For over a year our Parish Council has been working on Safeguarding: seeking a strategy and practical guidelines to help ensure that children, young people and vulnerable adults are protected, and that catechists and others who work in our community are equally protected. This task has proved challenging, given the particular nature of our parish, the geographical spread of our community members and the variety of cultures and church backgrounds we all come from. However, the challenge must be met, and at our recent Council meeting (22nd October) we agreed to publish draft guidelines for Safeguarding. These do not represent a fully developed strategy, but the first, necessary steps towards such a strategy. It is vital that this draft is considered, reflected upon and discussed in our community, and suggestions for improvement are invited and welcomed. When we do have what we consider to be a developed strategy which we wish fully to implement, we will then pass it to the archdiocese for approval, and publicise it for all who are part of, or visitors to, our community.

It would be helpful if suggestions (proposed amendments, additions or subtractions) followed the following format:

1. Your name; any particular experience/expertise you might have (eg. parent, teacher, carer, experience from previous parish/diocese)
2. Your suggestion/s (what you think should be added, taken away or amended)
3. The reasons for your suggestions (to help us understand the concerns you are addressing)
4. Any other comments and observations.

Your comments may be emailed to me, to any member of the Parish Council, or handed in at the sacristy.
To repeat: this text is a draft, an early stage in our formulation of a policy; as such, it is necessarily inadequate. We must begin somewhere, however, in formulating a policy that is ‘best practice’ and suited to our particular situation; transparency in this is essential, and your help greatly appreciated.

Safeguarding Guidelines (draft 1)

Thank you.  Fr Ed