St Mary’s Policies
At St Marys we follow and abide by the Diocese of Guildford Safeguarding Policy, procedures and guidance set out in the Church of England handbook “In Safe Hands”. A copy of this handbook is available at the back of the church and via THIS LINK
Protecting our children
This Church follows the Diocesan Child Protection Policy.
1. The Diocese of Guildford is committed to the fair and sensitive use of Disclosure information and will seek to achieve and maintain models of best practice.
Where an applicant feels that Disclosure information has not been handled in a fair and sensitive way an appeal process will be available.
2. The Diocese of Guildford is committed to the recognition of each individual's abilities, skills, experience and qualifications and will take every step to ensure that these are given appropriate weight and consideration in its appointment or recruitment process. Evidence of convictions or other matters will only be taken into account if relevant to the position being considered.
It is Diocesan policy as set out in "The Care and Protection of Children" 2002, that no-one who has been convicted or cautioned for a sexual offence against a child will be able to work, in a paid or unpaid position which could bring them into contact with children nor can they be part of mixed-age activities (for example choir, servers, bell-ringers) run by the church.
A person convicted or cautioned of any other offence against a child or for whom there are unresolved serious allegations outstanding will only be allowed to work with children or be part of mixed-age activities with the express agreement of the bishop and incumbent following consultation with the Diocesan Child Protection Adviser.
3. The Diocese of Guildford will seek to ensure that each paid post or volunteer position for which it is responsible for the Disclosure process is assessed for the appropriateness of a CRB Disclosure, that any advertisement or other indication of an employment or volunteering opportunity will indicate the level of Disclosure that will be sought, and that the conditional nature of any offer of employment or volunteering role until the receipt of satisfactory Disclosure information is clearly indicated.
4. The Diocese of Guildford will seek to ensure that a candidate for a paid post or volunteer position for which it is responsible is asked to complete a Confidential Declaration form as set out by the House of Bishops, listing any convictions or other disqualifying behaviour that might be revealed in the Disclosure process, in order to assist the recruitment decision process and in the knowledge that it will only be taken into account when relevant to the post in question. The candidate will be invited to submit any conviction or related information in writing prior to interview in an envelope clearly marked 'Private and Confidential' and this will then be handed to the person specifically identified for this purpose in the recruitment process.
5. The Diocese of Guildford is committed to encouraging the re-submission of applications for Disclosure in respect of all paid employees and volunteers for whom this is appropriate, every 5 years as part of its ongoing strategy for the protection of children and vulnerable adults.
6. The Diocese of Guildford is committed to the safe storage and disposal of Disclosure information in line with such guidance as may from time to time be provided by the Criminal Records Bureau. It is recommended that all confidential materials are kept in locked, metal, non-portable cabinets. Information on computer should be accessed via a password. The Disclosures will not be kept in personal files and will be destroyed as confidential waste after no more than 6 months. Details of name, date of Disclosure, reference number and recruitment decision will be kept separately and securely in case it is required for future reference. In exceptional cases information to protect children may be kept if the subject is aware of it or if this information is exempt under "The Data Protection Act" 1998.
7. When acting as an umbrella body The Diocese will take all reasonable steps to ensure that bodies using the service comply with the CRB Code of Practice. The Diocese will offer training and advice on fair recruitment, safe storage and careful use of information. Each parish or other body who uses the Diocese as an umbrella body will have the relevant policies in place before joining the scheme.
St Mary the Virgin, Cuddington Parish is in the Diocese of Guildford
The Avenue, Worcester Park, Surrey KT4 7HL, UK