Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy for Cambridge Yeolim Church

 

This policy was agreed at the meeting of Board of Trustees held on 28 August 2020.

 

The Cambridge Yeolim Church, along with the whole Christian community, believes each person has a value and dignity which comes directly from God’s creation of male and female in God’s own image and likeness. Christians see this as fulfilled by God’s re-creation of us in Christ. Among other things, this implies a duty to value all people as bearing the image of God and therefore to protect them from harm.

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church is committed to the safeguarding and protection of all children, young people and vulnerable adults and affirms that the needs of children or of people when they are vulnerable are of paramount importance.

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church recognises that none of us is invulnerable but that there is a particular care for those whose vulnerability is increased by situations, by disabilities or by reduction in capacities. It is recognised that this increased vulnerability may be temporary or permanent and may be visible or invisible, but that it does not diminish our humanity and seeks to affirm the gifts and graces of all God’s people.

 

This policy addresses the safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults. It is intended to be a dynamic policy. It is intended to support the Church in being a safe supportive and caring community for children, young people, vulnerable adults, for survivors of abuse, for communities and for those affected by abuse.

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church is fully committed to safeguarding all members of the church community.

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church recognises the serious issue of the abuse of children and vulnerable adults and recognises that this may take the form of physical, emotional, sexual, financial, spiritual or institutional abuse or neglect. It acknowledges the effects these may have on people and their development including spiritual and religious development. It accepts its responsibility for ensuring that all people are safe in its care and that their dignity and right to be heard is maintained. It accepts its responsibility to support, listen to and work for healing with survivors, offenders, communities and those who care about them. It takes seriously the issues of promotion of welfare so that each of us can reach our full potential in God’s grace.

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church commits itself to respond without delay to any allegation or cause for concern that a child or vulnerable adult may have been harmed, whether in the church or in another context. It commits itself to challenge the abuse of power of anyone in a position of trust.

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church commits itself to the provision of support, advice and training for lay and ordained people that will ensure people are clear and confident about their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults who may be vulnerable.

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church affirms and gives thanks for the work of those who are workers with children and vulnerable adults and acknowledges the shared responsibility of all of us for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults who are on our premises.

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church appoints Jung-uk Shim as Church Safeguarding Adults Representative, Church Safeguarding Children Coordinator, and Churches' Child Protection Advisory Service (Thirtyone:eight) Lead Recruiter and supports him in his role which is to:

i)       support and advise the minister and the stewards in fulfilling their roles

ii)      provide a point of reference to advise on safeguarding issues

iii)     be the main point of contact between Thirtyone:eight as Cambridge Yeolim Church

 

a)      Purpose

The purposes of this safeguarding policy are to ensure procedures are in place and people are clear about roles and responsibilities for vulnerable adults in our care and using our premises.

 

b)      Good Practice

We believe good practice means that:

i)       All people are treated with respect and dignity.

ii)      Those who act on behalf of the Church should not meet or work alone with a child or vulnerable adult where the activity cannot be seen unless this is necessary for pastoral reasons, in which case a written note of this will be made and kept noting date, time and place of visit.

iii)     The church premises will be assessed for safety for children and vulnerable adults by Castle Street Methodist Church through their annual risk assessment, per their policy. This will include fire safety procedures. The Board of Trustees of Castle Streel Methodist will consider the extent to which the premises and equipment are suitable or should be made more suitable and will share any pertinent information with the leadership of Cambridge Yeolim Church.

iv)     Any church-organised transport of children or vulnerable adults will be checked to ensure the vehicle is suitable and insured and that the driver and escort are appropriate.

v)      Promotion of safeguarding is recognised to include undertaking those tasks which enable all God’s people to reach their full potential. The Board of Trustees will actively consider the extent to which it is succeeding in this area.

These things are to safeguard those working with children, young people and those adults who may be vulnerable.

 

c)      Appointment and training of workers

          Workers, including volunteers, will be appointed after a satisfactory DBS check performed through the Thirtyone:eight online DBS application system. Each worker/volunteer will be expected to undergo basic safeguarding training, within the first year of appointment. The other training needs of each worker/volunteer will be considered (e.g. food hygiene, first aid, lifting and handling, etc.) and each worker/volunteer will have an annual review conducted by a named member of the Board of Trustees and another worker within the organisation.

 

d)      Thirtyone:eight Affiliation

           As per Thirtyone:eight policy, Cambridge Yeolim Church as adopted a policy on the fair treatment of all applicants, as well as a policy on the handling and safe keeping of information, as per the DBS Code of Practice.  These policies are included as attachments to this Safeguarding policy.

 

e)      Pastoral visitors

          In terms of safeguarding, Pastoral Visitors will be supported in their role with the provision of basic safeguarding training upon appointment.

 

f)       Ecumenical events

          Where ecumenical events happen on church premises, safeguarding is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees.

 

g)      Events with church groups off the premises

          Adequate staffing will be ensured for such events. Notification of the event will be given to Jung-uk Shim.

 

h)      Complaints procedure

          It is hoped that complaints can generally be dealt with internally by the organisations. However, a complaint may be made to a person who will be appointed by the Board of Trustees and who is currently Senior Pastor Tae Kyu Kim. If a complaint is made to another person, it should be passed to Senior Pastor Tae Kyu Kim who will arrange to meet with the complainant and attempt to resolve the complaint.

