Safeguarding
At Holy Trinity Heworth, we are committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, especially children, young people, and vulnerable adults. Safeguarding is at the heart of our ministry because every person is precious to God and deserves to be treated with love, dignity, and respect.
We follow the Church of England’s national safeguarding guidance and policies, and we work hard to ensure best practice in all areas of church life. Our aim is to ensure that everyone who takes part in the life of our church does so in safety and with confidence.
If you have any concerns about the safety or well-being of someone within our church community, please contact our Parish Safeguarding Officer.
Our Safeguarding Policy
In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy, our church is committed to:
- Promoting a safer environment and culture.
- Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the church.
- Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.
- Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons.
- Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.
- Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.
The Parish will:
- Create a safe and caring place for all.
- Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and the PCC to implement policy and procedures.
- Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.
- Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish.
- Display in church premises and on the Parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs.
- Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse.
- Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, following House of Bishops guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) and statutory agencies immediately.
- Offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.
- Care for and monitor any member of the church community who may pose a risk to children and adults whilst maintaining appropriate confidentiality and the safety of all parties.
- Ensure that health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place and that these are reviewed annually.
- Review the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices at least annually.
Safeguarding Contacts
If you have a safeguarding concern, you can email Shelia at safeguarding@htheworth.org.
You can also email our Vicar, Mike Perkins, at mike.perkins@htheworth.org.
If you would prefer to speak with someone outside of Holy Trinity, you can contact the York Diocese Safeguarding team at safeguarding@yorkdiocese.org.
