Safeguarding
At St Mary Magdalene Church Enfield we place a high priority on safeguarding the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being of all our children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Our Safeguarding Officer is David Bird (pictured)
Email David
In an emergency or out of hours
0800 731 9256 Diocese of London dedicated helpline (NSPCC)
PCC Safeguarding Policy Statement
Every person has a value and dignity which comes directly from the creation of male and female in God’s own image and likeness. Christians see this potential as fulfilled by God’s re-creation of us in Christ. This implies a duty to value all people as bearing the image of God and therefore to protect them from harm.
- We accept and endorse the principles set out in ‘Safeguarding in the Diocese of London’.
- We commit ourselves to nurture, protect and safeguard all our members, particularly children, young people and vulnerable adults.
- We recognise that safeguarding is the responsibility of the whole church community.
- We undertake to exercise proper care in the selection, appointment, training and support of those working in both paid and voluntary positions with children or vulnerable adults, including the use of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosures and making appropriate referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
- We will respond without delay to concerns or allegations that a child or vulnerable adult may have been harmed, cooperating with the police and social care services in any investigation.
- We will challenge any abuse of power by anyone in a position of trust.
- We will seek to offer pastoral care and support to anyone who has suffered abuse, developing with them appropriate pastoral support.
- We will seek to offer pastoral care and support, including supervision and referral to the proper authorities, to any member of our church community known to have offended against a child, young person or vulnerable adult.
If you have any concerns...
| Concerns | Action |
|---|---|
| Recognise | the signs that could indicate abuse is happening to a child / young person / vulnerable adult |
| Respond | sensitively to the person and listen to what they have to say, don’t ask closed questions or attempt to investigate |
| Record | what you have been told factually and accurately using the language used by the person disclosing within an hour |
| Report | immediately to your Church Safeguarding Officer who will know who to seek support from |
| Refer | to the appropriate statutory authority and the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser |
Diocesan Safeguarding Team
Your Diocesan Safeguarding Team (DST)
We have a team of Safeguarding experts here to support you. Our Safeguarding Team can be contacted during office hours, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm via:
Email: safeguarding@london.anglican.org
Telephone: 020 7932 1224
Safeguarding roles and responsibilities
Please follow this link to read more about the safeguarding structure, roles and responsibilities within the Diocese of London.
Safeguarding advice and concerns
The Diocesan Safeguarding Team seeks to ensure a Safer Diocese by providing professional safeguarding advice and support to all our worshipping communities in line with House of Bishops Practice Guidance.
Any safeguarding advice and concerns raised in parishes should initially be brought to the attention of the Church Safeguarding Officer or the Incumbent, who can seek advice from the DST. Other areas of the Diocese (e.g. chaplaincies) should contact the DST directly.
Safeguarding concerns can be raised by phone or by email.
- Concerns raised via email should be sent to our Safeguarding Inbox in the first instance
- Alternatively, to speak to a member of the safeguarding team, please call our Safeguarding Helpline (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) on 020 7932 1224
- If you wish to speak to a specific member of the team, please find their contact details below
If you have immediate concerns about someone’s safety, please contact the police or your local authority Children or Adult Social Care Services.
Out of hours advice can be sought from the Thirtyone:eight helpline on 0303 003 1111, selecting option 2. Thirtyone:eight is an independent charity which works in close partnership with the DST. The DST receives notification of any advice given by Thirtyone:eight.
The Diocese of London take complaints about our work and quality of service in all aspects of safeguarding seriously. We view complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve the support that we offer to parishes. If you are not satisfied with the service you have received, please follow this process.
Email the Safeguarding Team
