Safeguarding Trust

Each week many children use our premises and it is our duty and legal responsibility to ensure that they are protected from any kind of abuse and also to promote their general safety and welfare. Our children’s ministry is only possible because of the commitment of our leaders and they need the safeguard of guidelines which help them feel confident that their practices are good and that they are protected from unfounded allegations. Safeguarding Trust provides such assurances for children and leaders in All Saints and it is a public statement of our church’s concern for the care and protection of children and leaders.

Every three years a parish undergoes an evaluation of how well it is implementing Safeguarding Trust – does the parish display notices giving the names of the parish panel; are parishioners aware of the role of the panel? Records of attendance, consent forms, an incident/accident book are monitored by the panel members who are also responsible for the documentation regarding recruitment of new leaders.

The role of the panel members is a very onerous one and we are very grateful that our panel members are experienced educationalists with a sound knowledge of child protection procedures. Safeguarding Trust is not something to be feared, rather, it helps us set high standards of care for our children and our leaders.

If you have any queries regarding these issues you may contact

Ven Dr Stephen McBride
028 9446 2186

Hazel Dalton
028 9446 4796

Dr Brian Ford
028 9446 2378

For up-to-date guidance on the Safeguarding Policy please consult https://www.ireland.anglican.org/about/safeguarding

SAFEGUARDING POLICIES AND PROTOCOLS 2022-23

Antibullying Policy

Communications Policy

Complaints Procedures Policy for Children and Parents

Disciplinary Procedure Policy for staff and volunteers

Grievance Procedure Policy for volunteers in youth and children’s work

Partnership with Parents Policy

GDPR regulations

Definitions and features of abuse

Social Media and video conferencing with young people Policy

Consent form for recording of photographs or recorded images

Consent form for Social/digital media

Code of Behaviour

Guidelines for a Code of Behaviour for members

Report forms

Accident report form

Incident report form

Complaints form

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim

Anti-bullying Policy for children
(Note: For cases of bullying between adults the ‘Dignity in Church Life Policy’ should be adhered to)

Our parish is committed to providing a caring, supportive and friendly environment where children learn to value and respect each other and are challenged to reach their full potential through active participation. Therefore we will not tolerate bullying by anyone in any of our activities.

Bullying can be defined as repeated agression –whether it is verbal, psychological or physical –that is conducted by an individual or group against others. It is behaviour that is intentionally aggravating and intimidating, and occurs mainly among children in social environements such as schools. It includes behaviours such as physical aggression, cyberbullying, damage to property, intimadation, isolation, exclusion, name calling, malicious gossip and extortion. Bullying can also take the form of identity abuse based on gender and sexual preference, race, ethnicity and religious factors. With developments in modern technology, children can also be the victims of non-contact bullying, via mobile phones, the internet and other devices.

What can staff/volunteers do if a child tells them they are being bullied?

Listen calmly and accept what is said.
Complete an incident form following the conversation and keep on file as this forms the basis of the bullying report. Notes should include nature of incident, date, time, location, names of those involved, witnesses, relevant history and child’s response. This report should be given to the Parish Panel.
Reassure them that help is available, action will be taken, the child was right to tell, it is not their fault and it could happen to anyone.
Negotiate confidentiality – be clear you’ll only tell people who need to know.
Ensure the child’s safety. The staff/volunteers should be aware that the safety of the child is paramount, and this can be maintained through appropriate supervision. Liaise with the parents/guardians in relation to a solution and possible actions.
Tell the child that you will keep them informed and how you intend to proceed.
Respond to the incident – all actions should be guided by the needs of the child. Decide what action to take and by whom.

Responding to incidents of bullying

There are a number of approaches which can be used, and the staff/volunteers should determine which action to take depending on the incident of bullying.

