The Church of the Good Shepherd's PCC takes its responsibilities for the protection of those who are vulnerable very seriously and has adopted the House of Bishop’s Promoting a Safer Church; Safeguarding Policy Statement which can be accessed by clicking HERE
It has also adopted, and annually reviews, a Policy Statement for the Protection of Children, and agreed Policies for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults and the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.
Copies of the Child Protection Statement, signed by our Priest and Churchwardens, can be found on the notice boards in the church porch and the church hall. Here's the updated version of our Parish Safeguarding Policy.
With the increase in electronic communication The Church of the Good Shepherd has adopted the Diocesan E-Safety Policy which can be accessed by clicking here E-Safety Policy
In line with national and diocesan guidelines, people who have unsupervised access to children and vulnerable adults through activities for which the Church is responsible, and those who are in positions of authority in the Parish, have been checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service with CCPAS Disclosure Service now known as Thirtyone:eight.
The Parish is committed to following best practice on protecting children and follow the Diocesan guidance Responding to Safeguarding Allegations which can be found by following this link Click here
Our key personnel ensure they are up to date through training and access to national and diocesan guidance. If you have any concerns about safeguarding vulnerable people or if you want to discuss matters, emotions or memories that the subject has raised for you, please feel free to call our Safeguarding Officer, David Edey, who can be reached on 07590 764900 or follow the links below.
If you are a child and you need to talk to someone about things that are happening to you that you don’t like, please click on this link which takes you the Childline website, or telephone Childline on 0800 1111
If you are an adult and you need to access support about something that is happening to you, please click on this link to find out how you can do that. Scroll down to find links to various support organisations for you to contact.
If you need to contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team, please click on this link
If you need to report a safeguarding concern to the statutory authorities in Sussex, please click on this link click on the option on the left that most describes the situation you are concerned about, and follow the advice and further links you find there. Please remember to contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team as well once you have contacted the statutory authorities.