Safeguarding Policy - Life Church Lancashire
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Safeguarding
Policy
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeContents Page
Details of the Organisation p.3
Definitions of Abuse p.4
Policy Principles p.5
Contacts and Reporting Principles p.6
Reporting Procedure p.6
Safeguarding Co-ordinator’s Reporting Procedure p.7
Operating Procedures p.7
Safer Recruitment p.8
Pastoral Care p.10
Appendices
Appendix 1 – Life Kids Adult Volunteer Application Form p.11
Appendix 2 - Additional Information p. 12
Appendix 3 – Guidelines for Online Engagement p.13
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeDetails of the Organisation Name of Organisation: Life Church Lancashire Address: 30 Sycamore Avenue, Burnley, BB12 6QP Tel No: 01282 454149 General email address: info@lifelancs.org Charity Number: 1139671 Regulators: The Charity Commission, Companies House. Insurance Company: Ansvar Public Liability Insurance Senior Leadership Team / Board of Directors Representative (hereafter SLT Rep): Bryony Baker SLT Rep Contact Information: 01282 454149 / bryonybaker@lifelancs.org Safeguarding Coordinator: Abbey Blackledge Safeguarding Coordinator Contact Information: 01282 454149 / safeguarding@lifelancs.org Deputy Safeguarding Coordinator: Andrea Curran Deputy Safeguarding Coordinator Contact Information: 01282 454149 / safeguarding@lifelancs.org The following is a brief description of our organisation and the type of work / activities we undertake: Life Church Lancashire is a Christian church which exists to impact our Neighbours, our Nation and the Nations with the good news about Jesus, leading people to be fully devoted followers of Christ. Therefore, in addition to the public services on Sunday mornings, events run throughout the week to cater for all ages. Small groups are run by workers from the Life Church Lancashire community; some take place in residential locations. (NOTE: here and throughout this policy the term ‘Worker’ will be used to denote both paid and unpaid positions held by adults involved with Life Church Lancashire). Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey Blackledge
Definitions of Abuse (As defined by HM Government 2018 working together to Safeguard children) Physical Abuse A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child. Emotional Abuse The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond a child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone. Sexual Abuse Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children. Child sexual exploitation Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey Blackledge
activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical
contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.
Neglect
The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to
result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur
during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect
may involve a parent or carer failing to:
1. Provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or
abandonment)
2. Protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger
3. Ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care- givers)
4. Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
Extremism
Extremism goes beyond terrorism and includes people who target the vulnerable – including
the young – by seeking to sow division between communities on the basis of race, faith or
denomination; justify discrimination towards women and girls; persuade others that
minorities are inferior; or argue against the primacy of democracy and the rule of law in our
society.
Extremism is defined in the Counter Extremism Strategy 2015 as the vocal or active
opposition to our fundamental values, including the rule of law, individual liberty and the
mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also regard calls for the
death of members of our armed forces as extremist.
Policy Principles
At Life Church Lancashire people are our priority.
The policy acknowledges and endorses the principles inscribed in the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). Further information on the convention, how it
informs practice in the UK and classes children as every human being below the age of 18
can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-nations-
convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child-uncrc-how-legislation-underpins-implementation-in-
england
Life Church Lancashire recognises there is an ethical obligation to operate in a way that best
protects the interests of children and adults engaging in organised or affiliated activities. The
following reporting procedures are to be followed in the event of any safeguarding concern.
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeContacts and Reporting Principles
The welfare of children and adults is of primary importance. Confidentiality should be
maintained, with only those who need to know being notified and kept informed. One worker
should be the first and single point of contact for the individual whenever possible.
Reporting and communication should be carried out immediately to the Safeguarding Co-
ordinator OR the Deputy Safeguarding Co-ordinator who will communicate with the SLT Rep
as appropriate.
Any individual can make a direct referral to Children’s Services or the Police, however,
unless there is an immediate risk to a person’s wellbeing, we request that all workers follow
Life Church Lancashire procedures.