The Code of Behaviour sets out the guidelines for children regarding boundaries and appropriate behaviour. Draw everyone’s attention back to the Code of Behaviour and the consequences of not abiding by the Code.
Focus on the feelings of the target and what the person/group involved in the bullying and the target can do to make this situation better. Allow those involved in the bullying behaviour to think about the action that has taken place and the effect it has had on the target. It promotes the perpetrator and the rest of the group involved in the bullying behaviour with an opportunity to redeem themselves.
Time Out – by providing some space and time between the perpetrator and target and allowing both parties involved to think about the incident that has taken place, time apart may aid the process of resolving the bullying e.g. removal of the perpetrator away from the target to another group.
Denial of privileges – loss of certain privileges by the perpetrator in the group. It is hoped that by using this response the perpetrator may realise the impact of their actions on the target and the consequences for themselves.
Parental/Guardian involvement – make parents/guardians of all children involved aware of the incident of bullying and ask them to intervene in the situation.
Suspension or expulsion of the perpetrator may be used as a last resort in bullying where no other interventions have worked.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is defined as “any behaviour performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others”.

Cyberbullying, similar to more traditional forms of bullying, must meet three main criteria:

Intention to cause harm to the victim(s)
Repetition of abusive behaviour(s) over time (however in some instances, one behavioural act can create an on-going sense of intimidation for the victim (e.g. posting a humiliating photo/video which can be viewed by a large audience can have long-term effects)).
Imbalance of power between victim(s) and bully/bullies (i.e. technological skills, anonymity).

Cyberbullying differs from more traditional forms of bullying in a number of ways:

The audience is larger;
There are no time or location barriers;
It can happen 24/7
The target’s reaction is not often seen, leading to a reduction in feelings of empathy or guilt for the perpetrator.

Actions staff and volunteers should consider when a child is the target of cyberbullying:

Confirm that you are dealing with bullying behaviour.
Listen calmly and uncritically to the report the child is making.
Remind the child that it is not their fault.
Tell the child not to respond to the bully as this can exacerbate the issue.
Ask the child if they have talked to their parents about the cyberbullying. If they have not the staff member/volunteer should offer to help the child to talk to their parents about the problem.
The following advice should be given by the staff member/volunteer to the parents of the child experiencing the cyberbullying:
- Keep a copy of all correspondence between the child and the bully.
- Encourage the child to remove the cyberbully as a ‘friend’ online and block them from his/her phone.
- Report the issue to the website and/or mobile phone company as appropriate.
- Serious issues should be reported to PSNI – legal issues include making inappropriate sexual suggestions, racist remarks or persistent bullying that is seriously damaging to the child’s wellbeing. In such situations the staff member/volunteer should report their concerns to the panel who can assist them to inform parents that they should report the cyber bullying or ‘sexting’ to the PSNI by bringing the child’s phone to the local PSNI station and making a report.

Adopted by the Select Vestry on 12 September 2022

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim – Communications Policy

Good communication is essential to maintaining a positive working and learning environment. This Communication Policy is for all those involved in children’s activities and deals with communication within the parish and with parents, children and the wider community.

Means of communication:

This policy encourages the use of the most effective communications mechanism depending on context, whilst ensuring the rights of everyone involved in the communication.

Communication methods utilised:

Personal contact
Phone calls
Written communication (email, letters, notes)
Text messages including What’s app
Social media
Website

We shall use the above communication methods to seek to achieve the following:

The display of publicly available information on the premises and parish website (if applicable) such as:

A Child Safeguarding Statement and contact details for the Parish Panel
Children’s information poster with contact details of panel members.
General information about our parish and our children’s activities.
Contact details for relevant personnel.
Details of where other Safeguarding Trust and other relevant policies and procedures can be accessed.

Regular communication with parents regarding:

The staff and volunteers that will be working with their children, including contact details.
General information about the activity their child is participating in, including meeting times, drop off, pick up, events and trips.
Asking them to complete membership information for submitting child’s personal details as well as authorisations from parent/guardian.
Asking them to complete consent forms for activities and trips away from the parish premises.
The Code of Behaviour for their child’s group and the sanctions for breaching that Code of Behaviour.
Safeguarding Trust and supporting policies through information leaflets.
Opportunities to talk with staff and volunteers for feedback on how their child is doing and with regard to the programme itself.
The Safeguarding Policy with regard to the use of social media to communicate with young people aged 13 years and over.
General Data Protection Regulations policy requirements.
How to make a complaint.
Any concerns staff or volunteers have about their child’s welfare and safety provided it does not further endanger the child, staff, volunteers or panel members.

