COMMITMENT TO SAFEGUADING.

The Lighthouse Family Church is committed to the safeguarding of children and adults with care and support needs and ensuring their well-being. 

• We recognise that we all have a responsibility to help prevent harm or abuse to children and adults with care and support needs, in all their recognised forms, and to report any such abuse that we discover or suspect. 

• We recognise the personal dignity and rights of children and adults and will ensure all our policies and procedures will reflect this. 

• We believe that all people should enjoy and have access to every aspect of the life of the place of worship. 

• We undertake to exercise proper care in the appointment and selection of those who will work with children and adults with care and support needs. 

• We believe every child and adult should be valued, safe and happy.  We want to ensure that all children and adults we have contact with know this and are empowered to tell us if they are experiencing harm. 

We are committed to: 

• Following statutory denominational and specialist guidelines in relation to safeguarding children and adults and will ensure that as a place of worship all workers will work within the agreed procedure of our Safeguarding Policy. 

• Implementing the requirements of all relevant legislation including, but not limited to; Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018, the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005, Equality Act 2010 and referring concerns about adults with care and support needs to the local authority under the Care Act 2014.  

• Supporting, resourcing and training those who undertake this work. 

• Ensuring that we are keeping up to date with national and local developments relating to safeguarding. 

• Ensuring that everyone agrees to abide by these recommendations and the guidelines established by this place of worship. 

• Supporting all in the place of worship affected by abuse. 

We recognise: 

• Children’s Social Services has lead responsibility for investigating all allegations or suspicions of abuse where there are concerns about a child.  Adult Social Care has lead responsibility for investigating all allegations or suspicions of abuse where there are concerns about an adult with care and support needs. 

• Where an allegation suggests that a criminal offence may have been committed then the police should be contacted as a matter of urgency. 

• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. 

Safeguarding statement