Lancashire Services
Children’s Services 0300 123 6720
Out of Hours 0300 123 6722
Adult Care Service Team 0300 123 6720
Adult Social Care Services (adults with care and support needs) 0300 123 6721
Police
Non-emergency 101
Emergency 999
Reporting Procedure
If there is an immediate risk to safety or wellbeing, phone the police or Lancashire
Children or Adults Services using the contact details above, and if attainable, stay
with the person until professional advice is received. Avoid contacting the possible
perpetrators of any alleged abuse.
If a worker has any concerns about a child or adult, whether a disclosure has been made or
not, they should immediately consult with the Safeguarding Coordinator or the Deputy
Safeguarding Coordinator. Workers should make detailed and accurate notes as listed:
The individual’s details (name, age, address)
What the individual said or did that gave cause for concern (if the child made a
verbal disclosure, write down their exact words)
Note what is fact and what is opinion
The notes should be signed, dated, sealed in an envelope and passed to the Safeguarding
Coordinator or the Deputy Safeguarding Coordinator to store in the safe until it is scanned
onto a secure pen drive and also stored in the safe.
Do not discuss the matter with anyone except the Safeguarding Coordinator or the Deputy
Safeguarding Coordinator.
The Safeguarding Co-ordinator will decide about any further action in partnership with the
SLT Rep if required. The SLT Rep will also offer pastoral support to the worker where
necessary.
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeWorkers should not endeavour to investigate suspicions or disclosures of abuse themselves.
Concerns or allegations made about workers
Children and adults can be subjected to abuse by those who work with them. It is important
that workers avoid putting themselves in situations that may lead to allegations being made
against them, by following the Operating Procedures (see page 7).
Any person who has concerns about behaviour by a worker towards a child/adult should
immediately share their concerns with the Safeguarding Co-ordinator following the steps
above.
Safeguarding Co-ordinator’s Reporting Procedure
In the event of a worker making a report of suspicion of abuse involving a child or adult, the
Safeguarding Co-ordinator or Deputy Safeguarding Co-ordinator will record the incident
following the procedure above. They will report as appropriate, and act on advice provided
by SLT Rep.
Operating Procedures
To support the legal responsibility of Life Church Lancashire and to ensure the environment
is safe the following Operating Procedures should be adhered to.
Physical contact
Physical contact between workers and children/adults must be extremely limited i.e.
confined to high fives, taps on the shoulder and during urgent medical attention.
Behaviour management
If a child or adult with care and support needs is being disruptive, a worker must:
Ask them to stop
Speak to the individual to establish the cause of upset
Inform them that they will be asked to leave if the behaviour continues and that
ongoing disruption might result in longer-term exclusion from the group
If a child or adult with care and support needs is harming themselves or others, other
children must be escorted away from the situation. At least two workers should deal with the
disruptive situation. Detailed notes should be kept.
Parents in groups
Parents may ask if they can stay to watch the children’s group’s activity. This must be
treated with caution. Parents may be encouraged to observe, but must not take part. If a
parent/carer wishes to continue to stay after their child has settled in, they must be required
to undertake the same recruitment and selection procedure as any other worker.
Children attending groups from the street
Sometimes children playing outside or wandering the streets with no adult supervision may
wish to join in with a group without the knowledge of their parents.