We shall ensure that we inform children and young people about:

Upcoming activities.
Their right to be protected, listened to and to have their views taken into consideration.
Safeguarding Trust through information leaflets and verbal communication.
Being able to talk to staff and volunteers about any concerns that they might have and any other feedback they want to offer.
The Code of Behaviour that applies to them and the sanctions for breaching that Code of Behaviour.
The expectations of the Safeguarding Policy with regard to their consent to be communicated with directly through social media (for over 13 years only).

All information provided by parents/guardians and children as part of this Communications Policy shall be treated with the utmost confidentiality. However, if any information pertaining to a child’s welfare and safety comes to a staff member’s or volunteer’s attention through any of these means of communication, they shall follow the relevant procedures laid out in the Safeguarding Trust.

Adopted by the Select Vestry on 12 September 2022

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim – Complaints Procedures Policy

For children and parents

Our parish is committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of all members. We also try to ensure that children have a positive and enjoyable experience when participating in activities.

This complaints procedure aims to cover any situation which may arise, when children or their parents/guardians are not happy with the way children were treated while they were at an activity run by us.

The following are examples of the types of complaints that may arise:

An alleged breach of the Safeguarding code of behaviour by a clergy / staff member or volunteer.

A child feeling unhappy about an incident or an event;
A parent/guardian feeling unhappy about an incident or event involving their child;
Dissatisfaction in relation to an aspect of the service being provided.

What Complaints are accepted?

Complaints involving child protection concerns must be dealt with in accordance with reporting procedures as set out in Safeguarding Trust and not through this Complaints procedure.
The Complaints procedure below should not be used to disagree with a policy set by this parish.

There are basic rules for the acceptance of complaints:

Complaints must be raised within three months of you knowing the facts as we will not deal with complaints that are older.
We will not generally investigate anonymous complaints.
Complaints that are broadly or substantively the same as a previous complaint will not be accepted.

We will refuse any Complaints which are believed to be vexatious or malicious.

Who can make a complaint?

Complaints can be made by:

Children who are members of children’s activities at our parish.
Clergy, staff members or volunteers in the parish.
Other advocates on behalf of children.

How to make a complaint

If the complaint is in relation to the safety and welfare of children, the complaints should be made to the Parish Panel.
Other complaints should be made to the clergy / staff member or volunteer in charge of the group which the child is a member, with whom you should raise the concern verbally.
If the complainant does not want to discuss the matter with the staff member or volunteer in charge of the group, if the staff member/volunteer cannot answer the complainant’s concern, the complainant is dissatisfied with the initial response of the staff member/volunteer to a complaint, or if the complaint is more serious, the complaint can be made in writing to the Panel.

Information the Complainant needs to provide

Complaints should be made, in the first instance, verbally to the clergy/staff member/volunteer in charge of the group and provide them with the following information to allow them to investigate the complaint:

Name of child affected and the group or event they were involved in.
If the complaint is being made by a parent or guardian, the name and address of the parent/guardian.
Exactly what the complainant is dissatisfied with.
The name of the clergy/staff member/volunteer who dealt with the matter the complainant is dissatisfied with.

Complaints made in writing should be made on the Complaints form (attached) and give as much factual details as possible to allow the matter to be investigated.

If I make a Complaint how will my Complaint be dealt with?

Your complaint will be dealt with fairly and objectively. Our policy is to deal with any valid Complaints in a positive and pro‐active manner and expect resolutions and outcomes to contribute to a process of continuous improvement.

It may take time to process a complaint; however, you will be kept informed of the progress of the complaint with an acknowledgement of a formal complaint within seven days and response to the complaint within four weeks. Where it is not possible to respond to the complaint within four weeks, you will be provided with an update within that period and the matter resolved at the earliest possible opportunity.

