Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at St John’s. We want everyone from the youngest child to the oldest adult to feel happy and safe as they participate in the life of the church.

Caring for one another is the responsibility of the whole church. If you have a particular concern that you wish to share then please contact any of the following:

Parish Safeguarding Officer: Rosanne Bond by email [email protected] or phone 01483 579462

Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser: Jackie Broadfoot by email [email protected] or phone 07918 559387

Safeguarding at St John’s:

We adhere to the strict guidelines set out by the Diocese of Guildford as detailed in its safeguarding policy which can be found here. In addition to the Diocesan policy the Parochial Church Council (PCC) adopted the Church of England’s Safeguarding Policy, Promoting A Safer Church in May 2020. This policy can be found here.

Volunteers working with children and/or vulnerable adults are carefully recruited. For those helping on a regular basis we carry out a full criminal record check known as a DBS. Job descriptions and safeguarding training are provided to ensure that they are clear on the church’s expectation in their roles and that they know what to do if they have any concerns.

Reporting A Safeguarding Concern:

If you are concerned that a child or an adult is, or may be, at risk of abuse then you should report it without delay to the Rector or the Parish Safeguarding Officer. Contact details are given above.

If it is a non emergency situation then please make contact either by telephone or email. We will then contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser to ensure that we respond appropriately. We will do everything we can to support the person at risk.

If it is an emergency situation and you believe the child or adult is in immediate danger of significant harm then you should call 999 before reporting it to the Rector or Parish Safeguarding Officer.

For further information contact Rosanne Bond Parish Safeguarding Officer either by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone on 01483 579462

You can also contact the Rector, Rev. Tim Clifford Hill on 01483 572207 or by e-mail at [email protected]

Support Helplines:

If you wish to speak with someone outside the church then you might find that one of the following help lines could be of assistance.

∙ NSPCC for adults concerned about a child – 0808 800 5000

∙ Childline for children and young people – 0800 1111

∙ Action on Elder Abuse helpline – 0808 808 8141

∙The Silver Line dedicated to older people – 0800 4 70 80 90