The National Church has created Guidance for safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults which can be found here, and a Fact Sheet about different types of abuse.
The Parish Safeguarding Handbook also has a section on the Abuse and Neglect of Children, that can be found here.
You can find contact details for local authority and social services here.
These pages direct you to specific resources and support for young people.
Childline is a free, private and confidential service designed to help anyone under the age of 19 with any issue they're going through. You can talk to their counsellors by calling 0800 1111, email or using a 1-2-1 chat.
If you're worried about a child or young person, you can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 for free support or advice.
The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) aims to ensure that the voice of children and young people can be heard in all matters affecting them. NYAS provide the following services to Young People within Oxfordshire:
- Advocacy for children in care and those in need – including children subject to child protection plans, care leavers, children and young people with disabilities
- The provision of independent visitors for children in care
Young People can contact the free phone helpline directly or professionals can do so on their behalf: 0808 808 1001, or email help@nyas.net. There is no age restriction for Young People to access the service.
Supporting parish engagement with children, young people and families.
Our team of Discipleship Enablers exists to support engagement between children, young people and families within the church, community and local schools. They look forward to working with you and your church community in supporting, encouraging and nurturing the next generation. You can find out more on the dedicated Children, young people and families page.
Guidance
Section 11 of the Parish Safeguarding Handbook: A Safe Environment and Activities, contains the Code of Safer Working Practice, as well as information and guidance about:
- Acceptable Touch
- Children's Activities and staffing levels
- Visiting Adults
Section 12 of the Parish Safeguarding Handbook sets out guidance for the Use of Social Media, but the Church of England also supplies Social Media Community Guidelines. These guidelines provide a framework for engaging on social media in a positive and respectful manner. They outline the expectations for online interactions, emphasizing the importance of being truthful, respectful, and considerate.
Church of England's Digital Charter - a voluntary pledge to create positive online engagements. It encourages individuals and churches to engage online in ways that reflect Christian values of truth, kindness, and togetherness. Signing up to this charter can help promote a safer, more respectful online community.
Safer Environment and Activities Guidance (2019) - This document provides parishes with detailed guidance about Promoting a Safer Environment. It is intended to act as a ‘How to…’ guide to help churches meet that commitment in their everyday ministry. It covers topics such as expected standards of behaviour, adult-to-child ratios, parental consent, and risk assessments for activities. It has been produced to give clear guidance to many of the questions that parishes most often ask about keeping people safe in church.
Fact sheet - Sexting (youth produced sexual imagery)
Would your church like to recruit more volunteers to lead children and young people?
The JOIN resources from the National Church offer a toolkit for churches to plan and run a successful recruitment campaign. Find more information and resources on their website.
The Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board
The OSCB has a whole range of resources for safeguarding children in Oxfordshire, including but not limited to:
- Training opportunities
- Multi-agency Toolkit
- Information and resources about neglact
Find out more on their website.
Resources from the National Safeguarding Team
The National Safeguarding Team have produced a suite of resources designed to enable worshipping communities to communicate with children, young people and their parents and carers about safeguarding:
This three-minute animation is designed to be shown to congregations, children, young people and their parents and carers.
The following six leaflets detail how children and young people are kept safe in churches and are bespoke for different audiences. These can be accessed once you have signed in to the Safeguarding Training Portal:
- Child Church Form
- Child Cathedral Form
- Child Church Choir Form
- Parent Cathedral Choir Form
- Parent Church Choir Form
- Parent Church Form
Lesson Plans - Interactive activity plans for worshipping communities to use with children and young people to communicate with them about safeguarding.
Do have a look through the resources, and put the leaflets up in church and share with children and their families.