LIFE CHURCH BRISTOL SAFEGUARDING POLICY
The Senior Leadership Team of Life Church Bristol recognises the need to provide a safe and caring environment for children, young people, and adults. We recognise the importance of our ministry with children, young people and adults and our responsibility to protect everyone entrusted to our care. We believe every child should be valued, safe and happy. We want to make sure that children we have contact with know this and are empowered to tell us if they are suffering harm. All children and young people have the right to be treated with respect, to be listened to and to be protected from all forms of abuse. Adults in our church should be enabled to live fulfilling, autonomous lives, and should have access to every aspect of church life. The care and protection of children, young people and adults involved in church is the responsibility of the whole church. As a leadership, we endeavour to make our church a safe environment for all.
We accept the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant of Human Rights, which states that everyone is entitled to “all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status”. We also concur with the Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that children should be able to develop their full potential, free from hunger and want, neglect and abuse. They have a right to be protected from “all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s), or any other person who has care of the child.”
As such:
We recognise that we all have a responsibility to help prevent the abuse and neglect of children and adults and to report any such abuse or neglect that we discover or suspect.
We are committed to the safeguarding of children and adults and ensuring their well-being. We recognise that children and adults can be the victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as financial and discriminatory abuse and other forms of harm such as exploitation and neglect.
We endorse and adopt the policy, procedures and guidance set out in this safeguarding policy in accordance with governments’ national legislation, statutory guidance, and local safeguarding procedures.
As a Leadership we have therefore adopted the procedures set out in our safeguarding policy in accordance with statutory guidance. We are committed to build constructive links with statutory and voluntary agencies involved in safeguarding.
Our safeguarding policy is available to read in full. Please get in touch to request a copy from our Safeguarding Lead, or email directly on safeguarding@lifechurchbristol.com.