Safeguarding Policy

Our vision
Making disciples of Christ through the word of God to the glory of God.
In fulfilling this vision, Upney Baptist Church (UBC):
1. Welcomes children and adults, including adults at risk.
2. Runs activities for children and adults.
3. Makes its premises available to organisations working with children and adults.
This Safeguarding Policy sets out a framework by which UBC will manage its responsibilities
in working with children and adults with particular reference to issues of abuse.
It gives guidance to the church leaders on:
1. The constitution and role of the UBC Safeguarding Team.
2. The appointment of workers for activities for children and young people.
3. The responsibilities of the church and its workers in relation to activities for children and
young people.
4. Procedures to be followed in cases of alleged abuse.
The Safeguarding Policy should be read in conjunction with UBC’s ‘Children and Young
People’s Work Best Practice Statement’.
The Safeguarding Team
The safeguarding team will comprise at least three members of whom at least one woman
and no more than one elder (normally the Pastor), including:
1. The Designated Person for Safeguarding (DPS) who will:
a) Inform and advise the church on matters related to the safeguarding of children and
adults at risk.
b) Ensure that all safeguarding policies and procedures are followed.
c) Assist the church in carrying out risk assessments for its various activities as
appropriate.
d) Take the appropriate action when abuse is disclosed, discovered or suspected.
e) Lead the safeguarding team.
2. The Deputy Designated Person for Safeguarding (DDPS) who will assist the DPS in the
carrying out of his/her functions.
3. The Pastor of UBC.
1 Child: anyone under the age of 18 years.
Adult at risk: anyone aged 18 or over who due to disability, mental function, age, illness, or traumatic
circumstances may not be able to take care of or protect themselves against the risk of significant harm,
abuse, bullying, harassment, mistreatment or exploitation.
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The DPS and DDPS will be proposed by the Elders of Upney Baptist Church and their
appointment confirmed by the Church Meeting following DBS checks.
The DPS will call the UBC Safeguarding Team to meet together at least once a year to review
the Safeguarding Policy and conduct an annual safeguarding review, and also whenever
specific issues arise.
UBC has appointed the following individuals to the UBC Safeguarding Team.
Designated Person for Safeguarding: Sue Parkin
Deputy Designated Person for Safeguarding: Victoria Clingen-Turner
If you have any concerns and needing to contact above Safeguarding Team, please email
upneybaptistsafeguarding@gmail.com.
Appointment, support and supervision of Children’s Workers
1. The appointment of all workers among children and young people at UBC is made by the
elders.
2. The Safeguarding Team will check all proposed workers with children and young people
before an appointment is made, as follows:
a) Formally asking the person whether there is anything they should disclose.
b) Intentionally observing and assessing their capabilities and suitability for the
proposed role over a period of at least three months prior to appointment.
c) Interview by the pastor to identify the person’s previous experiences of working with
children and young people, their understanding of the work, and the approach and
attitudes they bring to it.
d) Talking with reliable people within the church who know the person well, including
elders and close church friends, and, if appropriate, consultation with the leadership
of their previous church.
e) Requiring the person concerned to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
application or provide evidence of a current DBS check.
3. The UBC Safeguarding Team may give permission for a person to commence as a
children’s worker while awaiting the completion of a DBS check, subject to approval by
the elders.
4. The UBC Safeguarding Team will ensure that all workers receive appropriate training,
support and supervision in the safeguarding of children and adults at risk. This must
include an initial period of mentoring by a designated, experienced worker over a period
of at least three months, followed by a review.
5. Normally no-one under the age of 18 will be invited to work with children.
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Dealing with Abuse
A. Possible indicators of abuse
The following signs may (or may not) indicate that abuse has taken place. If a church worker
or church member is concerned about possible abuse of a child or an adult at risk, they
should speak to a member of the Safeguarding Team.
