Safeguarding Policies and Guidance
The following page contains safeguarding information, policies and guidance for all churches, parishes, mission communities and other Church of England bodies within the Diocese of Exeter.
Diocesan Safeguarding Policies:
- Diocesan Safeguarding Policy 2021 incorporating safeguarding policy statement and commitment to Safer Recruitment.
- Diocesan Whistleblowing Policy relating to raising concerns about anyone undertaking activities on behalf of Diocese of Exeter
- Safeguarding Privacy Notice 2023 – This document is the Diocese of Exeter’s Safeguarding Privacy Notice 2023
- Safeguarding complaints policy and procedure: guidance on how to make a formal complaint about the Safeguarding service provided by the Diocese of Exeter.
- Diocesan Safeguarding Privacy Notice: This privacy notice explains what to expect when the Diocese of Exeter collects your personal information.
- National Church Institutions Safeguarding Privacy Notice: This privacy notice explains what to expect when the NCIs collect your personal information.
Diocesan Safeguarding Guidance:
- Flowchart: Responding to concerns about a child or adult at risk: a simple flowchart summarising the initial actions to be taken when you are in possession of information regarding a safeguarding situation.
- What happens when an offender wants to worship at your church: guidance on how to respond if you become aware of an offender (or someone else who poses a risk) who is worshiping or wants to worship in your church.
- Confidentiality – Information Sharing Guidance for Clergy and Parishes: guidance on how safeguarding information should be handled.
- Data Protection and Safeguarding: detailed guidance on how and why Safeguarding data is held and processed in the Diocese of Exeter in line with GDPR and the UK Data Protection Bill, including data retention periods.
Church of England Safeguarding E-manual:
The Church of England Safeguarding e-manual contains the most up to date safeguarding guidance including ‘Safer Recruitment and People Management’, ‘Safeguarding in Religious Communities’, the ‘Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework’, ‘Responding Well to Victims and Survivors of Abuse’ and ‘Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults’. View the Safeguarding e-manual here.
Church of England Safeguarding Policies and Practice Guidance:
The Church of England Safeguarding Policies and Practice Guidance contains practice guidance including the Parish Safeguarding Handbook, ‘Safer Environment and Activities’, ‘Code of Safer Working Practice’, PCR2 guidance, how to respond well to safeguarding concerns and allegations, serious incident reporting and policy statements including ‘Promoting a Safer Church’ and ‘Protecting All God’s Children’. View the Church of England guidance and policies here.
Church of England Safeguarding Templates and Resources:
The Church of England Safeguarding Templates and resources section includes (amongst others) a blank ‘Parish Safeguarding Poster’, a wide variety of model consent and risk assessment forms for parishes to use, information about key roles and responsibilities of church officers and bodies, guidance on responding to, assessing and managing concerns or allegations against church officers and some key theological texts regarding safeguarding and responding to abuse. View the templates and resources here.
SCIE Audit 2017/18:
SCIE Audit – Diocese of Exeter Summary: This summary explains the SCIE audit that took place in November 2017 in the Diocese of Exeter.
SCIE Report: The Social Care Institute for Excellence’s final report on the Diocese of Exeter’s audit, published in February 2018.
Seeking to Raise a Concern or Make a Complaint About Your Experience of the Safeguarding Service Provision in the Diocese of Exeter?
If you have a concern over the service being provided by the Diocese of Exeter with regard to Safeguarding, we are open to feedback and would encourage you to phone 01392 294969 or email the Acting Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Costa Nassaris, to discuss your concerns.
