Safeguarding at St Mary’s
As the Church & Safeguarding have recently been highlighted by events resulting in the resignation of Justin Welby, I thought it appropriate, as St Mary’s Parish Safeguarding Officer, to address this subject, and any concerns, here in the Newsletter.
I’m sure we have all been shocked and saddened to hear or read of past events involving John Smyth, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all victims who have suffered abuse within the Church.
But firstly, I want to reassure readers that the C of E now has in place a rigorous process to prevent any abuse taking place, and that our own Gloucester Diocese has a highly qualified and competent staff to deal with any past and present abuse cases.
Secondly, we must work to prevent abuse from happening. And a large part of abuse prevention involves training those within the church to recognise abuse and to know what steps to take, should it be encountered. This requires everyone with roles within the church to undertake appropriate safeguarding training. You may feel that your role within St Mary’s does not warrant safeguarding training (e.g. flower arranging, steward, choir member, bell ringer etc), but by not acknowledging the need for training, we are opening the door to abuse within the church. So keeping the Church safe is in the hands of all of us. For most people it involves spending 90 minutes doing an on-line course.
Hopefully that is not too much to ask. Please see following details of courses & how to access them. If you have any problems let me know.
Janet Edwards, Parish Safeguarding Officer