Safeguarding

Promoting a Safer Church

Parish Safeguarding Policy

The Parish of Penn Street with Holmer Green SAFEGUARDING POLICY PROMOTING A SAFER CHURCH

The following policy was agreed by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) on 16th April 2024

In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy our church is committed to:

Promoting a safe environment and culture.
Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the church.
Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.
Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons.
Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.
Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.

The Parish will:

Endeavour to create a safe and caring place for all.
Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and the PCC to implement policy and procedures.
Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.
Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish.
Display in church premises the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs.
Display the Parish safeguarding policy on our Church website.
Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse.
Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, following House of Bishops guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and statutory agencies immediately.
Offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.
Care for and monitor any member of the church community who may pose a risk to children and adults while maintaining appropriate confidentiality and the safety of all parties.
Ensure that health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place and that these are reviewed annually.
Inform the Diocesan Safeguarding Team if we use an alternative DBS Umbrella Body to APCS and if we receive any DBS Disclosures that are not clear.
Review the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices at least annually.

Each person who works within this Church community will agree to abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this Church.

This church appoints Jean Batchelor as the Parish Safeguarding Officer.
Incumbent: Vacancy
Churchwardens: Robert Duerdoth, Sandy Leighton-Jones

safeguarding@oxford.anglican.org
Diocese of Oxford Safeguarding Team, Church House, Langford Locks, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GF
During office hours call 01865 208 295 or email safeguardingreferrals@oxford.anglican.org for urgent safeguarding concerns Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am – 4.30pm.

You can also contact your area safeguarding adviser directly if you prefer:
Buckingham – Tsungai Muchegwa: 07435 550 685

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet in two places just to confuse things (details here) for our Sunday Services starting at 10am. On the 1st, 3rd & 4th Sundays of the month we're at Christ Church Holmer Green, either in the Church Centre or the church building. On the 2nd and 5th (if there is one!) we meet at Holy Trinity Penn Street.

For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will give you any books and information you need for the service.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after the service. It is a great way to meet people and find out about church life . All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet in the main entrance of the Christ Church centre and an accessible toilet in Holy Trinity. Both churches have wheelchair access and a hearing loop.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am. We sing a mixture of old and new songs. There's always a Bible passage read and a talk explaining it and how it speaks into our lives today. Someone will lead us in prayer and on two Sunday's a month we share Holy Communion together. Everyone is welcome at every service.

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What about my kids?

We love to see children at church. We have:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Encounter (4-11 years)
Young people (11+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. The service leader will announce when it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, praying, craft, drama, and fun games. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes o.r when we have communion they will be brought back into the service to be with you before the end.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Tiddlywinks Toddler group
Souper Lunch
Link-up bereavement group
Community Cafe

Get in touch with us to plan your visit or ask your questions.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.


Daf Meirion- Jones
Vicar

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel welcome at our church.

Best Wishes

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