Safeguarding

Every person has a value and dignity, which comes directly from the creation of people in God's image. Christians see this potential as fulfilled by God's re-creation of us in Christ. Among other things this implies a duty to value all people as bearing the image of God and therefore to protect them from harm.

We are committed to safeguarding as an integral part of our ministry and mission, promoting a safer culture and the welfare of every child, young person and adult. As such, we have robust policies, procedures and guidelines in place, to ensure good practice throughout our church.

St John's Church Stanmore takes seriously the well-being of every person in our church community and values each equally. Systems are in place to respond to concerns of abuse whether emotional, financial, neglect, physical, sexual, spiritual or abuse of any other kind.

If a child or adult is in immediate danger or significant serious harm,
please call 999.

If you need to make a safeguarding disclosure, report a concern or have any questions
please contact:

Parish Safeguarding Officers
Mark Lynch 07982 906833
Nancy Newton 07443 487126

The following people can also be contacted:

The Revd Matthew Stone - Rector 020 8954 3876

The Revd Wendy Wall - Curate 07708 264299
Graham Nicholson - Churchwarden 01923 226969
Pam Curran - Churchwarden 020 8863 3469

Diocese of London Safeguarding Team - Phone: 020 7932 1224
email: safeguarding@london.anglican.org

Angela Colman
Willesden Area Safeguarding Advisor
Phone: 020 3837 5099
email: angela.colman@london.anglican.org

Diocese of London Safeguarding Website.  Click Here

We have:

Adopted the House of Bishops "Promoting a Safer Church:
Safeguarding Policy Statement": Click Here
Parish Safeguarding Policy. Click Here
Appointed a Safeguarding Team. Click Here
Advertised helplines in the church and hall. Click Here
Helplines and Support for Survivors of Abuse. Click Here
Actioned the 'Parish Roles and Responsibilities in the Parish Safeguarding Handbook. Click Here
Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Click Here

Our Parish is committed to the Five Standards - please click here for more information:

1. Culture, Leadership and Capacity
2. Prevention
3. Recognising, Assessing and Managing Risk
4. Victims and Survivors
5. Learning, Supervision and Support

We will:

Promote a safer environment and culture
Safely recruit and support all those with any responsibility related to children and vulnerable adults within the Church
Respond promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation
Care pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons
Care pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons
Respond to those that may pose a present risk to others

Other useful links:

Church of England Safeguarding Information: Click here

National Domestic Abuse Helpline: Click here

Helplines and Support for Survivors of Abuse: Click here

Finding Support from Other Organisations

There are a number of charities and organisations that can offer support to victims and survivors of all types of abuse outside of office hours, either on a 24-hour basis or through specialist helplines and services:

Age UK is the leading charity for older people. You can contact Age UK for help, information and advice on 0800 678 1602, 8am-7pm, 365 days a year.

Childline is a free, private and confidential service designed to help anyone under the age of 19 with any issue they're going through. You can talk to their counsellors by calling 0800 1111 or email.

Stop it Now - Our confidential helpline 0808 1000 900, live chat and secure email are here for anyone with concerns about child sexual abuse prevention.

Hourglass (formerly Action on Elder Abuse) works to challenge and prevent the abuse of older people. Call their helpline on 0808 808 8141 or email helpline@wearehourglass.org.

NSPCC - If you're worried about a child or young person, you can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 for support and advice for free.

Family Lives - Parenting and family support from Family Lives (formerly Parentline Plus) through our website, helpline 0808 800 2222, email service at askus@familylives.org.uk, live chat and local services.

There are services that can help if you've been sexually assaulted, raped or abused. These include Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust and Male Survivors Partnership.

Refuge's 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) supports women fleeing domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence.

Samaritans are available 24 hours a day for anyone who’s struggling to cope, who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure. Call 116 123 for free.

Galop - If you identify as LGBT+ and have experienced abuse and violence, you can call Galop – the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity – on 0800 999 5428 for emotional and practical support.

Men's Advice Line - Male victims of domestic abuse can call Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or ManKind (0182 3334 244) for non-judgemental information and support.