1. Signs which may indicate physical abuse of children or adults include:
a) Injuries which do not have an ‘accidental’ explanation.
b) Injuries which are not consistent with the explanation given for them.
c) Injuries which have not received medical attention.
d) Self-harming.
e) Neglect, including poor hygiene or inappropriate hunger.
2. Signs which may indicate sexual abuse of children include:
a) Any allegations made by a child concerning sexual abuse.
b) Excessive preoccupation with sexual matters and detailed knowledge of adult sexual
behaviour.
c) Sexual activity through words, play or drawing.
d) Sexually provocative or seductive behaviour with adults.
e) Inappropriate bed-sharing arrangements at home.
3. Emotional signs which may indicate some kind of abuse of children include:
a) Changes or regression in mood and behaviour (particularly where a person
withdraws or becomes clingy), depression or aggression.
b) Nervousness.
c) Sudden underachievement or lack of concentration.
d) Inappropriate relationships with peers and / or adults.
e) Attention-seeking behaviour.
f) Running away, stealing or lying.
4. Signs of financial abuse of adults at risk include:
a) Change in living conditions.
b) Lack of heating, clothing or food.
c) Inability to pay bills or unexplained shortage of money.
d) Unexplained withdrawals from an account.
e) Unexplained loss or misplacement of financial documents.
f) Sudden or unexpected changes in a will or other financial documents.
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B. Prevention and reporting of abuse
It is the duty of each church member, and especially of those involved in work with children
and young people, to seek to prevent the abuse of children and adults at risk, and to
respond to concerns about the well-being of children and adults at risk.
Any abuse disclosed, discovered or suspected must be reported in accordance with UBC
safeguarding procedures.
1. Where a children’s worker or church member suspects from either direct observation,
from allegation by a third party, directly from the child or adult at risk, or from a
parent/carer, that a child or adult at risk known to the church is suffering or has suffered
abuse, the matter must be referred immediately to the DPS or other member of the UBC
Safeguarding Team.
Should no member of the Safeguarding Team be available, the children’s worker or
church member must not delay a referral but should contact an elder or deacon without
delay.
2. Church workers or members should not seek to investigate a concern or allegation
themselves. They should report any issues to a member of the Church Safeguarding
Team
3. Church workers or members should not discuss a concern or allegation of abuse or
neglect of a child with the child’s parents or carers, nor a concern or allegation of abuse
of an adult at risk with a member of their family or with their carer.
4. Confidentiality about the concern and about those involved must be maintained at all
times. Details of the issue should be reported only to a member of the Church
Safeguarding Team and to no-one else.
5. Church workers or members who have a concern or allegation of abuse or neglect
should write up full notes of all reported incidents and related conversations as soon as
possible after the event, and sign and date them. Copies must be confidential and given
to the DPS and UBC Safeguarding Team only.
6. Should a parent or carer make an allegation of abuse by another person to a children’s
worker or church member, the parent or carer should be advised the following:
a) Not to inform the alleged perpetrator.
b) To inform Barking & Dagenham local authority immediately.
c) That the children’s worker or church member to whom the allegation was made will
notify the UBC Safeguarding Team, and the Team will deal with it in accordance with
UBC’s Safeguarding Policy.
7. In all cases the DPS will collect details of the allegation or concern and, in agreement
with the Pastor, will ensure that where appropriate the incident or suspicion of abuse is
speedily communicated to the Barking and Dagenham local authority.
a) In the case of abuse of children this would be:
Assessment Team
Ground floor, Roycraft House, 15 Linton Road, Barking IG11 8HE
020 8227 3811
childrenss@lbbd.gov.uk
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b) In the case of vulnerable adults it would be:
Adult social care intake and access team
020 8227 2915
intaketeam@lbbd.gov.uk
8. The Pastor will inform the leadership of UBC and will organise and undertake pastoral
care and support for all those affected by the incident.
9. The church must notify the DBS if someone is asked to step down from involvement in a
church activity because they have harmed, or might have gone on to harm, a child or
adult at risk, or if they stepped down for such reasons.