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeOn arrival, children must give their name and school year. Workers must ask the child if their parent/carer is aware of where they are and what time they are expected home. If this is before the group ends, the worker must ensure that the child leaves to return home at an appropriate time, unless contact can be made with the parent/carer to gain consent for the child to stay. The child must return with a completed consent form in order to attend residential trips. Videoing or taking pictures of the children and adults with care and support needs Images in which people can be identified are a form of personal data. For more information see the GDPR Policy. Unauthorised photography or videoing (including the use of mobile phones for this purpose) of any child/adult with care or support needs whilst they are attending a Life Church Lancashire programme, or organised activity is not permitted. Online safety Life Church Lancashire currently do not provide a public Wi-Fi service which children can access, therefore, no filtering mechanisms are necessary. Residential trips All residential activities must have access to Safeguarding Co-ordinator/Deputy Safeguarding Coordinator. All allegations of child abuse must follow the procedure above. Workers must know the whereabouts of every child who is on the residential at all times. A daily log book of incidents must be kept. A worker must never share a room for sleeping with children. Parents must be informed of the sleeping arrangements. Praying for children and young people Parents must be made aware that prayer is something that may be part of the group activities. Workers must always have the child’s permission before praying for them. This should always take place in a public area, which is an open space. Workers should always use clear and uncomplicated language and there should be no physical contact. Prayers must be simple and short. When listening to a child’s prayer requests, workers must always be alert to safeguarding issues and follow the procedures above. In these circumstances, the appropriate reporting should still take place. Workers must not do anything that may cause a child or young person confusion or distress, for example speaking in tongues or the use of anointing oil, nor give advice particular in medical or decision making processes. Contact with children, young people and families outside of Life Church Lancashire events In normal circumstances workers are not permitted contact with children/adults with care and support needs outside of Life Lancashire events and activities. However, in exceptional circumstances where the worker is already an established family friend ongoing contact with Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey Blackledge
a child/adult with care and support needs may naturally occur outside of these programmes. This contact should never be without the knowledge of the child’s parent/legal guardian and never with the expectation that the conversation will remain private. Outside of family, a worker must not have private communication with children or young people through any form of digital communication, such as phones, email, forums or social media. The only communication that should occur is through formal, regulated, accountable and open designated channels of communication, for example church social media account public posts. There are limited exceptions to this when working with children aged 13 – 18 which are outlined in Appendix 3 - Guidelines for Online Engagement. Face to face communication with a child or young person should always take place in a public place. Safer Recruitment Life Church Lancashire aims to provide a safe and secure environment in which children and adults with care and support needs may grow to their own true potential. The legislation relating to recruitment for Life Church Lancashire is keeping children safe during community activities: none statutory guidance for providers (DfE 2020). Recruitment of children’s and adult with care and support needs’ workers When considering the recruitment of new workers, Life Church Lancashire will consider the following to ensure suitability: Check that the applicants have the right skill set Request details of previous experience Ask for and obtain references Conduct and keep records of interviews Obtain a DBS check DBS checks are required to be registered for the Update Service or renewed every 3 years as a minimum. Results are reviewed by the Safeguarding Coordination and a confidential record is kept of DBS numbers and dates of issue. When a young person (under 16) wants to be a helper they must be responsible to a named adult worker and never provide unsupervised care. They must not be factored into adult to child ratios. The workers must acquire basic information about the helper before appointment and take up personal references. DBS certificates would not be required of such helpers. Role descriptions are provided for all roles working with children/adults with care and support need. Accountability is provided by the Youth and Children’s Leaders and the SLT rep. Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey Blackledge
Recruitment of Safeguarding Co-ordinator/ Deputy Safeguarding Coordinator
The Safeguarding Co-ordinator will act as a resource to workers on matters of safeguarding,
and when deciding whether to make a referral to outside statutory agencies. Both the
Safeguarding Co-ordinator and Deputy Safeguarding Coordinator will receive relevant,
ongoing training.
Safeguarding Training
The Senior Leadership Team is committed to on-going safeguarding training and
development opportunities for all workers, developing a culture of awareness of
safeguarding issues to help protect everyone. All our workers will receive induction training
and undertake recognised safeguarding training on a regular basis. In addition, all workers
should receive regular safeguarding updates that can be in the form of email, training
conferences, as required but at least annually.
All workers must undergo safeguarding training at least every 3 years.
Pastoral Care
The leadership of Life Church Lancashire is committed to offering pastoral care to all those
affected by abuse who have contact with or are part of the church, including working with
statutory agencies as appropriate.
