Safeguarding Policy

Venture Church is committed to:

● the safeguarding, care and nurture of the children and adults with care and support needs and ensuring their well-being, recognising that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
● recognising we all have a responsibility to help prevent harm or abuse to children and adults with care and support needs in all their recognised forms
● recognising the personal dignity and rights of adults and children, ensuring all our policies and procedures reflect this
● promoting a safe environment and culture that enables and encourages concerns to be raised and responded to openly, promptly and consistently so that every child and adult feels valued, safe and happy
● creating an environment that ensures everyone feels welcomed, respected and safe, and enables everyone to access all aspects of church life
● undertaking to exercise proper care in the appointment and selection of those who will work with children and adults with care and support needs
● responding without delay to every concern raised that a child or adult for whom we are responsible may have been harmed
● following legal requirements and guidelines in relation to safeguarding children and adults with care and support needs
● caring pastorally for those who are affected by abuse

 We will:

● follow and implement the requirements of all relevant legislation including, but not limited to: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018, The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 & 2005; Equality Act 2010; referring concerns about adults with care and support needs to the local authority under the Care Act 2014
● support, resource and train all those who undertake this work so that they have the confidence and skills to recognise, report and respond to concerns
● have a named Safeguarding Officer who will oversee and implement Safeguarding policies and procedures and appoint a lead Trustee for Safeguarding
● work together to ensure that safeguarding policies and procedures, including Health and Safety and risk assessments, are understood and implemented
● respond immediately when a safeguarding concern arises, making the necessary reports and referrals to Children’s Social Services, Adult Social Care and/or the police
● notify and cooperate fully with statutory agencies during any investigation into allegations concerning a member of the church community
● challenge any abuse of power especially by anyone in a position of trust
● keep accurate and appropriate records of safeguarding concerns, ensuring these are stored securely
● regularly update and review safeguarding contexts and review the policy and procedures at least annually, keeping up to date with national and local developments

The Designated Safeguarding Officer for Venture Church is Stephanie Horrocks.
The named Venture Church Trustee for Safeguarding is Julie Nelson. 

January 2023