Safeguarding Policy Changes

IMPORTANT POLICY UPDATE FOR PARISH SAFEGUARDING OFFICERS

The National Safeguarding Steering Group have advised that the following documents have been removed from the National Church of England website and are no longer to be used:

• Parish Safeguarding Handbook (PSH)

• Promoting a Safer Church (2017)

• Protecting all God’s Children (2019)

• Promoting a Safer Church (2006)

If you have hard copies of these documents in your church setting, these should be destroyed.

As you will be aware, the PSH (along with Safer Activities and the Code of Safer Working Practice, which remain for now) is in the process of being replaced by the by the Parish Safeguarding Toolkit, and Promoting A Safer Church will be revised by the end of the year. The remaining documents will be/have been subsumed into revised guidance/code.

Is recognised the withdrawal of the handbook has significant implications for Parish Dashboards.  This is because the very existence of some dashboard lights is due to requirements that were only found in the now-obsolete handbook. The Diocesan Safeguarding Team is seeking to resolve this matter with the NST and the provider. Please engage with the dashboard as usual and we will update you as to practice changes as soon as possible.

If you have any queries relating to the use of these in a parish, please contact safeguarding@chester.anglican.org