OUR SAFEGUARDING
COMMITMENT

Every human being has a value which we acknowledge as coming directly from God's creation of male and female in his own image and likeness. We believe therefore that all people should be valued, supported and protected from harm. We recognise the personal dignity and rights of vulnerable people towards whom the Church has a special responsibility.

The Catholic Church and its individual members will undertake appropriate steps to maintain a safe environment for all, by practising fully and positively Christ's Ministry towards children, young people and adults and responding sensitively and compassionately to their needs in order to help keep them safe from harm. This is demonstrated by the provision of carefully planned activities for children, young people and adults, caring for those hurt by abuse and ministering to and robustly managing those who have caused harm.

The Catholic Church of England and Wales, the Bishops and Religious Congregational Leaders are committed to safeguarding as an integral part of the life and ministry of the Church and affirm a ‘One Church’ approach[1] to safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk through the promotion of a sustained culture of constant vigilance. The 'best interests' or 'paramount chief principle', which underpins and is enshrined in child and adult protection legislation, shall be the primary consideration in all matters of safeguarding. This ‘One Church’ approach should also be adopted by lay associations of the faithful ministering to children and adults at risk in the name of the Catholic Church. 

The Catholic Church has in place a National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC), which is an independent body working within the framework of the Church in England and Wales. It is mandated by the Conference of Bishops and Conference of Religious Congregations and has accountability across Dioceses and Religious Congregations to ensure that standards are met and policies are implemented. Established in 2008, the NCSC sets the strategic direction of the Church’s safeguarding policy for children, young people and adults at risk. It is also responsible for developing quality assurance processes which includes monitoring and auditing the compliance of the Church with safeguarding procedures. The NCSC is leading on the development of pastoral support services on a national basis and is informed by the Survivor Advisory Panel which it has established to ensure that the voices of survivors and victims of abuse informs the work of the NCSC.

The Church authorities always report allegations of abuse to the statutory agencies in accordance with national procedures to ensure that they are dealt with promptly and properly, and where appropriate, perpetrators are held to account. The Church will act in an open, transparent and accountable way in working in partnership with social care services, the Police, health agencies, probation services and other relevant agencies to safeguard children and adults at risk and assist in bringing to justice anyone who has committed an offence against a child or adult.

The Church seeks to ensure that its parishes, religious congregations and lay associations of the faithful acting in the name of the Church have the confidence to enable vulnerable people to have peace of mind, knowing they will be cared for and loved by their Christian community. All churches, faith communities and lay associations that are working in the name of the Church with children and adults at risk are expected to have in place arrangements which include:

  • Procedures to respond to and report concerns and allegations

  • Codes of conduct

  • Safer recruitment procedures

  • Information sharing arrangements

  • Support and supervision of staff and volunteers

  • Training on safeguarding

At the St Vincent’s Mission Hub, as part of the Diocese of Hallam, we are aligned with and follow the National Safeguarding Procedures that are set by the Catholic safeguarding Advisory Service, which can be located on the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service Website in their Procedure Manual section.  

There is a designated Chaplaincy Safeguarding Representative appointed for St Vincent’s Mission Hub. The Chaplaincy representative is Mary Phillips who can be contacted by clicking the button below:

The Safeguarding Office at the Diocese of Hallam consists of a Safeguarding Coordinator, an Assistant to the Safeguarding Coordinator and a Database and Administration Assistant.

The St Vincent’s Mission Hub, as the location for the University Chaplaincy Service are also linked into the Safeguarding Policies of the Universities.  This will mean that if a Safeguarding issue arises for a student parishioner, that the Diocesan Safeguarding Coordinator and the Safeguarding Lead for the University will work together to decide who and how each situation will be handled in the best interests of each student parishioners individual needs.


[1] The One Church approach refers to the commitment by the Church in England and Wales to using the same policies, procedures, standards and systems in relation to safeguarding. 

FURTHER RESOURCES

The Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service has developed a new
Resource Pack which contains a summary of National Procedures
to be followed by all those involved when responding to concerns
or allegations of abuse about a child, young person or adult at
risk within the Catholic Church of England and Wales.

This should be read in conjunction with CSAS procedures,
especially the Creating A Safe Environment section
and local guidance regarding current policies and procedures.

E-LEARNING PROGRAMMES

The Catholic Trust for England and Wales has purchased a package of
e-learning programmes available to all members of the
Catholic community free of charge. This is part of the Church’s ongoing
commitment to safeguarding.