The clergy/staff member/volunteer or Panel member may need to speak to you and a number of other people to fully understand your complaint and the circumstances surrounding it.

Ultimately the clergy/staff member/volunteer or Panel member will decide about the Complaint and will inform you whether your complaint is upheld or not and the actions that will be taken as a result.

What if I am not satisfied with the outcome of my Complaint?

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your Complaint or the way in which it was handled, then you may appeal. You must appeal within 21 days of being given the decision and outcomes of your Complaint.

Your appeal must be formally lodged in writing to the Panel. In your appeal, you must clearly explain the basis on which you are making the appeal and your preferred outcome to resolve the issue.

The Panel will consider the process undertaken to handle the original complaint and the outcome of the original Complaint. You will be kept informed of the progress of your appeal with an acknowledgement of your appeal within seven days and a response within four weeks. Where it is not possible to complete the appeal within four weeks, you will be provided with an update within that period and the matter resolved at the earliest possible opportunity.

The Panel may need to speak to you and a number of other people to fully understand your appeal and the circumstances surrounding the investigation of your Complaint.

The Panel will make a decision about the appeal and will inform you whether your appeal is upheld or not and the actions that will be taken as a result.

Adopted by the Select Vestry on 12 September 2022

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim Disciplinary Procedure Policy for staff and volunteers

In addition to the Parish Code of behaviour for children and young people in parish activities all clergy, staff and volunteers are expected to adhere to the Safeguarding Trust Code of Behaviour in Part 4 of the Child Safeguarding Policy (available at https://www.ireland.anglican.org/about/safeguarding/ni-child-safeguarding)

The code of behaviour for bishops, clergy, staff and volunteers has been categorised under five headings:

Child-centred approach;
Best practice;
Inappropriate behaviour;
Physical contact;
Health & Safety.

Clergy, Staff and volunteers should understand that:

If they are unsure of their actions and feel they may have breached the Code of Behaviour or feel that their actions may have been misconstrued, a report should be written and submitted immediately to the leader-in-charge and / or the panel.
Breaching the Code of Behaviour may be a serious issue that will be investigated.
Breaching the Code of Behaviour may result in disciplinary action and ultimately dismissal if it constitutes harm/risk of harm.

It is important that if a staff member or volunteer has a concern about the behaviour of another staff member or volunteer they should report these concerns to the panel. Where the concern relates to a panel member, reports should be made to another panel member or incumbent. Where the concern relates to the incumbent, reports should be made to the bishop.

Disciplinary procedures if a volunteer is found in breach of Code of Behaviour

Each breach of the Code of Behaviour will be assessed in line with the Parish Complaints procedure above. If a volunteer is deemed to be in breach of the Code of Behaviour the leader in charge or panel member will speak to the individual volunteer. They will determine whether the volunteer should be given a warning on that occasion but will remind the volunteer of the standards expected of volunteers.

If there are further breaches of the Code of Behaviour by the volunteer following a warning, the Panel will meet with the volunteer and the Panel will ask the volunteer to resign from their position.

If a serious allegation of abuse is made against a volunteer, the Panel and Internal Review Group will follow the procedures for dealing with an allegation against a volunteer as contained in Safeguarding Trust.

Disciplinary procedures if a staff member is found in breach of Code of Behaviour

Each breach of the Code of Behaviour will be assessed in line with the complaints procedure. If a staff member is deemed to be in breach of the Code of Behaviour the disciplinary procedures in the staff member’s contract shall be followed where it is a serious incident and it warrants suspension or dismissal of the staff member. If a cleric is deemed to be in breach of the Code of Behaviour the disciplinary procedures set out in Chapter 8 of the Constitution of the Church of Ireland shall be followed where it is a serious incident and it warrants the suspension or dismissal of the cleric.

