The National Safeguarding are an essential benchmark to understand the quality and the impact of its safeguarding activity at a local and national level.
The five standards aim to cover the breadth of safeguarding activity in the Church and are essential for us to understand the quality and, most importantly, the impact of our safeguarding activity. At parish level, safeguarding is the joint responsibility of each PCC.
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.
Prevention
Church bodies have in place a planned range of measures which together are effective in preventing abuse in their context.
Recognising, Assessing and Managing Risk
Risk assessments, safety plans and associated processes are of a high quality and result in positive outcomes. The assessment and management of risk is underpinned by effective partnership working.
Victims and Survivors
Victims and survivors experience the timeliness and quality of Church bodies’ responses to disclosures, and their subsequent support, as positively meeting their needs, including their search for justice and helping their healing process.
Learning, Supervision and Support
All those engaged in safeguarding-related activity in Church bodies receive the type and level of learning, professional development, support and supervision necessary to respond to safeguarding situations, victims and survivors, and respondents, effectively.
Parishes should take some time to familiarise themselves with these standards and consider how to incorporate them into day-to-day parish life.