Diocese of Bristol • HORFIELD PARISH CHURCH • Child Protection Policy Statement

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Horfield Parish Church agreed and adopted the following Policy on Child Protection at it’s meeting held on the 25th of June 2007.

• We commit ourselves to nurture, protect and safeguard all our members, particularly our children and young people. We recognise that our work with children and young people is the responsibility of the whole church community.
• We accept and endorse the principles of the Children Act 1989 and the House of Bishops’ Policy Statement (1999) which follows recommendations taken from Safe from Harm, a code of practice published in 1993 by the Home Office for voluntary organisations and have produced a Child Protection Document following the guidelines laid out in The Diocese of Bristol Safe and Sound 2nd Edition.
• We undertake to exercise proper care in both the selection and appointment, and the support, of those working with children, whether paid or unpaid.
• We wish to support parents and carers who have responsibility for bringing up children.
• We have appointed Lynne Alba as our Nominated Person (NP) whose responsibilities are as described in the Diocese of Bristol Safe and Sound guidelines.

The Parish Office holds a full copy of the Parish of Horfield Child Protection Policy and you are welcome to look at it at any time. The PCC will review the policy annually.

Signed and dated: - John Hadley, Priest in Charge; Paul Wilson, Churchwarden; Garth Baker, Churchwarden

It may be helpful to know that the Church of England requires all those who work with children and young people to report any obvious or suspected case of child abuse (which includes non-accidental injury, severe physical neglect, emotional and/or sexual abuse to the relevant statutory authorities. This is intended to protect children and young people at risk and it is important to recognise that where there any grounds for suspicion, it is better to be safe than sorry. Thus does, however, mean that it is feasible for a case to be reported which, on investigation, proves unfounded. In the unlikely case of this occurring, it is hoped that parents, appreciating how difficult it is for the church to carry out this delicate responsibility, would accept that its workers were acting in what they believe were in the child’s best interests.