Adopted by the Select Vestry on 12 September 2022

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim – Grievance Procedure Policy
for volunteers in youth & children’s work

Our Parish is committed to providing a safe and happy work environment for volunteers. This grievance procedure aims to deal in a fair, prompt and impartial manner with the grievances of individual volunteers in relation to their role or duties.

(Note: Where a grievance involves a complaint of bullying or harassment then the Church of Ireland ‘Dignity in Church Life’ Policy should be adhered to.)

Having grievance procedures for volunteers may sound rather formal, but they tend to promote fairness in the treatment of volunteers and ensure that as far as possible volunteers have the same rights as staff.

Most difficulties can be settled through the normal channels of communication within a parish. Where this is not possible, the purpose of this grievance procedure is to provide for the orderly resolution of joint problems in a fair and open way.

Informal discussions

If a volunteer has any grievance about their volunteering or a colleague they should discuss it informally, as soon as possible, with the leader in charge of their group or where they are the leader in charge of the group with the Incumbent. Their grievance should be taken seriously, and everything done to try to resolve the issue informally. The majority of concerns are likely to be resolved at this stage.

Formal procedure

If a volunteer feels that the matter has not been resolved through informal discussions, they should put the grievance in writing to the Parish Panel. On receipt of a grievance under this grievance procedure, the Panel will arrange to meet with the volunteer to allow them the opportunity to explain their grievance and share how they would like it to be addressed. The volunteer will have the right to be accompanied by a friend to this meeting, providing 24 hours notice is given. Following this meeting, the Panel will give a written response, not later than 21 working days after the meeting, outlining how the grievance will be responded to. If the grievance requires further meetings or investigations, the 21 working day limit may be extended. The response will follow this meeting and include a reference to the right of appeal.

In the event that the grievance concerns another volunteer or worker, the panel may request that the grievance be made in writing in order that the person who the grievance concerns may have an opportunity fully and fairly to answer any such grievance.

Grievances procedures for staff

Staff members may raise grievances with their line manager in line with the grievance procedures laid out in their staff contract.

Adopted by the Select Vestry on 12 September 2022

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim – Partnership with Parents Policy

In order to encourage trust and support in working with children and young people in the parish we have a policy of working in partnership with parents/guardians. This will involve consultation and information sharing regarding aspects of their child’s participation and include the parish aiming to:

Introduce staff and volunteers to children’s parents and making them available for parents to talk to.
Provide regular information to parents/guardians on the activities and events of your child’s group.
Encourage parents to ask questions, make suggestions and review with us their child’s progress in the group.
Discuss with parents any concerns that staff/volunteers have with their child.
Provide parents’ access to the church’s various policies in relation to working with children and youth. These can be attained through the Parish Panel and include:
- The Safeguarding Trust child protection policy
- An anti-bullying policy
- A communications policy
- A social media policy
- A complaints procedure
- Our General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) policy.

Adopted by the Select Vestry on 12 September 2022

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim – General Data Protection Regulations and Safeguarding (NI)

For full information on GDPR go to safeguarding.ireland.anglican.org

click on Safeguarding NI

click on Child Safeguarding

scroll down to Safeguarding Support Policies and select General Data Protection Regulations and Safeguarding (NI)

Definitions and features of abuse

The following definitions are derived from “Co-operating to Safeguard Children and Young People in Northern Ireland” (March 2016) which provides the overarching policy framework for safeguarding children and young people. For the purpose of this guidance a child is a person under the age of 18.

Physical abuse is deliberately physically hurting a child. It may take a variety of different forms, including hitting, biting, pinching, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning or suffocating a child.

Sexual abuse occurs when others use and exploit children sexually for their own gratification or gain or the gratification of others. Sexual abuse may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape, or oral sex) or nonpenetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside clothing. It may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in the production of sexual images, forcing children to look at sexual images or watch sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via e-technology). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child. It is also sometimes called psychological abuse and it can have severe and persistent adverse effects on a child’s emotional development. It may involve deliberately telling a child that they are worthless, or unloved and inadequate. It may include not giving a child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them, or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. Emotional abuse may involve bullying – including online bullying through social networks, online games or mobile phones – by a child’s peers.

