17 November 2024 is Safeguarding Sunday and this year more than 5,000 churches will take part, including St John’s. It’s a chance to listen and to talk together about how we can create places that are safer for everyone.
We believe that safeguarding is an outworking of our faith in a loving and just God – the God who calls us to speak up on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves and to defend the rights of the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8).
However, the Church of England has sometimes failed to do safeguarding well and the recently published Makin report highlights another serious safeguarding failure. The details of this report and the media coverage of it are upsetting so if you would like to talk to someone about this, please contact Anne Cheeseman (Parish Safeguarding Officer) or Revd Alec Gill.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and there are some simple things we can all do to keep ourselves and others safe:
- Complete the Church of England’s free online Basic Safeguarding Training. You can register for this – and other online safeguarding training – here: https://safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org/
- Be familiar with St John’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, which can be found on the Safeguarding page
- Save the Parish Safeguarding Officer contact number (07827 750217) onto your phone, so you have it to hand if you are worried about someone’s safety or wellbeing
If you have any questions about safeguarding, please contact Anne on the above phone number or via email: safeguarding@valebenefice.org.uk
