A very short update this month with more information regarding the policy and its changes next month!

Safeguarding Policy

We (the Diocesan Safeguarding team and the NSPCC) have now completed the long process of rewriting our Safeguarding policy (hurrah I hear you say!)

This has taken longer than we would have liked but we are now happy with the end result. Currently, the policy is with senior staff and a group of others representative across the Diocese, for consultation.

On completion of this, clergy (along with church wardens and PCC secretaries) will receive an email outlining some of the new changes so that you have time to consider these and ‘get things in place’ before the official launch date.

Diocesan Safeguarding Team (DST)

This team composes:

• The Ven Dr Bill Jacob, Archdeacon of Charing Cross and Portfolio Holder for Safeguarding
• Paula Bailey, Head of HR
• Sam Donoghue, Children’s Ministry Advisor and
• Sheryl Kent, Diocesan Lead Safeguarding Officer

We are also currently finalising membership of the Steering Group – watch this space for further details.

Covenant of Care

In the July update I mentioned the above document. This can be used in parishes when:

• You / someone else has seen specific behaviours that are worrying;
• an allegation has been made but there hasn’t been sufficient evidence for the police to be able to follow it up;
• the person has been suspended from his / her role pending further investigations; or
• the person is under investigation and / or awaiting trial.

This must always be done after full consultation with the DST – contact me in the first instance if you have a concern (sheryl.kent (Email: sheryl.kent [at] london.anglican.org)).

Safeguarding Policy – latest

We now have the third draft of this document! A meeting is planned for the end of the month to ‘iron out’ the final details after which it will be sent to a small group of people to ensure that there is ease of access to the different sections and that they are clear. Fingers crossed for a September launch still!

Changes resulting from the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

Changes contained in this act affect all organisations who engage people to work with vulnerable groups. This is work which a barred person must not do (called ‘regulated activity) or work for which the organisation can obtain a CRB check.

We now have further details of the changes which come into effect on 10^th September 2012, the major changes are:

• A new definition of regulated activity – see below;
• The repeal of controlled activity – not relevant to the diocese;
• The repeal of registration and continuous monitoring – not relevant to the diocese (this was never introduced);
• The repeal of additional information – see below;
• The introduction of a minimum age (16) for a CRB disclosure – see below;
• A more rigorous ‘relevancy test’ for when police release locally held information on an enhanced CRB disclosure – see below.

How will this affect the Diocese?

New definition of regulated activity relating to children

The area that our workers (both paid and voluntary) would fall under is:

1. Unsupervised activities: teach, train, instruct, care for or supervise children (under 18′s) or provide advice / guidance on well-being or drive a vehicle solely for children when done regularly.

It is unlikely that any church worker would fall into the other categories of regulated activity.

New definition of regulated activity relating to vulnerable adults

This area has the biggest change. An adult is no longer ‘labelled’ as vulnerable; instead the definition now identifies the activities which, if any adult requires them, lead to them being considered as vulnerable at that particular time. This means the focus is on the activity required and not on the setting that it takes place in. There is now no definition of frequency – once is enough to qualify for a CRB disclosure. As with children, most areas will not apply to church workers; those that may are:

1. Assistance with cash, bills and/or shopping – The provision of assistance to an adult because of their age, illness or disability, if that includes managing the persons cash, paying their bills or shopping on their behalf.
2. Conveying – A person who transports an adult because of their age, illness or disability either to or from their place of residence and a place where they have received or will be receiving health care, personal care or social care; or between places where they will be receiving health care, personal care or social care. This does not include family friends or taxi drivers.

Repeal of additional information

Under the Police Act 1997, forces can provide additional information to the employer but not

the applicant – this is sometimes referred to as ‘brown envelope’ information as it arrived separately to the CRB disclosure in a brown envelope! This provision will no longer exist but the police can still provide extra information if they think it relevant under their common law powers.

