Safeguarding

As a big family we want everyone, both adults and children, to feel happy and safe as they participate in the life of the church. Safeguarding is a high priority in everything we do at St Chads.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility but it is overseen here by:

Rev Richard Pennystan – contactable on 0161 430 4652 or vicar@stchadsromiley.co.uk

Adrian Bassett Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) – contactable on safeguarding@stchadsromiley.co.uk

Diocesan Safeguarding Team – contactable on 01928 718834 (option 4) or safeguarding@chester.anglican.org.  

Safeguarding matters will be forwarded to the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (or the police if immediate action is required) and we will follow the advice given.

Out of Hours Support

The Diocese of Chester partners with Thirtyone:eight and you can access their Safeguarding Helpline if the Diocesan Safeguarding Team is unavailable - this also includes any safeguarding queries outside of office hours on weekdays and weekends. Thirtyone:eight can be contacted on 0303 003 1111.

In the case of an emergency
If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police on 999 and/or your local authority Children or Adults Service.

Church of England and Chester Diocese Safeguarding Policy

The Church of England safeguarding responsibilities for parishes are outlined in the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance.  We adhere to the Chester Diocese Safeguarding Policy which incorporates the House of Bishop’s Safeguarding Policy and Guidance. If you wish to see more detail of the Diocese Safeguarding policies please click here.  

We have adopted the Church of England’s House of Bishops’ Promoting a Safer Church Safeguarding Policy and our PCC Statement, adopting the policy can be found here. 

You can find out more about the national policies and procedures at the Church of England's website.

Reporting a Safeguarding Concern

If you are concerned that a child or an adult is, or may be, at risk of abuse this should be reported immediately (and certainly within 24 hours) to the Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) or the clergy listed above. To report a concern online please click here.

If it is a non-emergency situation you can report this either in person to the PSO or by telephone, and they will then contact the Diocese Safeguarding Officer and ensure that we respond appropriately.  We will do everything we can to support the person at risk. If it is an Emergency situation, and you believe the child or adult is in immediate danger of significant harm, then you should call 999 before reporting it to a member of the clergy or Safeguarding Officer.

Safeguarding in our Kids and Youth groups

Throughout the work in our children’s groups we adhere to strict guidelines in order to ensure the children and youth in our care are kept safe and are treated equally and with awareness of individual needs.  This starts with the recruitment of volunteers for our children’s groups (all our children’s volunteers have a full DBS check), and continues within the organisation of the groups.  All our volunteers carry out the Church of England safeguarding training, in order to ensure they are clear on the church’s expectations in their roles, how they are to act with the children and what to do if they have concerns.

Safeguarding Adults

We understand that adults sometimes need extra support and we work with many who are vulnerable due to their circumstances, their age or their health. Our Pastoral visiting team and those who support vulnerable adults as part of their role at St Chads, all have a full DBS check and have taken the Diocese safeguarding training courses, visit and support many in our congregation for whom a friendly face and home assistance is helpful. 

Helplines

Safe Spaces England and Wales - Safe Spaces is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused by someone in the Church or as a result of their relationship with the Church of England, the Catholic Church in England and Wales or the Church in Wales.
Email: SafeSpaces@FirstLight.org.uk
Safe Spaces Helpline: 0300 303  1056
Monday to Friday: 09:00 - 21:00
Saturdays: 09:00 - 13:00
Sundays: 13:00 - 17:00

Child-line: 0800 1111 (lines free and open 24 hours)

Parent Line: 0808 800 2222

National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (lines free and open 24 hours)

Samaritans Helpline: 116 123 (open 24 hours)

Action on Elder Abuse Helpline: 080 8808 8141 (freephone Monday to Friday 9-5pm)