​All Souls Church works to encourage a safe environment for children and for adults facing additional safeguarding risks who visit, worship or are employed at All Souls Church. Details of how to respond to a possible safeguarding risk can be found here.
 
Our Parish is committed to the Five Standards. The Five Standards aim to cover the breadth of safeguarding activity in the Church. The Five Standards are: Culture, Leadership and Capacity: Church bodies have safe and healthy cultures, effective leadership, resourcing, and scrutiny arrangements necessary to deliver high-quality safeguarding practices and outcomes.
​
The Parochial Church Council has adopted the London Diocese PCC Safeguarding Statement and all those who hire or use our premises are expected to abide by this safeguarding policy or agree a comparable policy with our safeguarding leads.


​PCC Safeguarding Policy Statement
Every person has a value and dignity which comes directly from the creation of male and female in God’s own image and likeness. Christians see this potential as fulfilled by God’s re-creation of us in Christ. This implies a duty to value all people as bearing the image of God and therefore to protect them from harm.
  • We accept and endorse the principles set out in ‘Safeguarding in the Diocese of London’.
  • We commit ourselves to nurture, protect and safeguard all our members, particularly children, young people and vulnerable adults.
  • We recognise that safeguarding is the responsibility of the whole church community.
  • We undertake to exercise proper care in the selection, appointment, training and support of those working in both paid and voluntary positions with children or vulnerable adults, including the use of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosures and making appropriate referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
  • We will respond without delay to concerns or allegations that a child or vulnerable adult may have been harmed, cooperating with the police and social care services in any investigation.
  • We will challenge any abuse of power by anyone in a position of trust.
  • We will seek to offer pastoral care and support to anyone who has suffered abuse, developing with them appropriate pastoral support.
  • We will seek to offer pastoral care and support, including supervision and referral to the proper authorities, to any member of our church community known to have offended against a child, young person or vulnerable adult.
 
The PCC of this Church agreed and adopted the above Policy at its meeting on 3rd September 2023. We have appointed Jean Lewis our Church Safeguarding Officer (CSO) and Ingrid Bruno-Snelling our Children’s and Vulnerable Adults Champion.  Copies of “Safeguarding in the Diocese of London” and any parish guidelines and procedures are held by them and by the Vicar, Revd Dr Adam Dobrzynski. The PCC shall review this policy annually.  The next review will take place at the first PCC meeting following the APCM, 12th May 2024.
Safeguarding Officer: Jean Lewis 
the first person to speak to if you have any concerns around the welfare of a child or adult at risk
Tel: 0208 9652162

Children & Vulnerable Adults’ Champion: Ingrid Bruno-Snelling 
the advocate for children and vulnerable adults, making sure their views are heard and their needs are thought of
Tel: 0208 4531983

Parish DBS Evidence Checker: Michelle Roberts 
Parish DBS Evidence Checker ensures that all people who work with children and vulnerable adults have DBS clearance

The following people are our first aiders: 
Ifeoma Umeh (Team Leader), Deborah St Louis, Ingrid Bruno Snelling, Jean Lewis
​
Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor for Willesden: 
Local authority safeguarding team numbers:
  • NSPCC for adults concerned about a child – 0808 800 5000
  • Childline for children and young people – 0800 1111
  • Action on Elder Abuse helpline – 0808 808 8141
  • 24-hour National Domestic Violence helpline – 0808 2000 247
  • NAPAC offers support and advice to adult survivors of childhood abuse – 08088010331
  • Stop It Now helps prevent child sexual abuse – 0808 1000 900
  • Cruse bereavement helpline – 0808 808 1677
  • Family Lives provides support and advice on family issues – 0808 800 222
  • MACSAS for people who have been abused by church officers – 0808 801 0340
  • Samaritans for people struggling to cope and needing someone to talk to – 116 123
Contact details and information about the Diocese of London Safeguarding Team can be found here
Church of England safeguarding policy and practice guidance
​The 'Promoting a Safer Church' document is publicised and promoted, and available to all Church Officers.
Access the 'Parish Safeguarding Handbook' and other Church of England resources and campaigns


​Safeguarding Procedure for Dealing with Allegations or Concerns

The Parish Safeguarding Handbook states that the incumbent and the PCC will:
  • Have a procedure in place to deal promptly with safeguarding allegations or suspicions of abuse;
  • Report all safeguarding concerns or allegations including those against church officers to the Parish Safeguarding Officer/
incumbent and the DSA.
We follow the guidance in Section 7 of the Parish Safeguarding Handbook, which is summarised below.