If someone attending Life Church is known to have previously abused children or is a risk to
adults with care and support needs, the Senior Leadership Team will produce a contract
outlining an agreement of conduct and offer pastoral care. The contract of conduct will set
boundaries for that person which they will be expected to keep. Breach of the written
agreement may mean the individual being asked to leave the Church community.
This policy has been approved by the Board of Directors and managed by the Senior
Leadership Team as per the date of implementation. Life Church Lancashire’s Safeguarding
Policy will be reviewed annually by the Safeguarding Co-ordinator in conjunction with the
Senior Leadership Team.
The policy will be available to view on the Life Church Lancashire website and available at
Reception at Life Church Lancashire
Signed: Date
Jeff Brunton Position Chair of Board of Directors
Signed Date
Bryony Baker Position SLT Rep
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeAppendix 1 – Life Kids Volunteer Application Questions
Personal Details
Name, job title, organisation, address, preferred email address, preferred phone number.
Skills and Experience
Briefly outline your reasons for volunteering as a Life Kids leader.
What experience (if any) do you have of developing or delivering activities for
children?
What experience (if any) do you have of working children or young people?
What do you feel you can bring to the programme?
In terms of your own development, how do you wish to benefit from this role?
As this role is based within Children’s ministry please describe what your experience
of Church and Jesus is?
Life Church Lancashire offer Training to all our leaders including, Safeguarding/First
Aid/Behaviour management and more - Please list any relevant Training you may
already have.
Do you require any reasonable adjustments in order to complete the volunteer role?
If yes, please detail below:
Referencing
We require a reference from someone who has known you for more than 3 years. Please
provide their name, job title, organisation, address, email address, preferred phone number.
DBS Check
Life Kids adult volunteers must be aged 18 or over and subject to completing a DBS Check
in completing this form you are giving consent for one to be completed.
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeAppendix 3 - Additional Information Training for the SLT rep, Safeguarding Co-ordinator and Deputy is provided by Thirtyone:eight Thirtyone:eight 24-hour helpline can be contacted on 0845 120 4550. DBS applications are sought through Ucheck - https://www.dbsassist.co.uk/ucheck/ Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey Blackledge
Appendix 3 – Guidelines for Online Engagement
General principles:
1. We will never expect a child to engage with us on a social media platform for which
they are below the minimum age limit.
2. We will never put children in a situation where we ask them to post content that is
publicly viewable unless they are comfortable with this and with parents or carers
consent.
3. We will never use social media platforms that automatically share a child’s contact
details with others.
4. We avoid engaging in private communication via text or social media platforms with
children*
* Where is it considered necessary, a worker can communicate with a child by direct
message on Instagram or Facebook Messenger provided:
The child is old enough to use those social media platforms
The worker is the same gender as the child
There is written consent for this communication from a parent or carer
There is a second worker included on all of the messages
Communication does not take place during school hours or hours when a child of
that age should be sleeping (e.g. 9pm – 7am)
In-depth conversations of a pastoral or personal nature are avoided via messages
A list of these conversations is provided to the Safeguarding Coordinator
Appropriate Use of Technologies
The table below outlines Life Church Lancashire’s appropriate use of the available platforms.
Platform Appropriate Use We use Minimum Age Use with Use with
Parents Young
People
Facebook To communicate with Parents / Yes 13 Yes Yes
Carers (Facebook is not currently in
use with children)
Facebook To communicate with children in line Yes 13 Yes Yes
Messenger with the stipulations above *
Instagram Public page for publishing content Yes 13 Yes Yes
and inviting comment
Zoom Delivering interactive content with Yes 16 Yes Yes ***
children
YouTube Public page for publishing content Yes 13 Yes Yes
and inviting comment
WhatsApp Sharing information Yes 16 Yes ** No
Twitter Potential parent communications No 13 Yes Yes
(Twitter is not currently in use with
children)
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeSnapchat N/A No 13 No No
TikTok N/A No 13 No No
**With permission to share contact details in the group
***If the child is under 16, a parent/guardian account must be used and the parent/guardian
must remain in ear-shot of the conversation for the duration of the call
Good practice
All workers involved in any form of online interaction, including engaging in a Zoom session
or responding to a social media post, must be subject to Safer Recruitment process. This is
detailed in the Safeguarding Policy. All workers involved must receive Safeguarding Training
and be in possession of a current and valid DBS.