10. If an accusation is made against a member of the Safeguarding Team the Elders of
Upney Baptist Church will suspend that person from membership of the Team and
appoint a provisional replacement.
Communication of the Safeguarding Policy
1. A copy of the UBC Safeguarding Policy will be displayed permanently on the church
noticeboard, in the church office and on the church website.
2. Each worker who works with children and or adults at risk will be given a copy of the
UBC Safeguarding Policy and will be asked to sign in confirmation that they have read
and will follow it.
3. A copy of the UBC Safeguarding Policy will be made available on request to any member
of, or other person associated with, the church.
4. The UBC Safeguarding Policy will be monitored and reviewed annually by the
Safeguarding Team and their conclusions communicated to the leadership of UBC. Any
necessary revisions will be adopted into the policy and implemented through UBC
procedures.
5. The UBC Safeguarding Team will also conduct an annual safeguarding review who will
report the findings of the review to the leadership of UBC and then to the UBC Annual
General Meeting.
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Upney Baptist Church
Children and Young People’s Work Best Practice Statement
The members of Upney Baptist Church (UBC) seek to achieve best practice in the Children
and Young People’s work by:
1. Providing a loving and caring environment in which to reach out to children and young
people.
2. Teaching children and young people the Gospel, so that they will know and understand
it, and be able to respond to it.
3. Discipling children and young people by applying the Bible in an appropriate way, and
encouraging personal prayer and Bible reading.
4. Preparing children and young people for integration and service in the church, and
giving them an awareness of world mission.
Standards and Procedures for Children’s and Young People’s Workers
A. Standards
Children’s and Young People’s workers are looked up to by both the children in their care
and their parents. This means they must adopt the highest Christian standards at all times.
Accordingly they commit themselves:
1. To live in close relationship with Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
2. As members of UBC to teach nothing that conflicts with UBC’s doctrinal statement.
3. As teachers to realise their own need to be taught, and so to endeavour to attend the
services and meetings of the church as regularly as possible.
4. To take time to prepare thoroughly for each activity.
5. To attend the prayer meetings and training for their activity or group.
6. To co-operate and work in harmony with other team members.
7. To pray for the conversion of the members of their children’s or youth group; to seek to
lead them to accept Christ; and to encourage those who are already Christians and seek
to build them up in their faith.
B. Procedures
1. Child protection
a) Children’s and Young People’s workers must read, accept and apply the UBC
Safeguarding Policy, and indicate their understanding and acceptance by signing it.
b) They must also complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application.
c) All church activities for children must keep up to date registers of children attending
with contact numbers.
d) The NSPCC recommends the following adult to child ratios for voluntary
organisations. It may not always be possible to adhere exactly to these
recommended ratios but every effort should be made to achieve the best level of
supervision of children at all times.
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Aged 0 – 2 years: 1 adult to 3 children.
Aged 2 – 3 years: 1 adult to 4 children.
Aged 4 – 8 years: 1 adult to 6 children.
Aged 9 – 12 years: 1 adult to 8 children.
Aged 13 – 18 years: 1 adult to 10 children.
2. Self-Protection
a) Children’s and Young People’s activities will be subject to random visitation by a
member of the Safeguarding Team.
b) Staffing teams for mixed activities must include at least one male and at least one
female.
c) Leaders should at all times avoid being alone with a child and ensure they are within
sight and hearing of others.
d) If only one child arrives for a church activity, the activity should not proceed.
e) Church workers must not use any form of inappropriate physical contact or physical
form of discipline. Touch should be age-appropriate and generally initiated by a child
or young person rather than a church worker.
f) Church workers should ensure that parents / carers give permission for church
workers to change their child’s nappies.
3. Transporting young people
a) Where possible parents should be encouraged to drop off and collect their children
from activities.
b) The overall leader of each activity is responsible for the supervision of all transport
situations and for knowing how each child is travelling home from an activity.
c) When a child has to be taken home by a leader, a one leader / one child situation
should be avoided. It is reasonable to expect that drivers may be alone with a child
for short periods (for example, when dropping off the last child) but they should not
spend unnecessary time alone with a child.
d) Children / adults at risk should not be taken on church trips unless explicit
permission from the parents / carers has been obtained in writing in advance by the
activity leader.
e) Church workers transporting children and adults at risk must have held a full driving
licence for a minimum of two years. They must also have adequate insurance and
the vehicle should be fully roadworthy.
f) All children carried as passengers in cars are subject to the national legal
requirements, including the driver’s legal responsibility to ensure that children have
the appropriate age-related safety restraints in place.
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4. Toilets
If the children’s or young people’s group includes both boys and girls there should be at
least one male and one female responsible adult available to supervise visits to the toilet
where appropriate. If a worker needs to assist a child in the toilet another adult should be
informed.
5. Risk assessments
With the assistance of the DPS risk assessments should be carried out for each children’s
and young people’s activity and any necessary additional policies and procedures drawn up.
6. What happens if –
a) You suspect a child is being abused emotionally, physically or sexually?
Tell the group leader and UBC Safeguarding Team. Write down any facts that
support your suspicions and sign and date your notes.
Do not tell anyone else.
b) A child discloses to you abuse by someone else?
Allow the child to speak without interruption but do not investigate.
Pass no judgement but try to alleviate feelings of guilt and isolation. Advise that
you will try to offer support, but that you will have to pass the information on.
Tell the group leader and UBC Safeguarding Team. Write down what the child
said, using their words, and sign and date your notes.
Do not tell anyone else.
c) You receive an allegation about any adult or about yourself?
Tell the UBC Safeguarding Team immediately.
Write down what has been communicated and sign and date your notes.
Try to ensure no-one is placed in a position which could cause further
compromise.
Do not tell anyone else.
You must refer. You must not investigate. You must preserve confidentiality.
7. Telephone and electronic communication with children and adults at risk
Telephone and electronic communications are helpful but present potential risks that
should be explicitly considered by church workers.
In general, telephone and electronic communication with children and adults at risk should
be short and purposeful, using an appropriate, but not over-familiar tone and not suggesting
or offering a special or private relationship.
8. Photographs of children and adults at risk
The storage and use of images by the church is subject to the legal requirements of the Data
Protection Act. The church should not store or use for publicity purposes photographs of
any person without their consent, and of any child without the consent of their parents.
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9. Some practical dos and don’ts
a) All those involved in work among children and young people must:
Provide a godly, Christian example that they would wish others to follow.
Treat everyone with respect.
Respect a young person’s right to personal privacy.
Provide safe access for young people to talk about any concerns they may have.
Enable young people and adults to feel comfortable and secure enough to point
out attitudes and behaviour they do not like.
Plan activities which involve more than one other person being present, or which
are at least well within sight or hearing of others.
Avoid physical horseplay such as wrestling or tickling.
Remember that someone else might misinterpret their actions, no matter how
well intentioned.
Recognise that special caution is required in sensitive moments of counselling,
such as when dealing with bullying, bereavement or abuse.
b) All those involved in work among children and young people must not:
Permit abusive youth peer activities (e.g. initiation ceremonies, ridiculing,
bullying).
Use physical forms of discipline.
Engage in any inappropriate physical or verbal contact with others.
Jump to conclusions about other people and their actions without checking facts.
Allow themselves to be drawn into inappropriate attention-seeking behaviour
such as tantrums or crushes.
Exaggerate or trivialise child abuse issues.
Show favouritism to any individual.
Make suggestive remarks or gestures.
Rely on just their good name to protect them.
Believe that ‘it could never happen to me’.
I agree to adhere to and follow the rules as stated in this document:
Name:
Signature:
Date: