Safeguarding Policy

Please refer to Services, the Calendar or News/Notices for details of our services

If you would like pastoral support, get in touch via the church Facebook page or by phoning the vicar (01482 443566).


The Safeguarding Policy of St Alban's, Hull.

"The parish of Hull: St Alban's is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer, PSO. The Diocese of York’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) who advise our PSO. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the DSA. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services."


SAFEGUARDING POLICY & PROCEDURES

PROMOTING A SAFER CHURCH

The following policy & procedures were reviewed and agreed at the Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting held on 8th July 2025.

POLICY

This document sets out St. Alban’s safeguarding policy and guidance related to safeguarding children, young people and adults who may be vulnerable. It has been informed by, and is compliant with, Church of England policy and practice guidance

“Under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, all authorised clergy, bishops, archdeacons, licensed readers and lay workers, churchwardens and PCCs must have ‘due regard’ to safeguarding guidance issued by the House of Bishops (this will include both policy and practice guidance). A duty to have ‘due regard’ to guidance means that the person under the duty is not free to disregard it but is required to follow it unless there are cogent reasons for not doing so. (‘Cogent’ for this purpose means clear, logical and convincing.) Failure by clergy to comply with the duty imposed by the 2016 Measure may result in disciplinary action”.

Taken from “Promoting a Safer Church” (2017), Church of England

In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy our church is committed to:

  • Promoting a safer environment and culture.

  • Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the church.

  • Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.

  • Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons.

  • Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.

  • Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.

PROCEDURES

The Parish will:

  • Create a safe and caring place for all.

  • Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and the PCC to implement policy and procedures.

  • Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.

  • Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish.

  • Display in church premises and on the Parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs. These can be found in the porch, parish notice board.

  • Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse.

  • Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, following House of Bishops guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) and statutory agencies immediately.

  • Offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.

  • Care for and monitor any member of the church community who may pose a risk to children and adults whilst maintaining appropriate confidentiality and the safety of all parties.

  • Ensure that health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place, reviewed annually and ensure they are suitable and sufficient to create a safe environment for all.

  • Review the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices at least annually.

Risk Assessments and Further Guidance

All new activities should be thoroughly risk assessed. All identified risks should be responded to, with a plan to mitigate against the risk drafted and actions taken. Consider who you need to share the risk assessment and plan with. If the risks are too great and/or cannot be mitigated against, this should be discussed with the Health and safety PCC Lead and the Parish Safeguarding Officer. Lack of a resolution may result in the planned event needing to be cancelled or redesigned.

We recommend having at least 2 adults present when working with or supervising children and young people.

Those working with children and young people should never:

  •  Spend excessive time alone with children, young people or vulnerable adults
  •  Give lifts to children on their/your own, unless it is an emergency and there is no alternative – in which case, inform someone of your action, make a record of the action and why it occurred as soon as possible.
  •  Discuss their personal life
  •  Give out their personal contact details (personal phone or mobile number, email or home address)
  •  Become ‘friends’ on personal accounts on social networking sites, or engage in private messaging unless they are related to the child
  •  Leave groups of children or young people unsupervised
  •  Allow a child, young person or vulnerable adult to use inappropriate language without challenging it
  •  Do things of a personal nature that children, young people or vulnerable adults can do for themselves (If a child has a disability any tasks should be performed only with the full understanding and consent of the parent or guardian and, where possible, the child or young person themselves)
  •  Allow allegations made by a child, young person or vulnerable adult to be ignored, not recorded or not acted upon
  •  Engage in rough physical or sexually provocative games
  •  Make sexually suggestive or other inappropriate comments, even in fun
  •  Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching
  •  Reduce a child, young person or vulnerable adult to tears as a form of control

Each person who works within this church community will agree to abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this church.

This church has appointed Mr Jim Weller as the Parish Safeguarding Officer

Incumbent: Fr. Graham Thornalley

Churchwardens: Dr Ian Franklin, Geraldine Rainey Date: 8.7.25


Incumbent: Revd Graham Thornalley            Churchwardens: Ian Franklin and Geraldine Rainey

Safeguarding_Policy_2019, PDF

Download