Chiltern Evangelical Church and its leadership recognise the importance of our ministry with children, young people, and adults with care and support needs and the responsibility of everyone to protect those entrusted to our care.

Chiltern Evangelical Church is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people, and adults with care and support needs and ensuring their well-being.  Specifically:

  • We recognise that everyone has the right to be treated with respect and to be protected from all forms of abuse.
  • We recognise that everyone has a responsibility to help prevent the physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect of children and young people (those under 18 years of age) and to report any such abuse.
  • We recognise that we all have a responsibility to help prevent the abuse or neglect of adults with care and support needs and to report any such abuse.
  • We believe every person is made in the image of God and is uniquely valuable and precious.  We want to make sure that children, young people, and adults we have contact with know this and are empowered to tell us if they are suffering harm or neglect.
  • We recognise the personal dignity of all individuals and will ensure all our policies and procedures reflect this.
  • We undertake to exercise proper care in the appointment and selection of all those who will work with children, young people, and adults with care and support needs.

We are committed to:

  • Paying due regard to the requirements of UK legislation in relation to safeguarding children, young people, and adults with care and support needs, and good practice recommendations.
  • Implementing the requirements of legislation in regard to people with disabilities.
  • Ensuring that workers / helpers adhere to the agreed procedures of our safeguarding policy.
  • Supporting the safeguarding co-ordinators in their work and in any action they may need to take in order to protect children or adults.
  • Supporting parents and families.
  • Supporting, protecting and safeguarding children, young people, and adults with care and support needs.
  • Supporting, resourcing, training, monitoring and providing supervision to all those who undertake work with children, young people and adults with care and support needs.

We recognise:

  • Where there is reason to believe that a criminal offence may have been committed then the police should be contacted as a matter of urgency.
  • Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

This is a summary statement of our policy which is reviewed regularly.

Anyone with concerns for a child, young person or adult should speak to a Safeguarding Co-ordinator.

A reference copy of the full policy and our procedures is available in the library at our building in Sonning Common (on the corner of Peppard Road and Grove Road).  An electronic copy is available by contacting a member of the Safeguarding Team.