SAFEGUARDING: OUR ETHOS

At St. Mary, Eastling and within each of the churches of our parish, we believe that church should be a place where everyone can feel safe. We will never be perfect, but we can work together to make our churches safer. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility - and it needs to be at the heart of everything we do - so we all need to be on the look-out for signs of harm and abuse.

We need to be vigilant so that if something doesn’t seem right, then we’ll spot it. We can’t assume ‘that kind of thing’ won’t happen here – it can and it does. But we can work together to make our churches safer and to minimise the risks of harm and abuse.

To do that we need to listen to that gut feeling that tells you when something isn’t right. And, in safeguarding, if it doesn’t feel right then chances are it’s not. If there’s a situation that doesn’t feel right then our Diocesan Safeguarding Advisors are here to help. If you’re concerned about someone or something, just call them (details below) and they’ll offer support and advice. Don’t worry that you might be wasting their time – they’re here to help and a two minute phone call may be all it takes to get you the support and reassurance you need. In making that call, you could be providing the missing piece of a jigsaw that helps to keep someone else safe.

At St. Mary, Eastling safeguarding is about caring for one another and looking out for one another – and each of us has a crucial role to play in that. Our churches can be safer if we all work together.

We subscribe as a parish to the Church of England's National Safeguarding Standards and Quality Assurance and work closely with our sister parish of Kingsdown and Creekside to accomplish this. Please see below for a review of these standards.

For more information on how we respond to Safeguarding in this Parish, please click on the link below. Each section is its own module where you can access subsections of the CofE General Policy on National Safeguarding Standards.

https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/safeguarding-e-manual

SAFEGUARDING

Parish of High Downs

This Parochial Church Council (PCC) 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 (PSO)

At High Downs we want to make everyone feel welcome and safe. To help with this, Mark Harlow is our lead Safeguarding Officer for Children and Vulnerable Adults. His role, with parish clergy and colleagues in our different churches, include looking out for those within High Downs Parish who may need support. They are all available to contact about any issues or concerns you may have.

Every volunteer who helps with children and youth work has to complete an application form, a DBS check, and two references. As a Parish, we are fully signed up to the Diocesan Safeguarding Training framework.

Mark can be contacted on the numbers and email below on any safeguarding matter.

Tel: 01795 890338‬ or 07979864000 (There is a 24/7 voicemail)

Email:  [email protected]

Click here for Canterbury Diocesan Safeguarding

Reporting Abuse

A copy of our Domestic Abuse Policy is available as a download.

If you have information regarding a safeguarding situation where someone is in immediate danger or requires medical attention call the emergency services on 999 without delay.

Otherwise if you wish to report anything you can contact Mark using the information on this page, or follow the link to the Diocese of Canterbury safeguarding page for their contact information.

Finding support

We here at the High Downs Parish understand that reporting abuse may be very difficult and distressing to you and as we are not equipped to respond at all hours of the day here are contact details for other agencies that can offer more specialist advice and may be more easily available.

‣ NSPCC Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000

(lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are worried about a child.

‣ Child-line: 0800 1111

(lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are a child or young person and are worried about anything.

‣ National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247

(lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are experiencing domestic abuse.

‣ Samaritans Helpline: 116 123

(open 24 hours). Phone if you are struggling to cope and need someone with whom to talk.

The Church of England has developed a set of National Safeguarding Standards and accompanying Quality Assurance Framework.

The approved version of the National Safeguarding Standards can be downloaded here.

The Standards and Quality Assurance Framework are essential for the Church to understand the quality and, most importantly, the impact of its safeguarding activity. In addition, the Standards provide a simple construct which integrates the complexity of all safeguarding activity in the Church. All such activities, at all levels across the Church, will relate to at least one Standard. Thus, the Standards provide a means of connecting and integrating what might otherwise be experienced as disconnected activities and also enable the Church to easily communicate its commitment to safeguarding.

The Five Standards are:

• Culture, Leadership and Capacity: Church bodies have safe and healthy cultures, effective leadership, resourcing and scrutiny arrangements necessary to deliver high-quality safeguarding practices and outcomes.
• Prevention: Church bodies have in place a planned range of measures which together are effective in preventing abuse in their context.
• Recognising, Assessing and Managing Risk: Risk assessments, safety plans and associated processes are of a high quality and result in positive outcomes. The assessment and management of risk is underpinned by effective partnership working.
• Victims and Survivors: Victims and survivors experience the timeliness and quality of Church bodies' responses to disclosures, and their subsequent support, as positively meeting their needs, including their search for justice and helping their healing process.
• Learning, Supervision and Support: All those engaged in safeguarding-related activity in Church bodies receive the type and level of learning, professional development, support and supervision necessary to respond to safeguarding situations, victims and survivors, and respondents, effectively.

Each Standard contains:

• A statement of the Standard itself.
• An explanation of why it is important.
• A series of 'What Good Looks Like' Indicators - these are detailed criteria that show how well a Standard is being achieved.
• Details of relevant House of Bishops' Guidance and Code, training, resources and tools that can be used to help gather data relevant to the indicators. These are important as they will equip Church bodies with the means to undertake quality assurance work locally, but also in a way that is consistent across other bodies.