Neglect is the failure to provide for a child’s basic needs, whether it be adequate food, clothing, hygiene, supervision or shelter that is likely to result in the serious impairment of a child’s health or development. Children who are neglected often also suffer from other types of abuse.

Exploitation* is the intentional ill-treatment, manipulation or abuse of power and control over a child or young person; to take selfish or unfair advantage of a child or young person or situation, for personal gain. It may manifest itself in many forms such as child labour, slavery, servitude, engagement in criminal activity, begging, benefit or other financial fraud or child trafficking. It extends to the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation can be sexual in nature.

Bullying

Bullying is the repeated use of power by one or more persons to intentionally harm, hurt or adversely affect the rights and needs of another or others (NI Anti Bullying Forum). Although bullying is not defined as abuse, in its more extreme form it would be regarded as a form of abuse. It can take many forms but the main types are:

Emotional – excluding, being unfriendly;
Physical – hitting, kicking, theft;
Racist – racial taunts, graffiti, gestures;
Sexual – unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments;
Homophobic – because of or focusing on the issue of sexuality;
Verbal – name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing;
Cyberbullying (e.g. text message, picture/video-clip and phone call bullying via mobile phones;email, website bullying).

The damage inflicted by bullying can frequently be underestimated. It can cause considerable distress to children to the extent that it affects their health and development or, at the extreme, causes them significant harm. In these circumstances bullying should be considered as child abuse and treated as such.

* Although ‘exploitation’ is not included in the categories of registration for the Child Protection Register (CPR), professionals should recognise that the abuse resulting from or caused by the exploitation of children and young people can be categorised within the existing CPR categories as children who have been exploited will have suffered from physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or a combination of these forms of abuse.

Social Media and Video Conferencing with Young People In these extraordinary times, you may want to consider virtual meetups with your youth group. For children under 11 it may be appropriate for a parent / guardian to be in the room when they are taking part in an activity online. Here is some advice and best practice on how to do this safely: · Avoid the use of Skype / Facetime – these are social media platforms and as such share contact details with all users, you may inadvertently connect young people up with other people as an unintended consequence. · There are a range of video conferencing platforms (such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting etc.). When using these platforms, ensure you use the most up-todate guidance for security. For applications which allow for password access, only use password/passcode protected meetings, create a new password for every meeting, and send details securely to participants (do not, for example, share details on social media. Passwords should only be sent to parents/guardians of children and young people and not directly to the child/young person. Enable the ‘waiting room’ feature, where available, which allows the host to have the discretion to allow invitees in to attend the meeting. · Use of this is beyond the normal running of your group and therefore needs clear permission before use in the following ways: o You must have Select Vestry/Parish Panel approval – speak to your rector, Parish Panel or Select Vestry to discuss and minute that this is happening – why not trial a video conference with some of these people first? This does not need to be a complicated process. o You need parental consent – set up an email which explains what you are doing, the date and time of the video conference session, which youth leaders are participating and what you roughly will be doing. We advise these conference calls not to take place after 9:00pm at night. Ask for a reply as a form of consent and keep these emails in a separate folder. A sample consent form is at the end of this document. o Use parents’/carers’ email addresses to send the meeting invite to as this ensures parents/carers are aware that it is happening and can set up the young people to access the session appropriately with any oversight if they want. · ‘Normal’ youth group rules would apply including with regards to recruitment and safeguarding process – i.e. you need at least 2 safely recruited youth leaders present who would normally have ‘real time’ contact with this group. Make sure both leaders are live before young people arrive. Ideally use the same time slot as your normal youth group meeting. If new youth members want to join the group, they should have ‘normal’ group consent forms filled in as well – you will want them to come to the real group anyway when it re-forms. If you are recruiting new leaders for this group, the safe recruitment process must be followed before they can participate. · Codes of conduct – appropriate behaviour for leaders should be followed as you would expect in the usual youth group setting, it might be worth a discussion with your leaders around this before the meeting happens. · As always, be inclusive – are there any young people from your group who would struggle to participate in this way and what extra support can be put in place for them? · As well as the video interface, there is usually space to write comments and participants can screen share too – consider use of this facility for example to write one-word answers to questions to share, be creative. · Be aware of and sensitive to technical difficulties! There can be issues with speakers and microphones! Chances are young people will have this sussed but leaders may have issues. Use the software with leaders first to try and sort out any difficulties. · DO NOT RECORD. Most video conferencing software allows for the session to be recorded – this is an option for the host of the meeting only. Avoid doing this, as you would need separate permission for data capture and there are all sorts of issues around storage, GDPR etc. Alongside this document, please refer to the guidelines for using social media (Part 5) in the policy, Safeguarding Trust. Follow this link to the relevant section: Republic of Ireland: www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Information/policy/safeguarding/roi/Child/SGCPart5 .pdf Northern Ireland:

www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Information/policy/safeguarding/ni/Child/SGTParts /Part5-NI.pdf If you have any further questions, the Safeguarding Officers can be contacted on: (RoI) Robert Dunne robert.dunne@rcbdub.org (N Ireland) Margaret Yarr cponi@Ireland.anglican.org Further information on best practice in this area of virtual communication with young people has been produced by 31:8 and Youthscape. You can access a copy of this document through this link: www.youthscape.co.uk/coronavirus/p1#safeguarding-new

Consent form for social/digital media

Social/Digital Media Consent Form

The staff and volunteers of the above group wish to use social/digital media to contact your son/daughter (if 13 or over) to inform him/her about the ongoing activities and special events of the group.

Consent

Name of Child: _____________________

I give permission for (insert name of group) to contact my son/daughter directly via the following methods:

Please tick the boxes below to give permission for the particular item.

Text messages

E-mails

(insert social networking site)

Contact Details (of child) – fill in if applicable

Mobile Number: _______________ E-mail: ____________________

Signed: ______________________

Date: _______________________

(This consent may be incorporated into the Membership Registration Form – insert section reference)

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim – Code of Behaviour

(For youth and children’s ministry)

Group/Organisation:………………………………………….

The code of behaviour for the children and youth in parish activities is to ensure that children and young people are treated fairly and are aware of their basic rights and responsibilities here. It aims to help foster co-operation, respect and encouragement and prevent unacceptable behaviour.

Children, young people and leaders are expected to:

Be friendly and supportive to each other.
Respect the views, feelings and differences of others.
Participate in the group activities.
Respect the property and belongings of others.
Not pressurise anyone to undertake something they are uncomfortable with.
Not use any language or behaviour that could upset or disrespect others, particularly when it could be construed as bullying.
Refrain from bringing any banned substances into the group such as high-energy drinks, nut-based foods or alcohol.
Refrain from taking photos or sharing information about others online without their expressed permission and the permission of leaders.
Respect the wishes of leaders in directing the activities of the group.
Report risky situations, incidents and inappropriate behaviour to the group leadership.
Be willing to apologise to each other when conflict occurs.

If a child/youth breaks the code they will be:

Reminded of the code and asked to comply in future.
On consistent non-compliance will be given a formal warning by a leader.
On continued non-compliance will be given a sanction such as a loss of privileges or suspension. This will be recorded on an incident form and parents informed.
Continued non-compliance may result in a longer or permanent suspension from the group. This will also be recorded and parents informed.

ADOPTED BY THE GROUP ON:_______________________ SIGNED:___________________________

(Date) (Leader in charge)

(For up-to-date guidance on the Safeguarding Policy please consult https://www.ireland.anglican.org/about/safeguarding/)

Guidelines for a code of behaviour for members

A code of behaviour for members helps to explain children’s rights and responsibilities when taking part in a group’s activities. For a code of behaviour to work best, children need to be able to develop the code for themselves, with the assistance of clergy/staff/volunteers.

Codes of behaviour have been shown to help children to develop their sense of fair play and mutual respect and will help to create a safe, secure environment and an atmosphere where children will feel that they can confide in the leaders. When children ‘own’ the code, they will generally protect and support it.

It is recommended that at the commencement of the group’s year a code of behaviour be drawn up with the members’ participation. While it is recognised that discipline may seem at times to be restrictive to children it is best enforced with their agreement and therefore the members should also be involved with deciding what sanctions should be associated with the code of behaviour.

An effective code of behaviour should contain the following elements:

A description of the rights and responsibilities of all members of the group (i.e. respecting view and feelings of other members, right to express opinions, right to be heard/listened to)
A description of the ways in which the group encourages and recognises good behaviour (i.e. reward system)
A description of unacceptable/inappropriate behaviour (i.e. alcohol consumption, smoking, physical abuse, verbal abuse, destruction or damage of property or equipment, misuse of any substance)
Mechanisms for achieving a supportive culture and positive environment (i.e. leaders willing to listen to children, involvement of children in decision making)
Strategies to embrace diversity and difference within the group (i.e. respecting others’ opinions, not excluding anyone)
Strategies for the prevention of bullying and other serious misbehaviour and processes for managing conflict (see Anti-Bullying policy template)

Sanctions should contain the following elements:

Issuing an apology
Loss of privileges
Parents/guardians being informed of the breach of code
Leaving the group for a period and/or for good.

Once the Code of Behaviour and sanctions have been agreed by the members of the group, a copy of it should be issued to each child and their parents/guardians for them to sign.

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim – Accident Report Form – Children

Name of injured person

Age Date of birth

Address

Telephone

Parent/guardian’s name

Event/meeting and location

Date of event/meeting

Details of accident

Names of witnesses

Action taken and by whom (details of first-aid, medical or PSNI involvement)

Signed (Leader) Date

Countersigned (witness) Date

Signature of parent (if subject of report is a child)

General Data Protection regulations: We are committed to protecting your personal information. By completing and signing this form you are confirming that you are consenting to the parish holding and processing your personal data for the purpose of contacting you by post, phone or electronically with regard to this matter. If you have any questions about how we process your personal date contact the church leader.

The completed report form should be returned to a Parish Panel member

Parish of All Saints’, Antrim

Incident Report Form -Children

An incident that requires reporting may involve any of the following: significant damage to property, a serious breach of the code of conduct, disputes or complaints and behaviour that may threaten safety or could result in an allegation of misconduct Staff/volunteers should use their discretion as to whether to inform parents/guardians of the incident immediately after it has happened or when they return to collect their child from the group activity. No child should go home after an incident without their parents/guardians being informed of the incident.

Name of group_______________________________Name of group

leader__________________________________

Details of person(s) involved in incident:

Name Address Age

_______________________________________________________________________________

Details of Incident: Please state in your own words what happened.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Date, time and location of incident:________________________________________________________________

Names and address(es) of witness(es)

(a) ________________________________________________________________________________

(b) _______________________________________________________________________________

Follow Up Action

Describe what action was taken (e.g. details of first-aid, PSNI or medical involvement).

________________________________________________________________________________

Who undertook this follow up action:_________________________________________________________________

Signed by person reporting _________________________________ Date_________________________

Position _________________________________________________

Countersigned by leader in charge of group: ______________________ Date ________________________

The completed report form to be returned to a Parish Panel member.

COMPLAINTS FORM

(PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS)

YOUR NAME, ADDRESS & CONTACT NUMBER

DATE ON WHICH THE ALLEGED INCIDENT HAPPENED

LOCATION OF ALLEGED INCIDENT:

NATURE OF COMPLAINT: (E.G. Harassment, Bullying etc.)

NAME OF PARTY OR PARTIES INVOLVED:

PLEASE GIVE A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE ALLEGED INCIDENT:

SIGNATURE: ___________________________ DATE: ___________________

PLEASE NOTE THAT A COPY OF THIS FORM WILL BE FORWARDED TO ALL RELEVANT PERSONS INVOLVED.

Received By: ___________________________ Date: ____________________