Safeguarding

Parish Safeguarding Policy Statement
The Parochial Church Council of the Parish of The Lighthouse Church (St. Luke’s), Hawkinge has adopted the safeguarding policies and procedures of the Church of England.

In particular we are committed to:

• the safeguarding of all children, young people and vulnerable adults
• carefully selecting and training paid and voluntary staff who might come into contact with children or vulnerable adults, using the Disclosure and Barring Service amongst other tools, to check their suitability
• responding without delay to every complaint made which suggests that an adult, child or young person may have been harmed
• co-operating fully with the police, local authority and any other appropriate statutory body in any investigation
• ministering appropriately to anyone, child or adult, who has experienced abuse
• extending pastoral care to those known to have offended against children or vulnerable adults whilst ensuring that children and vulnerable adults are protected from them

Our Parish Safeguarding Coordinator is Rev. Robert Grinsell

For more information (or to speak with our Safeguarding Coordinator, Vicar or one of the Church Wardens), please contact us via the church office in the first instance.

We work in partnership with Canterbury Diocese to safeguard the vulnerable.

Authorised Listeners are available to anyone in our parish who wishes to discuss their experiences of past abuse. The listener will provide an attentive and attuned ear to help individuals reflect on their feelings, assist in thinking about their next step and generally provide them with support.

The Diocese has appointed a group of Authorised Listeners, all of whom are qualified professionals with counselling experience. They are able to offer up to 4 sessions free of charge. A request for an Authorised Listener should be made via the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisers;

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