National Policies and Guidance

Guidance from the national Church of England

The following documents represent the national Church of England policy. They have all been endorsed by the House of Bishops. They can be downloaded here or purchased from Church House Publishing - www.chpublishing.co.uk

Protecting All God's Children (4th edition, 2010) is the policy for safeguarding children in the Church of England.  It builds on the previous good work which has been undertaken since the Church of England first introduced its Child Protection Policy in 1995, and contains valuable advice and best practice for parishes in their work with children and young people. This document also confirms the role of the Diocese, and the diocesan Safeguarding Adviser.

Promoting a Safe Church (2006) is a companion volume of policy and guidance for safeguarding adults.

Responding Well to those who have been sexually abused (2011) is the policy and good practice document which provides guidance to the church to help us respond as positively and constructively as possible to anyone who has suffered abuse.

Responding to Domestic Abuse (2006) is an example of the church's commitment to those who have been victims of domestic abuse, and to addressing the processes that lead to domestic abuse. It is hoped that the guidance will help church communities address the issues in an informed way and be of use to anyone entrusted by victims, survivors or perpetrators to hear their story.

Working Together to safeguard children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (2013) has just been published. This is a simpler version than the last edition, and makes only minimal reference to faith communities. However, we are required to be aware of the guidance and ensure that our arrangements comply with the guidance in section 4. The document has been influenced by Professor Eileen Munro who has spoken extensively to children in her review of child protection in Local Authorities. These comments chime with those in Responding Well about listening carefully to those who have been hurt. 

Interim Guidance

The Church of England has issued interim guidelines for recruitment and selection of those working with children and/or vulnerable adults - Safeguarding Guidelines relating to Safer Recruitment (2010) - which can be downloaded here. This document will be finalised once the Freedoms Bill is in place, which may be later in 2013.  See the Safeguarding News page for updates on this publication.