All live sessions, e.g. Zoom sessions, must have two workers present at all times. If
“breakout rooms” are used, there must be two workers in each “room”.
If a safeguarding issue arises in an online setting, follow the procedures in the Safeguarding
Policy. Report any information as soon as possible to the Safeguarding Co-ordinator. Do not
encourage the sharing of the safeguarding issue in the public forum, but arrange to speak to
the child separately, with another adult present.
Permission must be obtained for all children under the age of 18. For children under the age
of 16 engaging in Zoom sessions, a parent/guardian account must be used. The
parent/guardian must make their presence known at the start of a session, remain present
and within ear-shot of the conversation throughout.
Live meetings or sessions involving children must not be recorded. The record function must
be disabled to prevent other participants recording the session.
The context of live sessions are important:
Sessions must be run at an appropriate time of day. Do not schedule an event at a
time when participants may be expected to be doing school work (8:30am – 3:30pm).
Workers must take care when using written language and avoid using online terms
which could be misconstrued, such as “LOL” or ending messages with an “x”.
Sessions must take place in a communal spaces, e.g. not a bedroom. Children must
be instructed to do the same.
Workers must watch through all links and videos before sending/sharing them with
children to ensure that everything is age-appropriate.
All games which are used in sessions, in person or over Zoom, should be age-
appropriate.
Keep a good written record of what happens in every live session, including date, time, who
was present, headlines of the subjects covered, when there is a concern arises in the
session.
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeHow to do online ministry
Here are the steps that need to be taken to present live online ministry using Zoom.
1. There is a Zoom account with The Noise email address.
2. Use the Personal Meeting Room code for your meetings or schedule the meetings
(recurring). Ensure that meetings are secure and password protected.
3. Ensure that your camera and microphone are working correctly.
4. Gain permission from parents/guardians beforehand.
5. Send the information for the Zoom session (date, time, link and any other
information) to the parent/guardian and/or child (if they are over 16).
6. Before the meeting starts, make sure that you understand how to use all the
necessary functions, e.g. muting yourself and others.
7. Use the “waiting room” to vet the participants and only allow in those that you know.
8. Encourage use of reactions and “hands up” feature to make comments and ask
questions.
9. The meeting will remain running until you “end meeting”.
Rules for Children
It is important for workers to be clear about the rules for young people engaging in online
content.
Without written consent, you will not be able to participate in the call.
Be appropriately dressed (clothing must be worn that covers the top and bottom half
of the body).
Unless over 16, access must be made through a parent/guardian account.
Unless over 16, an appropriate adult, parent/guardian, must make their presence
known at the start of the session and must remain in the room within ear-shot of the
conversation at all times.
All members of the household must be aware of the call and be using appropriate
language and behaviour when in the background or nearby.
Personal Social Media Platforms
As in person, volunteers represent Life Church Lancashire and should take this
responsibility seriously and act with integrity.
Volunteers must not “follow” or become an online “friend” of any child.
Volunteers must not “like” or share social media posts posted by children.
Volunteers should also consider their public profile on social media accounts and ensure
profile pictures, cover photos and online avatars do not cause embarrassment, do not
encourage unwanted attention or disclose any personal details. This includes the articles,
pages and accounts that they “follow” or “like” on social media platforms.
Workers should be wary when sharing information about the work/story of Life Church
Lancashire that you do not divulge information that would allow children to be identified.
Workers must be a positive Christian role model online, remembering that everything posted
will remain online for a long time.
Policy Written: January 2021 Review: January 2022 SC: Abbey BlackledgeYou can also read
