SAFEGUARDING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

CONTENTS

Page

Contents 2

Statement by His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas 3

Objectives and Principles 4

Safeguarding Children, Young Persons

And Vulnerable Adults Policy Statement 5

Safeguarding Policy and Procedures 6

Procedures: Good Practices for School 8

Procedures: Good Practice for Church 9

Safeguarding: Recruitment and Training9

Responding to Allegations of Abuse: Procedures 9

Responding to a Child Making an Allegation of Abuse 10

Responding to an Allegation of Abuse by the Priest/Assistant Priest,

Teacher or Assistant Teacher 14

Support for Dealing with Aftermath of Abuse 15

Learning and Improving 15

Appointment of Safeguarding Officers 15

Updated Contacts within Local Authority 16

Adoption of Policy and Review Dates 16

APPENDICES:

Appendix 1: Definitions 17

Appendix 2: Community Details and Description of Premises Used 18

Appendix 3: Health and Safety Policy Statement 20

Appendix 4: Helplines 21

Appendix 5: Types of Abuse Against Children 22

Appendix 6: Types of Abuse Against Adults 25

Appendix 7: Incident Report Form 27

Appendix 8: Guidelines for Staff Working on their own

with Vulnerable Parsons 28

Appendix 9: Parental Consent Form for Offsite Visits 29

Appendix 10: Application Form for Volunteer/Worker

with Vulnerable Adults 30

  Appendix 11: Application form for Volunteer/Worker

with Children/Young Persons32

Appendix 12: Safeguarding Policy Statement for Communities

With only Church Activities 34

Appendix 13: REFERENCES: External Organisations Documents 35

Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain: Statement by His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas:

As an Archdiocese we recognise the need to provide a safe and caring environment for all persons partaking in religious, educational, cultural and social events within the remit of our churches, schools and community centres throughout Great Britain, We need to give special emphasis to the protection of children, young persons and vulnerable adults, in order to promote the Orthodox faith, education, and the prosperity of our communities and parish churches,

We acknowledge that children, young persons and vulnerable adults can be the victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and neglect.  We accept the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant of Human Rights, which states that everyone is entitled to “all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status”.  We also support compliance with all legislation and policies surrounding safeguarding children and vulnerable adults such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1992, the Children Act 1989, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, the Care Act 2014, the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 and 2018, and Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019, which basically state that children should be able to develop their full potential, free from hunger and want, neglect and abuse. They have a right to be protected from “all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s), or any other person who has care of the child.”

As an Archdiocese we therefore request that all communities under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain adopt and abide by the highest standards of safeguarding in accordance with statutory guidance. We recognise that different communities face their own particular circumstances and may or may not be involved in activities other than religious and pastoral. Some may have schools with children/young persons operating under the auspices of the church others may not. Some communities may work with young persons/vulnerable adults, others may not. To help you achieve this very important goal we urge you to use the Policy and Procedures set out in this Safeguarding Document, as a guide/template to formulate your own Safeguarding Policy and Procedures. It should be adapted and adopted to meet your own particular circumstances, organisational structures and needs. The wording used in no way seeks to prejudice or undermine your registered organisation/organisational structures, your vision and objectives. Our aim is not to impose on you wording that may seem offensive to you but rather to encourage you to adopt a change of attitude to help and support our communities flourish as we move forward.

We are committed to ensure that all communities adopt the highest standards of Safeguarding for Children Young Persons and Vulnerable Adults and build constructive links with statutory and voluntary agencies involved in safeguarding. 

Yours in Christ

Archbishop Nikitas

GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY OF MANCHESTER

SAFEGUARDING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

1. OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES:

B1. Objectives:

B1a. The Greek Orthodox Church and Hellenic School of The Greek Orthodox Community Of Manchester have as their main objective to ensure the personal safety of all attendees at the Church and School of with particular emphasis on children/young persons and vulnerable adults. We believe that by promoting child /young person and/or vulnerable adult protection awareness, good practice and sound procedures, we create a culture that results in a safe environment which enables all community members to flourish. To this end, we are committed to ensuring that all committee members, teachers, assistant teachers, clergy and volunteers are properly equipped, through regular training, with the skills to safeguard children and vulnerable adults.