 

i)       Review

          This policy will be reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees. The date of the next review
is December 2021

 

j)    Key concepts and definitions

i)       Vulnerable Adults: any adult aged 18 or over who, by reason of mental or other disability, age, illness or other situation is permanently or for the time being unable to take care of her or himself, or to protect her or himself from significant harm or exploitation.

ii)      Safeguarding and protecting children or vulnerable adults from maltreatment; preventing impairment of their health and ensuring safe and effective care.

iii)     Adult/child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. This refers to the activity which is undertaken to protect children/specific adults who are suffering or are at risk of suffering significant harm, including neglect.

iv)     Abuse and neglect may occur in a family, in a community and in an institution. It may be perpetrated by a person or persons known to the child or vulnerable adult or by strangers; by an adult or by a child. It may be an infliction of harm or a failure to prevent harm.

 

 

Dated      .......28/08/2020 

 

 

 

Signed   

               _____________________________________________

                

                Tae Gyu Kim, Senior Pastor

                 Cambridge Yeolim Church

 

 

 

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church

Equal Opportunities Statement

 

1. Cambridge Yeolim Church is a Christian Organization committed to the values and teachings of Christ and resolutely opposed to discrimination in society.  We are committed to providing services on a fair and equitable basis, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, life-style, sex, sexuality, physical/mental disability, offending background or any other factor.  No person requiring services from Cambridge Yeolim Church will be treated less favourably than any other person on any grounds.

2. In employment and volunteerism, we actively seek to recruit with the right mix of talent, skills and potential, promoting equality for all, and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates.  We select all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications, experience and commitment to the values and purposes of the organisation.

3. As a church, all posts can only be filled by Christians.  The nature of these posts or the context in which they are carried out, and their link to the ethos of the organisation, give rise to a genuine occupational requirement (GOR) for the post-holders to be Christians.  All staff in these posts are required to demonstrate a clear personal commitment to the Christian faith.  This policy is implemented in accordance with Employment and Race Directives issued by the government and ACAS guidance.

4. As an organisation using the DBS to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, the church undertakes to comply fully with the DBS Code of Practice and to treat all applicants for positions fairly.  It undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any person on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed.

5. A Disclosure is only requested if relevant for the position concerned.  For those positions where a Disclosure is required, all application forms, job adverts and recruitment briefs will contain a statement that a Disclosure will be requested in the event of the individual being offered a position.

6. Where a Disclosure is to form part of a recruitment process, we encourage all applicants called for interview to provide details of any criminal record at an early stage in the application process.  We request that this information is sent separately and in confidence to the Recruiter within the church and we guarantee that this information will only be seen by those who need to, as part of the recruitment process.

7. Unless the nature of the position allows questioning about your entire criminal record, we only ask about “unspent” convictions as defined in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act of 1974.

8. We ensure that all those in the church who are involved in the recruitment process have been suitably trained to identify and assess the relevance of offences.  We will also ensure that they have received legislation relating to the employment of ex-offenders e.g. the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act of 1974.

9. At interview, or in separate discussion, we ensure that an open and measured discussion takes place on the subject of any offences or other matter that might be relevant to the position.  Failure to reveal information that is directly relevant to the position sought could lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment or voluntary work.

10.   Every person undergoing a DBS check will be made aware of the DBS Code of Practice and a copy will be available on request.

11.   We undertake to discuss any matter revealed in a disclosure with the person seeking a position before withdrawing a conditional offer of employment.

 

Cambridge Yeolim Church

Handling, Use, Secure Storage, Retention and Disposal of Disclosures and Disclosure Information

 

In consideration of our use of the DBS Disclosure Service, to help assess the suitability of applicants for positions of trust, we agree to comply with the DBS Code of Practice, Data Protection Act of 2018 and other legislations in regard to the correct handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of Disclosure and Disclosure information including any electronic information.

 

Storage & Access

Certificate information is always kept securely, in lockable, non-portable, storage containers with access strictly controlled and limited to those who are entitled to see it as part of their duties.  Electronic disclosure information is held on a secure password protected system accessible only to those authorised to view it in the course of their duties.

 

Handling

In accordance with section 124 of the Police Act 2018, disclosure information is only passed to those who are authorised to receive it in the course of their duties.  We maintain a record of all those to whom disclosure information has been revealed and we recognise that it is a criminal offence to pass this information to anyone who is not entitled to receive it.

 

Usage

Certificate information is only used for the specific purpose for which it was requested and for which the applicant’s full consent has been given.

 

Retention

Once a recruitment (or other relevant) decision has been made, we do not keep certificate information for any longer than is absolutely necessary, whether in electronic or paper format.  This is generally for a period of up to six months, to allow for the consideration and resolution of any disputes or complaints.  If, in very exceptional circumstances, it is considered necessary to keep certificate information for longer than six-months, we will consult Thirtyone:eight who will seek advice from the DBS giving full consideration to the Data Protection rights and Human Rights of the individual subject before doing so.  Throughout this time, the usual conditions regarding safe storage and strictly controlled access will continue to apply.

 

Disposal

Once the retention period has elapsed, we will ensure that any certificate information is immediately suitably destroyed by secure means, i.e. by shredding, pulping or burning.  While awaiting destruction, disclosure information will not be kept in any insecure receptacle (e.g. waste bin or confidential waste sack). We will not keep any photocopy or other image of the certificate or any copy or representation of the contents of a disclosure.  However, we may keep a record of the date of issue of the certificate, the name of the subject, the type of disclosure information requested, the position for which disclosure information was requested, and the details of the recruitment decision taken.  For disposal of electronic certificate results and information, the system automatically deletes the record in line with DBS retention guidelines, automatically archiving information as laid out in the DBS Code of Practice.

 

Our relationship with Thirtyone:eight as an Umbrella Organisation

We accept that the Thirtyone:eight Disclosure Service, as our umbrella organisation, has a responsibility to ensure, as far as possible, that we comply with all the requirements in the DBS Code of Practice, this another policy statements, and in other DBS procedures and processes.  We undertake to keep Thirtyone:eight informed of any changes in our organisation, personnel or practices which could materially affect our ability to work with these expectations.