We are committed to Safeguarding Children, Young People, Victims of Domestic Abuse and Adults at risk. Our safeguarding policy states that:

  • We commit ourselves to nurture, protect and safeguard all our members, particularly our children and young people.

  • We recognise that our work with children and young people is the responsibility of the whole church community.

  • We undertake to exercise proper care in the selection, appointment and support of those working with children, whether paid or volunteer.

  • We wish to support parents and carers who have responsibility for bringing up children.

  • We accept and endorse the principles of the Children Act 1989 and the House of Bishops’ Policy Statement Protecting All God’s Children (2004). The PCC have agreed and adopted our safeguarding policy and it is reviewed annually.

What is safeguarding for and why do we need it?

Unfortunately, we often hear or read about something terrible involving children or an adult at risk happening. Whilst these events happen in many different kinds of organisation, the sad truth is that it sometimes involves churches. Additionally in the modern world of social media and instant access to the internet via smartphones or tablets safeguarding has become more important, and more complex, than ever before.

At St Mary's we firmly believe that everyone is valued and all have something to offer. For this reason, we are committed to being an open church and no-one should be afraid to challenge or come forward if something is clearly wrong or they have concerns.

The vast majority of safeguarding is common sense - if you are concerned about anything, report it. We all have a duty of care to one another and so we are all safeguarders. In order to support us all in our safeguarding, St Mary's has a designated Safeguarding Officer, Nally Fernando. The safeguarding role exists to protect the leaders as well as the children and adults at risk.

If you have any concerns or questions about safeguarding please contact Nally by emailing him.

Please see the full safeguarding policy for more details. There are also hard copies in the church porch and in the office.

Important phone numbers:

Diocesan Safeguarding Team helpline: 020 7932 1224
NSPCC 24 hour helpline: 0800 731 9256
Thirtyone:eight helpline: 0303 003 11 11
Childline: 0800 1111