You must ensure that you take care when selecting people who want to work with children.
You must not permit anyone with a history of child abuse to come into contact with young people.
All churches registered by the charity commission have to have a child protection policy in place, which needs to include:
- How to respond if there are concerns/suspicions of abuse.
- A named contact (and deputy) in the church to co-ordinate concerns and take action
- Safe recruitment procedures for both paid workers and volunteers
- Guidelines for running church activities with children and young people
Your Central Organisation may have a child protection policy which you should adopt. If not, consider the guidelines from the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS).
http://www.ccpas.co.uk/
Or download the CCPAS / Metropolitan Police publication ‘safe and secure’
http://www.ccpas.co.uk/Documents/Safe%20and%20secure.pdf (12 pages)