Minimum age

We will no longer be able to request a CRB disclosure for anyone under the age of 16. Anyone under the age of 18 must not be in charge of a group and should only be helping out in a supporting role; never being left alone with vulnerable groups. If there under 18′s helping out in your church groups it is essential that they are fully supervised at all times.

Disclosure of local police information

This happens currently but the police will now have to apply a more rigorous test for relevancy (to the position applied for) before deciding to include information that they hold. This appears on the disclosure certificate so the applicant is fully aware of its existence.

How does this affect current practice?

CRB requests for those working with children must still be made. ALL those working regularly with children’s (under 18′s) groups should have a disclosure carried out. In future the role in part ‘x’ of the form (completed by the evidence checker) should read either ‘children’s group leader’, ‘youth group leader’ or ‘Sunday school leader’.

The number of CRB requests for those working with ‘vulnerable adults’ will fall considerably; this is because the applicant will have to meet the new criteria. It will only be those who shop or who provide transport (as part of a church organised team of drivers) to and from hospital appointments for those adults needing that support due to age, illness or disability.

Other changes?

There are other proposed changes about which we are still awaiting further information. We do know that at the start of December 2012 the CRB (criminal records bureau) and the ISA (independent safeguarding authority) will merge and become the DBS (disclosure and barring service). Also in “early 2013″ there will be an ‘update service’ available (for a “small” fee) to make portability possible. There are also plans for just a single certificate to be issued to the applicant and none to the ‘employer’. As soon as we know further details about these areas, this information will be passed on.

New website

A new Church of England web site has been launched recently which aims to help those supporting people with mental health issues: www.mentalhealthmatters-cofe.org. It is still being completed but offers a variety of resources and organisations to go to for support.

Safeguarding Policy

Our new Safeguarding Policy is now in draft form and we have begun to modify it. It is important that we get this right and that the policy is both informative (whilst not resembling ‘War and Peace’!) and easy to access for both clergy and laity. This is likely to mean that it won’t be available as early as I’d hoped but I still hope to publish it on the website by early September. The new policy encompasses both children and vulnerable adults and there will be supporting guidance/documents that will run alongside. It is the intention to have printed copies of this in all parishes.

Offender Agreements

Our Offender agreement has now been updated in line with the national policy and a protocol provided to guide clergy and others through the process. This will be placed on the website with some guidance notes at the end of this month. We are also developing a ‘Covenant of Care’ which can be used with those who don’t have a conviction but are a cause for concern due to behaviour witnessed in the parish / diocese. [Read more...]

Hopefully you will all now be aware that the Diocese is working with the NSPCC to review and improve our safeguarding practices and support; the Bishop of London formally announced this in his letter on 6 January.

We would very much like to hear from parishioners, including children and young people, within your worshipping community and the Diocese is seeking your help with this. I hope that you will be able to help by distributing, collecting and returning safeguarding questionnaires which are in three formats: one for those with key roles or responsibilities for children and/or vulnerable adults (clergy, children’s workers and advocates, youth workers etc); one for adult parishioners and one which is more accessible for children. If young people would prefer, they can complete the adult version of the questionnaire and should be encouraged and supported to complete whichever version they are more comfortable with.  Your clergy and children’s advocates will have been emailed (or sent) copies of these.

These questionnaires can also be accessed and completed online if you forward the online link to anyone who is happy to use this format which takes only 5-10 minutes to complete.  The links to each of the questionnaires are below:

• Children’s survey
• Clergy, children’s advocates, those with key roles with children and young people etc:
• Adult parishioners

It is vital that, if we are to move forward in the right direction, we receive as many responses as possible. [Read more...]

We have received notification from the CRB that with effect from 6 April 2011, the cost of a disclosure for a paid worker will increase to £44 per application (currently £36).

Volunteer disclosures will continue to be free.

The CRB have explained that the increase is linked to the government’s recent decision to scale back the Vetting and Barring scheme and the direct administration costs of the retained elements of the CRB system.

Therefore, to confirm, with effect from 6 April, if you submit a CRB application form for a paid worker please make the cheque payable to the LDF to the sum of £44 per application.