Safeguarding
As a church St George’s takes ‘safeguarding’ seriously. We will promote the welfare of children, young people and adults. We will work to prevent abuse from occurring. We will seek to protect those that are at risk of being abused and respond well to those that have been abused. We will take care to identify where a person may present a risk to others and offer support to them whilst taking steps to mitigate such risks
At St George's we have an excellent safeguarding officer (Bob Price) whose details can be found at both the church and hall. Bob's email address is [email protected] and you can phone him on 01243 530270.
As a parish church we work within the policies of the Church of England and details of those policies and the guidance can be found here
In addition our own Diocese's guidelines are available here. There is a Safeguarding Team who can be contacted at Church House, Hove on 01273 421 021, and via the generic safeguarding email address [email protected]
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, but people sometimes hesitate to raise issues because they think "What if I'm wrong?". But "What if you're right?" In short - if you are unsure seek advice.
If you are concerned there are helpful guidelines on what you can do here to help you respond to some of the most common safeguarding situations that you might encounter. Each section gives some straightforward advice, and some links that you can follow to seek further help or to make a report.
Finally if you remain concerned at how we are responding to concerns there is a Whistleblowing Policy and Procedure, a copy of which can be downloaded below.
How we interact with each other
Recognising the risks inherent in modern social media we have also signed up the Church of England’s voluntary pledge to help make social media and the web more widely positive places for conversations to happen and make the digital world as loving and generous as we would when speaking face to face. The guidance from Chichester Guidance can be found here, and in summary our aim is for:
1. Truth - we should hold ourselves to high ideals of checking that what we post online is fair and factual.
2. Kindness - we are all different and that makes the world an interesting place – and at times a challenging one. Think the best of people, whether they share our views or are speaking against them and aim to be constructive in the way we engage.
3. Welcome - in the language we use and the way we interact. It’s easy for Christians to speak in another language using words that those outside the Church might not relate to.
4. Inspiration - we are called to be witnesses of our faith and to use social media in a way that genuinely engages others.
5. Togetherness - we are one Church and other members of this Church are our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is crucial we treat those around us in this way.
6. Safeguarding - if you have any concerns about the wellbeing of children, young people and vulnerable adults, please contact the relevant diocesan safeguarding adviser.
And we have also agreed to follow guidelines to encourage conversations that reflect our values
Be safe. The safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults must be maintained. If you have any concerns, ask a diocesan safeguarding adviser.
Be respectful. Do not post or share content that is sexually explicit, inflammatory, hateful, abusive, threatening or otherwise disrespectful.
Be kind. Treat others how you would wish to be treated and assume the best in people. If you have a criticism or critique to make, consider not just whether you would say it in person, but the tone you would use.
Be honest. Don’t mislead people about who you are.
Take responsibility. You are accountable for the things you do, say and write. Text and images shared can be public and permanent, even with privacy settings in place. If you’re not sure, don’t post it.
Be a good ambassador. Personal and professional life can easily become blurred online so think before you post.
Disagree well. Some conversations can be places of robust disagreement and it’s important we apply our values in the way we express them.
Credit others. Acknowledge the work of others. Respect copyright and always credit where it is due. Be careful not to release sensitive or confidential information and always question the source of any content you are considering amplifying.