Safeguarding
Safeguarding
Our Commitment
In our churches, and as part of the Diocese of Worcester, we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults, enabling everyone, without prejudice, to worship and grow in Christ safely. We take this commitment very seriously and believe that making our churches safe for all is everyone’s responsibility. To enable this to happen we have named responsible people in each church, and follow the House of Bishops Guidance and Policies, and local adaptions where necessary. Each policy is reviewed by our leadership each year, and where necessary changes are made, and reflected in the revision date.
At this point, a number of the policies are still church specific, but as our new Forge Safeguarding Team beging to work together, we anticipate that we will adopt common policies where appropriate.
If you or someone you know feels unsafe, you first priority should be to call the police.
For none urgent matters, you can also let the local police know by calling: 101
If you are a child, Childline has a phone number to call: 0800 1111
Responding to Concerns
Within the Church of England, every individual has the legal right to worship in their parish church. As such it is important for us to respond to all allegations promptly, and appropriately, ensuring that everyone is kept safe. During this process it may be necessary to consult external agencies, understand individual conditions, and where necessary, put a worship agreement in place which will establish conditions to keep everyone safe. Each individual agreement is different and will be established based on the Diocese Team liaising with different agencies, the local church wardens, safeguarding officer, incumbent and the individual.
For information on how we respond to raised concerns, please see our Group policy
Important Contacts
Churches
The Forge Group has a single Safeguarding Officer, with Safeguarding Contacts in the local churches.
Our named Officer is Sue Lloyd-Davies SJSafeguarding@denchurches.com
For matters relating to specific churches, in the first instance, please contact
St Andrew's Safeguarding Contact- Jo Hackett SASafeguarding@denchurch.com
St Peter's Safeguarding Contact - Zoe Robbins SPSafeguarding@denchurches.com
St John's Safeguarding Contact - Sue Lloyd-Davies SJSafeguarding@denchurches.com
If you don't feel comfortable contact the above people, please speak to Rev Richard Hackett (rev@denchurches.com) or you can reach out to the Worcester Diocese team.
Worcester Diocese
Safeguarding Adviser for the Diocese of Worcester: Mrs Hilary Higton - 07495 060869
Assistant: Mrs Delia Stokes 07376 374380
Other useful contacts:
Priest in Charge- Revd Richard Hackett - 01384 416835
Police 999 in an emergency
Non-urgent police enquiries 101
Support Services:
Worcestershire Adult and Children's Social Care 0845 607 2000 (out of hours 01905 768020)
NSPCC 0808 800 5000
Childline 0800 1111
Stop it Now 0808 1000 900
NAPAC 0808 801 0331
Samaritans 116 123
Family Lives 0808 800 2222
National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000 247
Action on Elder Abuse 0808 808 8141