Safeguarding
Connect 2 Safeguarding Policy
Promoting a Safer Church
This statement was adopted by the leadership of Connect2 on 30/12/2020 and will be reviewed annual
(This document was last reviewed 28/08/2023)
Connect2, Community Church is a Fresh Expressions working under a Bishops Missional Order (BMO), awarded by the Bishop of Lichfield. At Connect2 we work under the national Church of England Safeguarding policy which ensures the protection of children and vulnerable adults in all we do. We are committed to caring and respectful pastoral care of all people, the safeguarding and protection of all children, young people and vulnerable adults. We also look to promote a caring and safe community within our local area. All people, including children and vulnerable adults have the right to be protected from harm and to have their welfare promoted. We recognise that anyone who is working within our ministry and that comes into contact with children and vulnerable adults has a responsibility to keep them safe and to promote their welfare.
- This policy will be reviewed each year to monitor the progress which has been achieved. We recognise that everyone has different levels of vulnerability and that each of us may be regarded as vulnerable at some time in our lives.
• We recognise that a position of power in relation to another creates a risk of vulnerability.
As a consequence we strive to ensure that we consider power when working and leading
with people.
• We recognise that children by virtue of legal status and dependency on adults for their
emotional and physical needs will always be vulnerable and at a disadvantage. We commit
to considering this in our children’s activities– undertaking supervision of staff working with
them and risk assessing activities and groups as a check and balance in our work.
• We understand that illness, disability, race, mental health and other issues can put adults
in a position of vulnerability. We accept that these can be long term (ongoing), or
temporary. We commit to considering this in our adults activities and events – undertaking
supervision of staff and risk assessing activities and groups as a check and balance in our
work.
• We commit to transparency in our actions and accountability for our work. - As active members of this BMO we commit ourselves to respectful pastoral care for all adults and children to whom we minister.
• We will consider issues relating to spiritual care in prayer activity, ensuring that members
of our prayer team consider power, control and spiritual abuse issues in their ministry.
• We will ensure that leaders who are involved with working with vulnerable persons have
appropriate enhanced DBS checks.
• We will ensure that appropriate safeguarding training will be offered to all our members
• We commit to discuss safeguarding and support of safeguarding as a leadership team - We commit ourselves to the safeguarding of people who may be vulnerable, ensuring their well-being in the life of this church. This will include:
• Sunday meetings
• Outreach work directly with the St. Anne’s Primary School
• Community events including the Connect2 Community Cafe
• Messy Church events
• House groups and prayer meetings - We commit ourselves to promoting safe practice by those in positions of trust.
• We will ensure that those with remits or leadership of groups involving vulnerable children
have appropriate enhanced DBS checks and that these are updated every 5 years.
• We will engage with appropriate training and seek to develop relationships with other
agencies and the diocese on safeguarding.
• Revision of the Safeguarding policy will be a regular point of discussion for the Connect2
leadership and we agree that whilst we have named co-ordinators we will accept collective
ownership for this important issue. - Connect2 commits itself to promoting the inclusion and empowerment of people who may be vulnerable.
• We will consider the impact of power, disadvantage, inclusion, gender, disability, age and
race on how we provide and plan our ministry.
• We will actively (but appropriately, challenge each other in our work in order to ensure we
consider a wide range of perspectives and views – ensuring that we do not oppressively
impose our own values or views to another’s detriment.
• Where a person struggles with activities due to disadvantage, disability or illness we will go
the extra mile to assist then so they can participate and contribute as a full part of the
church. - It is the responsibility of each of us to prevent the physical, emotional, sexual, financial and spiritual abuse of vulnerable people and to report any such abuse that we discover or suspect.
• We will not collude, keep secrets or make decisions when we have suspicion of abuse. We
will seek through discussion the views of others and ensure through use of external agencies
and the diocese safeguarding service that we engage and welcome perspectives in order to
promote a healthy accountable culture.
• We will report without bias to our personal view. We will report and not investigate.
• We will record concerns factually in diocese suggested formats (as per recording with care
policy 2017).
• We will not take chances with the welfare of children or vulnerable adults.
• We are open to scrutiny and encourage this in others.
• We have zero tolerance to abuse and put the welfare of vulnerable children and adults
first.
• We take seriously training and activities relating to the safeguarding of Children and seek
to engrain this in Connect2.
• Safeguarding co-ordination undertakes to maintain a relationship with diocese level
safeguarding team and ensure that the latest policies and guidelines are followed
Connect2 is committed to supporting, resourcing, training and regularly reviewing those
who undertake work amongst people who may be vulnerable. - Connect2 adopts the House of Bishops’ ‘Promoting a Safer Church; safeguarding policy statement’ and Lichfield Diocese guidance
• Connect2 will report and record in line with Diocese policies and comply with local
guidance for implementing national policies as defined in diocese polices. These include the
diocese safeguarding policy, recording with care policy, social media policy and safer
recruitment policy. - Each person who works with vulnerable people will agree to abide by these recommendations and the guidelines established by this church.
• Those working with vulnerable adults or children will sign a declaration to state that they
have read and agree to abide by the points outlined in this policy.
Our appointed safeguarding officers are:
Anne Collins (lead officer and initial contact for concerns) – safeguardingconnect2@gmail.com, Ian Wolvers and Alex Wolvers
Additional useful documents and links for safeguarding
Promoting a Safer Church; Safeguarding policy statement for children, young people and adults.
Connect2 leaders have adopted this policy statement within our own safeguarding policy. The policy statement actively underpins all safeguarding work with Connect2 as we drive to continually improve our safeguarding practice.
Click on the image below to download this important document:
Although Connect2 does not fit into the Parish structure that other local churches do; allowing for the constraints of our operating structure, the Connect2 leadership team adopt the policies and good practice that are laid down in the document below:
