Support for Church Council Members

CHAPTER 2 How to Support you Church Safeguarding Officer

Model Church Safeguarding Policy (Feb 2022):

• Legal responsibility for safeguarding rests with the members of the Church Council.
• The Church Council should appoint a Church Safeguarding Officer, and support them in their role.
• Promotion of safeguarding is recognised to include undertaking those tasks which enable all God's people to reach their full potential. The Church Council will actively consider the extent to which it is succeeding in this area

Too often safeguarding, at Church level, is just left to the Church Safeguarding Officer. However, the model Church Safeguarding Policy makes it very clear that it's the responsibility of the whole Church Council.

Church Council members need to understand the basics of safeguarding so they can "offer support" to their safeguarding officer.

To help council members carry out their legal responsibilities, and actively support their Church Safeguarding officer, I have recorded 7 presentations. The 7 presentations mirror the 7 main chapters in the Church Safeguarding Officers handbook, and together they consider all the 10 tasks assigned to the Church Safeguarding Officer.

Each presentation is only short but it gives you a brief outline of the suggestions I'm making to safeguarding officers and suggests practical ways you can help and support.

The document below reminds you of the specific tasks I'm asking Church Safeguarding officers to undertake to meet Connexional expectations and how I suggest Church Council members can offer help and support:

• How to Support Your Church Safeguarding Officer – Quick Reference Guide (Sept 2022