B1b. Our Community Council/Church Executive Committee /School Management Committee promote and encourage team working and joint responsibility for the safeguarding of all persons attending the premises of the church/school, children, young persons, vulnerable adults and healthy adults. We believe that it is the responsibility of all stakeholders in the Greek Church and Greek School of Manchester,  Church Committee Members/Trustees, the School Management committee, teachers, assistant teachers, clergy, volunteers , parents  and children to help safeguard each other, 

B1c.We are committed to providing a safe and secure environment, (See Appendix 2 which provides useful details and a brief description of the Organisation and its environment/premises.) not only for children, and vulnerable adults but all church attendees, teachers, assistant teachers, volunteers, parents and visitors too. We promote a climate where committee members, clergy, teachers and volunteers feel confident about sharing any concerns which they may have about their own safety or the well-being of others without fearing any victimisation.

B2. Principles Regarding Safeguarding Children, Young Persons and Vulnerable Adults.

B2a Safeguarding relates to a much more serious issue for the welfare of vulnerable persons, than just their physical health. It can be defined as protecting vulnerable persons, children (under the age of 18) or adults, from abuse (physical, mental, spiritual or sexual), exploitation, neglect as well as preventing any physical harm to their health or ability to develop to their potential. The Care Act 2014 defines a vulnerable adult as someone above the age of 18, who is unable to care for themselves and protect themselves from harm. In addition to Safeguarding vulnerable adults from risks of abuse, neglect and harm they also need support to maintain control over their own lives. (See Appendix 13 for various references to laws and policies relating to Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults).

B2b. We recognise that Safeguarding children, young persons and vulnerable adults is very much an integral part of health and safety, consequently we incorporate in Appendix 3 our General Policy Statements on Health and Safety to be read alongside our Statement on Safeguarding Children, Young Persons and Vulnerable Persons.   

C.  Safeguarding Children, Young Persons and Vulnerable Adults Policy Statement

The Community Council, the governing body of the Greek Orthodox Community of Manchester and the Hellenic School Management Committee, the governing body of the School, believe that children/young persons and vulnerable adults have the right to be treated equally and to partake in the church/school life and learn in a safe and friendly environment, protected from maltreatment, abuse, harm or bullying, whether physical, mental or spiritual.

Our Church/School take seriously the welfare of children, young persons and vulnerable adults, and who come onto its premises or who are involved in its activities and aims to ensure that they are welcomed into a caring and safe Christian environment with a happy and friendly atmosphere.

We are committed to providing a protective environment for their religious, educational, emotional and spiritual development and taking into considerations their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs.

Furthermore, the Greek Orthodox Church and Hellenic School of Manchester encourage active participation by children and young persons in the life of the church, education process and the decision making regarding the effective running of the church and school, not only as a place of worship and learning but as a centre of social and cultural interaction.

Whilst they may not have a vote their views are very much taken into account in decision making.  We believe that this encourages children and young persons not only to share views with their peers but also with their teachers. This general feeling of participation and belonging is essential for understanding children’s and young persons’ behaviour and knowing when something is not right with a child or young person. 

Our Church/School recognise that it is the responsibility of all its volunteers, committee members, clergy, teachers, assistant teachers, paid or unpaid, to prevent neglect, physical harm, abuse whether emotional, sexual or spiritual of vulnerable adults, young people and children and to report any abuse discovered or suspected.

Our Community Council/School management Committee recognise their responsibility to implement, maintain and regularly review Safeguarding Policies and Procedures which are designed to prevent harm and abuse of its vulnerable members and to keep each member of its community alert to such abuse.

Our Community Council/ School Management Committee are committed to supporting, resourcing and training those who work with or supervise vulnerable persons (children, young persons and adults) and are committed to maintaining good links with the local Statutory Child and Adult Care Authorities.

1. Safeguarding Policy and Procedures:

D.1 This policy is based on the following principles:

• the welfare of children/young persons /vulnerable adults is paramount. They must be supported, protected and encouraged to develop and express their own opinions and their decisions should be respected.
• all children/young persons/vulnerable adults, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual identity, have the right to protection from abuse and physical/mental harm.
• all suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
• committee members, teachers/assistant teachers /volunteers/clergy are to be trained regularly, to understand the nature of abuse and to be alert to matters of concern
• Committee members, teachers/volunteers /clergy working at the Greek Church and Greek school have a responsibility to report concerns they may have about abuse to children/young persons/vulnerable adults to the Safeguarding Officer(s) who will decide independently whether to refer the matter to the relevant Local Authority Safeguarding Team or the police.