It is not expected that every Church body will be able to meet every indicator overnight. The Standards set out the direction of travel and will enable Church bodies to identify both their strengths and areas for development, which will in turn inform their strategic planning in respect of safeguarding.

You can find out more about the Standards and some helpful resources here.

Social media community guidelines

A copy of our Social Media Policy is available as a download.

Our community guidelines have been created to encourage conversations that reflect our values. They apply to all content posted on the national social media accounts run by the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of York.

Social media is a very public way of enabling us as Christians to live out our calling to share the good news of Jesus Christ. One of its many joys is that it is immediate, interactive, conversational and open-ended. This opportunity comes with a number of downsides if users do not apply the same common sense, kindness and sound judgement that we would use in a face-to-face encounter.

While written specifically for all users who engage with the Church of England’s and Archbishops’ national social media channels, these guidelines are built on universal principles. They are a resource for Christians, people of other faiths and people of no faith. Dioceses and local churches across the Church of England are welcome and encouraged to adopt them.

By engaging with the Church of England and Archbishops’ social media accounts, you agree to:

• Be safe. The safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults must be maintained. If you have any concerns, ask a diocesan safeguarding adviser.
• Be respectful. Do not post or share content that is sexually explicit, inflammatory, hateful, abusive, threatening or otherwise disrespectful.
• Be kind. Treat others how you would wish to be treated and assume the best in people. If you have a criticism or critique to make, consider not just whether you would say it in person, but the tone you would use.
• Be honest. Don’t mislead people about who you are.
• Take responsibility. You are accountable for the things you do, say and write. Text and images shared can be public and permanent, even with privacy settings in place. If you’re not sure, don’t post it.
• Be a good ambassador. Personal and professional life can easily become blurred online so think before you post.
• Disagree well. Some conversations can be places of robust disagreement and it’s important we apply our values in the way we express them.
• Credit others. Acknowledge the work of others. Respect copyright and always credit where it is due. Be careful not to release sensitive or confidential information and always question the source of any content you are considering amplifying.
• Follow the rules. Abide by the terms and conditions of the various social media platforms themselves. If you see a comment that you believe breaks their policies, then please report it to the respective company.

How will we respond to people who breach our social media community guidelines?

The Church’s and Archbishops’ Communications teams may take action if they receive complaints or spot inappropriate, unsuitable or offensive material posted to the national social media accounts. This may include deleting comments, blocking users or reporting comments as appropriate.

Who do I speak to for further advice?

If you have a safeguarding concern, please follow the policies and procedures on this page or use this contact form.

The Church of England Communications department can be contacted via this page.

How we Protect your Data and Privacy

GDPR Guidelines

A copy of our Privacy Notice is available as a download.

The Parish of High Downs complies with current GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

This means that all data that we collect concerning a person’s (known as a data subject) identity and privacy, is treated with strict protection and security, and is subject to the person’s rights and privileges detailed below. We have a parish privacy notice available for download and consent forms are available, where consent is required.

Eight Rights of Data Subjects

1. The right to be informed

2. The right of access

3. The right to rectification

4. The right to erasure

5. The right to restrict processing

6. The right to data portability

7. The right to object

8. Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

The right to be informed. In order to ensure that personal data is processed fairly, PCCs must provide certain minimum information to data subjects, regarding the collection and further processing of their personal data. GDPR states that such information must be provided in a concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language.

The right of access. Data subjects have the right to file a subject access request (SAR) and obtain from PCCs, via the data compliance officer, a copy of their personal data; together with an explanation of the categories of data being processed, the purposes of such processing, and the categories of third parties to whom the data may be disclosed. GDPR requires PCCs to respond to SARs with information, including details of the period for which the data will be stored (or the criteria used to determine that period) and information about other rights of data subjects. SAR must be responded to within one month.

The right to rectification. Data subjects have the right to require PCCs to correct errors in

personal data held.

The right to erasure. Data subjects can request PCCs delete their personal data when the details are no longer needed for its original purpose, or where the processing is based on the consent and the data subject withdraws that consent (and no other lawful basis for the processing exists).

The right to restrict processing. This is a new feature of GDPR. In certain circumstances when personal data either cannot be deleted because the data is required for the purposes of exercising or defending legal claims or where the data subject does not wish to have the data deleted, the PCC may continue to store the data, but the purposes for which the data can be processed are strictly limited. E.g. A marriage certificate is a legal document and a data subject could not request the information is deleted.

The right to data portability. This is a new feature of GDPR. This permits the data subject to receive a copy of his or her personal data in a commonly used electronic format. E.g. Microsoft Word

The right to object. Data subjects have a right to object to processing of their personal data on certain grounds, in addition to the right to object to processing carried out for the purposes of profiling or direct marketing.

Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling. Data subjects have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing which significantly affect them. In reality, for PCCs automated decisions are unlikely to be an issue, but it is important to be aware of this right.

GDPR requires that personal data must be:

1. processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals;

2. collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be considered to be incompatible with the initial purposes;

3. adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed;

4. accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that inaccurate personal data is erased or rectified without delay;

5. kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed; personal data may be stored for longer periods insofar as the personal data will be processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes subject to implementation of the appropriate technical and organisational measures required by the GDPR in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals;

6. processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures.