Safeguarding

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Safe-caring (Safeguarding)
and Inclusion

Protecting the vulnerable is at the very heart of the Christian faith.
Safeguarding, or more aptly, safe-caring, is an expression of God’s kindness and compassion and of our commitment to the gospel.

The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion
Psalm 116:5

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

Safe-caring and safeguarding is for everybody.

This website gives some information about who to contact should you have a safeguarding concern about anybody’s well-being in the church community.

In addition, you will find the Church of England’s safeguarding policy (Promoting a Safer Church) and practice guidance documents, all of which have been adopted by the Diocese of Sodor and Man and endorsed by Bishop Peter. The policy statement is summarised for Michael Parish Church below:
All documents can be found on the Diocesan Website

www.sodorandman.im

Promoting a Safer Church - Policy statement for children, young people, and adults.

This document has been produced by the House of Bishops in the Church of England, in conjunction with the Methodist Church. It has been adopted by the Diocese of Sodor and Man.

It embraces the core messages of the Gospel - to love God and love one another. As Pope Francis states " In that core, what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus"

In Michael Church we "share the love of Christ within our community" by:

1.    Living the Gospel in such a manner that values and welcomes all, including the most vulnerable.

   2. Upholding the legislation that recognises the personal dignity and rights of    all children, young people and adults.

   3.    Approaching safeguarding practice by – listening, being honest and open, working together with statutory partners, and managing risks

4.    Ensuring safe recruitment and training of leaders and church workers.

5.    Developing clear procedures for supporting vulnerable people

Who to contact:

Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) for Michael Parish Church
Joanna Fisher

The PSO acts as a local contact for the Diocese and will act on your concerns in confidence with the Diocesan Safeguarding and Support Officer (DSO). The DSO may decide to take further action if needed with support agencies, such as Social Care or Health.

Another role of the PSO is to ensure that those undertaking roles within the church have appropriate training and have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Certificate stating that they are safe in the roles they are undertaking.

Diocesan Safeguarding Support Officer (DSO)
Lisa Morris
T: 07624 494688
E: lisa.morris@sodorandman.im

Ecumenical Safeguarding Officer and Advisor:
Tony Connell
M: 07624 235970
E: safeguarding@sodorandman.im

Training Courses

There are a number of modules that are available but most of these are for officer holders – leaders and helpers. Members of the congregation do not need to worry about completing these, but the Basic Awareness module can be completed by anybody and is recommended to those who wish to learn more about safeguarding.

Basic awareness.
This is an online module which can be completed individually. Once completed, please let Joanna know and she will be able to log this with the Lisa (DSO) who keeps an overview of all safeguarding training on the Island for the Anglican Church.

This is what you do to complete this module.
Go to www.sodorandman
Click safeguarding and inclusion
Scroll down to useful links -Online Safeguarding Course CO and C1
Click - this will take you to the start
Log in - Username (e-mail) and password

Foundation.
This module is recommended for LCC members, people who are helping in groups such as Michael Bear, Cameo, and Sides-people.
It is a face to face module which is led by the Ecumenical Safeguarding Officer (Tony Connell) throughout the year and provides key information about categories of abuse in children and adults, and how best to respond to safe-caring / safeguarding concerns.
The Foundation Modules have different emphasis depending on whether you are working primarily with adults or children.
They can also be completed online but if possible, it is recommended that the face to face method be taken as the discussion that ensues is enriching.

Foundation Module - Working with children
Foundation Module - Working with adults

Leadership.
These modules are intended for church leaders (for example, leaders of groups such as Michael Bear, Cameo, Mother’s Union or Bible Studies, and churchwardens). They are face to face modules led by the Ecumenical Safeguarding Officer (Tony Connell) and held throughout the year. They include key information about how we integrate safe-caring and safeguarding into the daily life of the church and how we manage risk.
The Leadership modules have 3 different emphases:

Leadership module - working with children (for example, Michael Bear, Youth work).
Leadership module - working with adults (for example, people who are leading groups such as Mother’s Union or Bible Studies, and pastoral visitors).
Leadership module - specific to Clergy, Readers, Liturgical Assistants, Churchwardens, and PSOs

Foundation and Leadership modules are held throughout the year at various locations across the Island and training currently needs to be updated every 3 years. For details of modules, contact Joanna.

All people working with vulnerable adults and children need to have a DBS check (informerly called a Police check). This needs to be refreshed every 5 years. Again, for information, see Joanna.