D 2. We aim to safeguard children/young persons /vulnerable adults by:

• adopting child//young persons protection guidelines through procedures and a code of conduct for staff/volunteers
• sharing information about protection and good practice for children/young people/vulnerable adults.
• sharing information about concerns with Statutory Agencies/ Local Authority Social Services/Police, who need to know, and involving parents and children/young persons appropriately
• following carefully the procedures for recruitment and selection of staff/volunteers
• providing regular safeguarding training for all who come into regular contact with children, young persons, and vulnerable adults.
• reviewing our policy and good practices annually or when national laws/ guidance /procedures are changed or updated.

D3. The Roles and Responsibilities of the Community Safeguarding Officers:

a) All places of Worship and Education need to have in place Safeguarding Policies and appoint Safeguarding Officers to ensure that these policies and procedures are followed, regularly reviewed and publicly available.

b) Ideally the Safeguarding Officers should be independent and not form part of the community management structure. However given the realities of the number of volunteers available to communities, it is a matter of managing the situation effectively.

c) The number of Safeguarding Officers appointed should reflect the circumstances of each community.  These should be persons appointed by the Church Committee/School Management Committee to raise safeguarding awareness, to deal with any matters regarding safeguarding and to refer maters to the relevant persons or statutory authorities in the case of physical abuse as set out in this policy. The Safeguarding Officers should be vetted by the Data Barring Service (DBS) approved and be regularly trained. They will decide on who among volunteers’ employees, clergy, who come into contact with vulnerable persons must be DBS checked. They will act independently of the Church Committee and the clergy and report regularly to it on safeguarding matters observing confidentiality as appropriate. Their responsibility is to safeguard the victim and not the institution. Under no circumstances should they feel threatened by the church committee or the clergy and should never attempt to cover up or accept a cover up of an event in the interest of protecting the image of the church or school.   

d) During community/Parish activities/services/trips away e.g. School trips, organised community trips domestic and abroad, the Parish Safeguarding Officers will always be available for clergy, Teachers, staff or volunteers, to discuss and plan trips and address any safeguarding concerns. They should otherwise be available by telephone or email.

e) Given that the school and the church normally operate on different days and managed by a separate committee it is advisable to nominate different safeguarding officers to oversee the church and the school.

f) There is one Senior Safeguarding Officer. The Senior Safeguarding Officer is the person appointed by the Church Committee to take lead responsibility for all safeguarding matters on the premises of the church, hall and school. Ideally the Senior Safeguarding Officer should not be a senior member of the organisation but recognising the realities of how our communities are organised it should be a senior member of the Church Committee and/or School Committee, to ensure commitment and to manage the overall process of having a safeguarding policy and adhering to the policy and procedures adopted .The Senior Safeguarding Officer should manage and be a member of the Safeguarding Team.

g) Responsibility of the Deputy Safeguarding Officer(s):

Where the circumstances warrant, Deputy Safeguarding Officer(s) may be appointed by the Church committee to assist the Senior Safeguarding Officer to oversee safeguarding/safety issues of the church and school premises. They are also responsible for overseeing any activities for which the Community, as an organisation, is responsible, and will be members of the Safeguarding Team.

h) The Responsibility of the Safeguarding Team:

The Senior Safeguarding Officer (e.g. Chairman of the Community) together with the Deputy Safeguarding Officer(s) of the Church and School will constitute the Safeguarding Team and shall deal with all matters of Safeguarding in the Community. The Safeguarding Officers, acting as a team can consult/support each other and facilitate efficient decision making in the event of an allegation of abuse/harm. They will act independently without any interference from the clergy or Church Committee. The role of the Church/School Parish Safeguarding Officers is to investigate all allegations of abuse/harm/exploitation etc., collate, clarify and securely and confidentially document all details of the allegations who will then report to the Church Committee and if appropriate refer the accusations to the Local Statutory Authorities/agencies who have a legal duty to investigate.

The names and contact details of the designated Safeguarding Officers must be displayed at the entrance of the church and the school, and on their respective websites, so that everyone (including parents/carers) are aware of who to talk to if they have concerns.

