Requirements
7.1 Any concerns or allegations must be made to the DSP in the first instance, unless they are about the DSP in which case they should be made straight to the DSO. In an emergency, always contact the emergency services. A written record of these must be kept.
7.2 The DSP must inform the DSO as soon as possible of any incidents or concerns. The DSP and the DSO will agree the best way forward and (where appropriate) inform the Leader.
7.2.1 If the matter is about the Leader, the DSP must inform the DSO as normal and also the Episcopal Visitor.
7.2.2 If a matter is so urgent it cannot wait until after a weekend or Bank Holiday, contact must be made with the police or social services.
7.2.3 It is expected that local protocols will be put in place to address the reporting of concerns, and it must be made clear that reporting a concern to the DSO cannot be overruled by anyone else in the community.
7.3 All members are required to comply with any requests for assistance from either the DSP or the DSO.
7.4 If the DSP is uncertain whether a matter should be raised with the DSO, they should raise it in any event and keep a record of the discussion and the advice from the DSO.
Guidance
When dealing with a safeguarding matter, communities need to be mindful of the guidance set out in the Responding Well to victims and survivors of abuse guidance and the Responding to allegations policies. These matters will mostly be dealt with by the DSO, and therefore it is important that they are informed as soon as possible. In certain, limited circumstances, the DSO may refer the case to the NST for them to consider. These circumstances might include when the case involved the Leader and was high profile, complex or involving multiple allegations.
The key thing for communities is to recognise what might constitute a situation which requires a safeguarding response, or recognise behaviours, situations or individuals who might pose a risk. This is where being able to observe behaviours and have open discussions becomes important, as this is the opportunity to be able to spot at an early stage where things may need an intervention. This is all part of creating a healthy, safe culture.
Advice on record keeping with regards to safeguarding can be found on the Church of England website.
Please refer to the main Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults policy for full examples of the behaviours, signs and situations which may give you cause for concern and which may require a safeguarding response.
If you are in any doubt about whether to report a concern, consult with your DSO and make a written record of their advice.
Charity Trustees have specific responsibilities with regards to Safeguarding, which include ensuring that safeguarding is done well within their charity. These are set out in the Charity Commission guidance, and specifically include:
- Ensuring that policies and processes are in place and regularly reviewed
- Complying with guidance on making Safeguarding Serious Incident Reports to the Charity Commission
- Discussing safeguarding generally at each meeting
- Reviewing any lessons learned
An infographic setting out 10 actions trustee boards need to take to ensure good safeguarding governance is available.
As with all other aspects of governance, the role of the Trustees is oversight and assurance – generally they will not get involved with the day to day management of any particular issue. This is, however, much more difficult in very small communities, and therefore some thought needs to be given as to the degree of separation that can be given to Trustees around safeguarding matters. This is important when it comes to dealing with any Conflicts of Interest.
Conversely, larger communities may have a Lead Trustee for Safeguarding, who takes the lead in providing that assurance and oversight to the remaining Trustees, accepting that all Trustees maintain responsibility for safeguarding in their community.