Safeguarding Itchen Valley Parish
Parish Safeguarding Policy Statement
The following policy was agreed by the PCC of the Itchen Valley Parish at the meeting held on
21 March 2023
This Parochial Church Council has adopted the safeguarding policies and procedures of the Church of England. In particular we are committed to:
- The safeguarding of all children, young people and vulnerable adults
- Carefully selecting and training paid and voluntary staff who might come into contact with children or vulnerable adults, using the Disclosure and Barring Service amongst other tools, to check their suitability
- Responding without delay to every complaint made which suggests that an adult, child or young person may have been harmed
- Cooperating fully with the police, local authority and any other appropriate statutory body in any investigation
- Ministering appropriately to anyone, child or adult, who has experienced abuse
- Extending pastoral care to those known to have offended against children or vulnerable adults whilst ensuring that children and vulnerable adults are protected from them
This policy statement will be reviewed annually by the PCC.
Our Church Safeguarding Officer is: Jessica Helgesen
Email address: safeguarding@itchenvalleychurches.org
Rector: Revd Peter Walker
Email address: revd.peter@itchenvalleychurches.org
Church Wardens:
Sara Mason 779169
Theo Mezger 779277
Chris Ellis 779779
Sarah Hunt 779250
Mary Purser 07780 707291
Any child wishing to talk about a problem can contact Childline on 0800 1111.
Any parent or carer wishing to talk about parenting problems can contact Family Lives on
0808 800 2222.
The Church Safeguarding Officer is available to speak with adults or children.
Online training module
Safeguarding means the action the church takes to promote a safer culture. This means we will promote the welfare of children, young people and adults by working to prevent abuse from occurring, seek to protect those that are at risk of being abused and respond well to those that are being abused.
The good news of the gospel speaks of a welcome for all, including those who are most vulnerable, into a community where the value and dignity of every human being is affirmed and those in positions of responsibility and authority are truly trustworthy.
The Church of England, of which we are a part, have now put together safeguarding training to be used across the national church. As part of this, it is now possible to do an online module called Safeguarding: Basic Awareness (CO) which can be found using the link:
https://safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org/