D.4 Procedures: Good Practices for the School

D4.1 When it comes to Safeguarding Children there is much to be drawn from Child Protection Policies and procedures. The aim is the same; to ensure the safety of children and to protect them from any physical or mental harm or abuse. Therefore, the School Management Committee shall ensure that adequate child safeguarding/protection procedures are in place, such as:

1. Each parent must fill out an enrolment form providing for each child personal details relating to name, age, address, contact details of parents, and any health issues/medicines, social care involvement and any court orders in place that would be useful for the school to know to safeguard the health of the child. Signed consent is requested from the parents of each child /young person attending the school, to provide emergency treatment to the child and/or to call a doctor/ambulance, if this is required.
2. An attendance register is kept of all children/young persons attending the school’s activities, including contact information of parents/guardians.
3. Teachers, teaching assistants /volunteers are required to record any accidents or unusual events in the accident/incident book and to inform the Head Teacher before the end of the school day.  Any incident that involves injury, abuse or harm must be reported to the Safeguarding/ Child Protection Officer.
4. The school recognises that for children of certain ethnic backgrounds, such as Greek ethnicity, physical touch between teachers and children can be healthy and acceptable in public places, for comforting a crying child.  However, staff/volunteers will be discouraged from this in circumstances where an adult and child/young person are alone together. (See Appendix 8: Guidelines For Staff Working On Their Own with Vulnerable Persons)
5. Child Minding Rotas during Breaks: All teachers, teaching assistants/ volunteers have to take it turn to supervise children during breaks. There must be at least two responsible adults supervising children at all times. The head teacher will produce the rota and distribute it to all teachers.
6. Where possible all external doors and gates to the school are locked after parents depart. Entry to the school after lessons start is accessed via the ringing of a doorbell.
7. Parents collect their children at the end of the day from their teacher/classroom, or school gates depending on the arrangements of the school. Teachers must be informed if a non-designated person collects the child.
8. All teachers, teaching assistants /volunteers should treat all children/young people with dignity and respect and use appropriate behaviour, language and attitude.

D.5 Outings and trips

Organised Trips must first receive the approval of the School Management Committee and the clearance of the Safeguarding Officers, to ensure the appropriate insurance cover is in place and the proper risk assessments are completed.

Every child partaking must first receive the written approval of the parents who must complete and sign the school consent form. (See Appendix 9 for an example of a Parental Consent Form for Offsite Visits.)

All vehicles hired for outings must be insured, roadworthy and fitted with seatbelts.

Children are always to be accompanied by teachers/parents, who must ensure orderly behaviour on the coach and report any dangerous behaviour by the driver. All drivers and escorts should agree to abide by these guidelines.

A roll call will be taken at the start of a journey and again before beginning the return journey. If the group is travelling in more than one vehicle, children/young people will be encouraged to travel in the same vehicle there and back.

All teachers /volunteers accompanying trips will carry the contact numbers for all parents, the safeguarding officers and emergency services in the event of an alert being necessary.

If a child/young person goes missing while on a trip, teachers, teaching assistants, volunteers should instigate an immediate search. If the child/young person cannot be found within half an hour, the police should be notified and the parents of the child informed.

The care of the remaining children/young people is paramount. It is imperative that they return to the home site/school as agreed with parents, as quickly as possible, while a senior teacher/volunteer remains at the visit site to co-ordinate contact between security staff/volunteers and the child’s/young person’s parents/carers.

D.6 Procedures: Good practice For Church

i). We believe that Safeguarding is the responsibility of all community members that attend our church, but Church Committee members have a duty to ensure the safety of all church attendees with particular emphasis on the elderly, disabled, children and vulnerable adults. They should always be available to offer assistance to anyone in need.

ii).Apart from ensuring that the building is kept safe and all passages and fire exits should be clear of any obstructions, the building should be easily negotiable by all particularly disabled persons, the Church Committee has a statutory duty to have in place Safeguarding Policies and must appoint Safeguarding Officers to comply with the requirements to safeguard children, young persons and vulnerable adults.

We are committed to ensure that:

iii) The priest(s) should consider asking for someone to be present in the church, somewhere at the back of the church, during confessions of venerable adults. (See Appendix 8: Guidelines for Staff Working on Their Own with Vulnerable Persons)

iv)When children are brought in by the school to take part in the Holy Liturgy and to receive the Holy Communion, they should be accompanied by their teachers at all times until they return back to their classes.

iii) The priest (s), given his regular contact with children, should undergo an enhanced DBS check.

D.7 Safeguarding: Recruitment and Training

D7.1 The Community Council and School Management Committee are committed to developing a culture of awareness of safeguarding issues to help create a safe environment. All volunteers, teachers, assistant teachers’ clergy and committee members, who come into contact with children and vulnerable adults must go through a Safe Recruitment Process and be vetted by the Data Barring Service, (DBS) to ensure that they are suitable to work with such persons. It is advisable for all volunteers, teachers and clergy to go through an Enhanced DBS.

D7.2 Safe Recruitment

The School Management Committee /Church Committee will ensure that all volunteers, paid workers, teachers and clergy, will be appointed, trained, supported and supervised in accordance with government guidance on safe recruitment. 

• There is a written job description / person specification for each post.
• Those applying have completed an application form and a self-declaration form (See Appendices 10 and 11)
• Those short listed have been interviewed and records kept safely either by the Appointing Officers or the Parish depending on the position being interviewed for
• Safeguarding has been discussed at interview
• Written references have been obtained, and followed up where appropriate
• An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring (known as DBS) check has been completed where necessary
• Compliance with the Code of Practice concerning the fair treatment of all applicants and the confidential handling of information.
• Qualifications where relevant have been verified
• A suitable training/induction programme is provided for the successful applicants
• The applicant has been given a copy of the Community’s Safeguarding Policy and knows how to report concerns
• Be taken through the school’s child protection policy and procedures on induction and encouraged to participate in safeguarding courses, paid for by the school.
• Be supervised by the Head Teacher
• Be observed at work by the school’s Co-ordinator.

All staff/volunteers for the school posts are appointed after a successful interview by the head teacher and at least one member of the School Management Committee. Where it is the head teacher that is being appointed then at least two members of the School Management Committee should interview the candidate.

D7.3 Safeguarding Training

i) All recruited persons will receive induction training and undertake recognised safeguarding training on a regular basis and encouraged to attend refresher courses to update them with any changes in laws/guidance or procedures

ii) We are committed to ensuring that all Committee members/teachers, teaching assistants, volunteers/clergy understand their safeguarding responsibilities and keep their knowledge up to date. They are encouraged to complete an online safeguarding training course or complete a face to face training course, organised by the school or church, within 3 months of taking up post, and then at regular intervals. There will also be regular refresher training on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, including on specific areas of risk and safeguarding practice.

D.8 Responding to Allegations of Abuse: Procedures:

i) Concerns about children being abused should be referred by the Safeguarding Officer(s) to the Children’s Social Care Department of the local authority where the child lives. (See Appendix 5 for Different Types of Abuse for Children), similarly, concerns about vulnerable adults should be referred to the Local Authority Adult Services. (See Appendix 6 for Types of Abuse against Adults). Any committee member/teacher/volunteer who is in doubt about what to do should consult the Safeguarding Officer(s).

ii) Allegations against a Committee Member/Teacher/Volunteer/Clergy or any Person in a Position of Trust:

The Church Committee will fully support and protect anyone who, in good faith, reports their concern that a colleague is, or may be, abusing a child/young person. Where there is a complaint against a member of staff/volunteer/clergy regarding child abuse, there are three stages in the investigation: a) the designated Safeguarding Officers will discuss the matter and if there is sufficient evidence, b) call upon the services of the Local Authority who will have a designated team of Safeguarding Officers for the management and oversight of allegations against people working with children or vulnerable adults. Depending on their advice, c) seek the involvement of the police.

iii) Concerns about poor practice

If the allegations against members of committee members, staff, volunteers, teachers /clergy are regarding poor practice or poor service, then the Safeguarding Officer will investigate the matter and if there is sufficient evidence of poor practice this will be dealt with as a misconduct issue and the matter referred to the Church Committee for resolution.

If the allegation is about poor practice by the Church/School’s designated Safeguarding Officer, or if the matter has been handled inadequately and concerns remain, it should be reported to the Safeguarding Committee who will then report to the Church Committee, who will advise how to deal with the allegation and whether or not the Church/School should initiate disciplinary proceedings.

iv) Internal enquiries and suspension

The Safeguarding Officer will make an immediate decision about whether any individual accused of abuse should be temporarily suspended, pending further police and social services inquiries.

Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries, the Church Committee/School Management Committee will assess all individual cases to decide whether a member of staff, teacher, volunteer or clergy can be reinstated and how this can be handled sensitively. This may be a difficult decision, particularly where there is insufficient evidence to uphold any action by the police. In such cases, the Church Committee /School Management must reach a decision based upon the available information. Where on a balance of probability, it is more likely than not that the allegation is true, the welfare of the child/young person must remain of paramount importance and the person accused must be suspended until the authorities complete their investigations. If a priest is involved, then the archdiocese will be informed as soon as possible. 

v) What to do if you suspect that abuse may have occurred

You must report your concerns immediately to the designated Safeguarding Officer at your Church/School. The person reporting an allegation must complete an Incident Report Form (See Appendix 7) which will form part of the investigative procedure and evidence trail. Suspicions will not be discussed with anyone not concerned with the allegations.

1. Step-by-step guidance for teachers/volunteers in dealing with their earliest concerns about child abuse is provided under “References” in Appendix 13 ‘What to do if you are worried that a child is being abused’. This guidance is produced by the Department of Health and endorsed by the local authority. Copies of this advice must be available to every member of teacher and volunteer.)
2. The designated Safeguarding Officer will:

• obtain information from teachers/volunteers, children/young people or parents/carers who have child protection concerns and record this information
• assess the information quickly and carefully and ask for further information, as appropriate
• consult with a statutory child protection agency such as the Local Social Services Department or the NSPCC to clarify any doubts or worries
• ensure that the parents/carers of the child/young person are contacted as soon as possible, if this is safe for the child, following advice from the Local Social Services Department
• make a referral to a statutory child protection agency or to the police without delay.

1. If the school’s Safeguarding Officer is the subject of the suspicion/allegation, the report must be made to the Chair of the Church Committee, who will refer the allegation to The Local Social Services Department.
2. It is the right of any individual to make direct referrals to the child protection agencies. If, for any reason, you believe that the Safeguarding Officer(s) have not responded appropriately to your concerns, then it is up to you to contact the child protection agencies directly.
3. If a child or vulnerable adult makes a disclosure of abuse:

• make notes as soon as possible (ideally within one hour of being told)
• write down exactly what the child/young person or vulnerable adult has said, what you said in reply and what was happening immediately before you were told (for example, what activity was taking place)
• record dates, times and when you made the record
• keep all your handwritten notes secure
• report your discussion to the Safeguarding Officer as soon as possible
• if the Safeguarding Officer is implicated, you need to report to the other Safeguarding Officer or the Chairman of the Church Committee.
• if you suspect all Safeguarding Officers are implicated then report directly to the Local Social Services Department.
• do not discuss your suspicions or allegations with anyone other than those concerned with the event.
• The Safeguarding Officers must consider carefully whether or not it is safe for a child/young person to return home to a potentially abusive situation, and, if necessary, they should take immediate action to contact the Local Authority Safeguarding Team for advice on what to do and if required to discuss putting safety measures into effect, or call the police.

vi) Allegations of physical injury or neglect

If a child/young person has symptoms of physical injury or neglect, the Safeguarding Officer will:

• contact the Local Authority Safeguarding Team /Social Services for advice in cases of deliberate injury or concerns about the safety of the child/young person, but they must not inform the parents/carers.
• seek emergency medical attention if necessary
• in other circumstances, speak with the parent/carer and suggest that medical help/attention is sought for the child/young person, if this is safe for the child to do.
• if appropriate, encourage the parent/carer to seek help from the Local Authority Social Services Department.   
• If it is suspected that the parent/carer failed to seek help/advice from the Local Social Services. then the Safeguarding Officer should contact Social Services If it outside normal working hours contact the Social Services Emergency Department Team (EDT)

vii) Allegations of sexual abuse

In the event of allegations or suspicions of sexual abuse, the Safeguarding Officer will:

• contact the Social Services Duty Social Worker for Children and Families directly but must not speak to the parent or to anyone else. If it outside normal working hours contacts the Social Services Emergency Department Team (EDT)
• collect, clarify and record the precise details of the allegation or suspicion and provide this information to social services, but should not attempt to carry out any investigation into the allegation or suspicion of sexual abuse. Use the TED method. That is, Tell me, Explain to me, and Describe to me.
• while allegations or suspicions of sexual abuse should normally be reported to the Safeguarding Officer(s) , if they are absent there should be no delay in referring the matter to social services.

