High Downs Parish 

The Church of: St. Mary, Eastling, Kent

The High Downs 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

We have appointed : Mark Harlow

as the Parish Safeguarding Officer for High Downs Parish

The Parish Safeguarding Officer is available to speak with adults or children

on: 07979 864000 or email: [email protected]

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on: Date: 14th September 2026

Important Information

We enclose details of important information that needs to be followed should there be concerns over an actual or potential safeguarding issue or incident.

In the first instance, please speak with the Safeguarding Officer 0n 07979 864000

If it is an emergency, please contact the appropriate service by calling 999 

• “Call 999 if a child or adult is in immediate danger of significant or serious harm”
• A link to the parish safeguarding policy
• A link to the safeguarding section of the diocesan website
• National helplines:
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 20