time.
The course is available on the Church of England’s online portal for safeguarding training. Please note that you will need to create an account.
For simple step-by-step instructions on creating an account and accessing the course, see this document. (Note that, when you sign up, you are asked what your church role is. You can simply write ‘Member of congregation’ if you want.)
If you have any questions or concerns about safeguarding, please contact the Parish Safeguarding Officer, Geoff Moore.