(See Appendix 2: Various Helplines which can provide support for Children and Vulnerable Adults) 

viii) Management of Volunteers / Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Volunteers – Codes of Conduct

• The Church Committee and School Management Committee are committed to supporting all volunteers/ teachers and ensuring they receive the necessary training and supervision in the execution of their duties and responsibilities. All have been issued with a Code of Conduct towards children, young people and adults with care and support needs.

D.9 Responding to a Child Making an Allegation of Abuse:

Follow the “6 R’s:  RECEIVE, REASSURE, REACT, RECORD, REFER, and REFLECT.

i) RECEIVE: If a child wants to talk to you, never ask them to come back later.

• Ask them what they want to talk to you about and, if you are concerned about their welfare, give them the time to speak to you.
• Never promise confidentiality, inform the child that you are happy to talk to them but if they tell you anything that you believe may be putting them at harm that you will have to talk to someone. Do not make any promises you cannot keep.
• If you have any concerns that the child has been, or is at risk of harm, you must tell them that you will speak to someone to get help.
• Listen carefully to the child. Do not stop a child who is freely recalling information.
• Where a child is visibly upset or has an obvious injury, it is good practice to ask a child why they are upset or how an injury was caused or respond to a child wanting to talk to you to help clarify vague concerns and result in the right action being taken.

ii) REASSURE:

• Ensure that the child is aware that they have done the right thing in talking to you and that they have not done anything wrong.
• Helpful statements to make:
• I believe you (showing acceptance of what the child/young person says).’
• Thank you for telling me.’
• It’s not your fault.’
• I will help you.’

iii) REACT:

• If you need to clarify information, ask open-ended questions e.g. “Is there anything you’d like to tell me?”, “Can you explain to me…”, “Can you describe to me….”
• Never ask leading or suggestive questions e.g. “Did he/she do anything that they shouldn’t have done?”
• Never ask ‘accusing’ questions e.g.  Do not say: ‘Why didn’t you tell anyone before? ’‘I can’t believe it!’ ‘Are you sure that this is true?’
• Never criticise the alleged perpetrator, it may be someone that they will continue to live with.
• Never ask the pupil to repeat their disclosure for any other member of staff, it is your responsibility to share the information. This may compromise enquiries that need to be made later by children’s social care or Police.

iv) RECORD:

• Make detailed notes as soon as possible afterwards using the words that the child has used.
• Do not record your assumptions and interpretations, just what you heard and saw.
• Do not destroy original notes even if you later write things up more neatly and fully.
• Record the date, time and place of the disclosure.
• Sign any written records and identify your position in the school setting.
• Do not ask a child to write an account or sign any of your documentation as this may compromise enquiries that need to be made later by Children’s Services or Police.

v) REPORT and REFER:

• Immediately report the matter to the Senior Safeguarding Officer or the Deputy Safeguarding Officer(s) / Head Teacher who will be responsible for following the appropriate procedures. For referring the matter to the appropriate Local Authority Safeguarding Team and if need be the police. (See Appendix 7 for a model Incident Report Form )

vi) REFLECT:

• Ask yourself if you have done everything you can within your role.
• Refer any remaining concerns to the Safeguarding Persons. e.g. any knowledge of siblings in the school, or previous contact with parents.
• Dealing with disclosures can be difficult and disturbing: you should seek support for yourself via colleagues from within your church/ school or an alternative source but be aware of principles of confidentiality. Whatever the nature of your concerns, discuss them with the Safeguarding Officer(s). If you still have concerns, you or the Safeguarding Officer(s) should refer the matter to Children’s Services for further advice.

D. 10 Responding to an Allegation of Abuse by the Priest, Assistant Priest or School Teacher

a) If an allegation made against the priest, assistant clergy, teacher or any person working in or on behalf of the Parish that he/she has:

• Behaved in a way that has harmed or may have harmed a young person or vulnerable adult
• Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a young person or vulnerable adult
• Behaved towards a child, young person, or vulnerable adult in a way that indicates he/she would pose a risk of harm if they work regularly or closely with young persons or vulnerable adults

b) The same safeguarding procedures will apply as above. The matter will be referred to the appropriate local authorities for investigation. Whilst we acknowledge that there is a possibility that such allegations, may be false, malicious or misplaced, we also acknowledge that they may be founded. It is, therefore, essential that all allegations are investigated properly, in line with agreed procedures and outcomes recorded. If an allegation is made about the priest, the Archbishop should be informed as soon as possible who will inform the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer.

c) If an allegation is made against a normal healthy adult abusing another normal healthy adult in the parish and does not involve a child or vulnerable adult, the Parish Safeguarding Officers should investigate the allegations to establish whether there is substance to the allegation. The Parish Safeguarding Officers will then refer the matter to the Church Committee, having followed the normal procedure of recording all allegations and findings, who will then decide how to best resolve the matter internally. If it is a serious matter then the matter will be referred to the police.

d) The Parish Safeguarding Officer must exercise, and be accountable for, their professional judgement on the actions to be taken. Careful documentation and consideration of all facts must be taken before a decision is made to refer a case to the local authorities or police.

e) Where an allegation has been made against a Parish Safeguarding Officer or the Parish Priest, then the Safeguarding Officers must inform the Church Committee and after verifying that the allegations are very likely to be true, they must liaise with the Local Authority Safeguarding Team as well as the Archbishop in determining the appropriate way forward.

D.11 Urgent/Immediate Risk of Harm

If the actions of the adult, and the consequences of the actions, raise credible child protection concerns the Safeguarding Officer will notify the Senior or Lead Safeguarding Officer who will   notify the Local Authority Safeguarding Team. They will advise, based on the evidence provided to them, what action should be taken and if the police should be involved.

D.12 Non-Urgent/Non-Immediate Risk of Harm but Help Needed

• If the actions of the adult, and the consequences of the actions, do not involve child safeguarding concerns, but do raise other issues in relation to the conduct of the adult, these should be addressed by the Safeguarding Officers /Church Committee and/or Trustees,
• If the Church Committee /Trustees decides that the allegation is without foundation and no further formal action is necessary, all those involved should be informed of this conclusion, and the reasons for the decision should be recorded in the Safeguarding Record Book.

D.13 Support for Dealing with the Aftermath of Abuse

Consideration should be given to the kind of support that children/young people, parents/carers and teachers/volunteers may need. Use of help lines, support groups and open meetings will maintain an open culture and help the healing process. The Directory of the British Association for Counselling is available from the British Association for Counselling, 1 Regent Place, Rugby CV21 2PJ,

tel: 01788 550 899, fax: 01788 562189. (Also See Appendix 2)

D.14 Learning and improving

We are determined to keep improving our knowledge and understanding of how best to protect children and vulnerable adults. We will review our own practice regularly to check that we are placing the right emphasis on safeguarding in our work.

We will carry out in-depth reviews of our actions in cases where children /vulnerable adults suffer serious harm while under our care. The main purpose of the reviews is to learn lessons about when our systems need to improve to protect these persons better in future. We will also promote a culture in which we are able to highlight and review cases that were brought to the attention of Safeguarding Officers to learn from experience and improve our practice.

D.15 Appointed Safeguarding Officers

The following Safeguarding Officers have been appointed by the (Greek) Orthodox Church of………. … and the School Management Committee to refer allegations or suspicions of neglect or abuse to the statutory authorities.: (NOTE: It is for each Community to decide who will appoint the Safeguarding Officer , who to choose and the number of appropriate responsible persons, to act as Safeguarding Officers. What is required is that they all understand safeguarding procedures or are persons who will receive the relevant training, Ideally Safeguarding Officers should not hold Executive roles within the Church or School Structure nor be members of the clergy.) 

1. Senior Safeguarding Officer …………………
2. Deputy Safeguarding Officer………………….
3. Deputy safeguarding officer…………………….
4. Additional Safeguarding Officers (if appropriate)…….

All nominated Safeguarding officers constitute the Safeguarding Team and will complete the appropriate Safeguarding Training and have DBS Checks. They must produce a report to the Church Committee at least once a year observing confidentiality

D.16 Updated Contacts within Local Authority:

The Social Services: Telephone number for the area is: ………………….

For Child Services: For Emergencies Tel …………………

For the Local Authority Safeguarding Team Tel.…………………………

The Police Child Abuse Investigation Unit: Tel ………………………..

E. Adoption of Policy and Review Dates: