Safeguarding Best Practice 14/08/2015© Safeguarding Office 2006 Keeping Our Children Safe Child Protection in the Church of Scotland WELCOME

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Policy Statement The Church of Scotland has a deep concern for the wholeness and well being of each individual. It seeks to safeguard The welfare of all people, regardless of age, who come into contact with the Church and its organisations. It is the responsibility of each individual within the fellowship of the Church to prevent the physical, sexual or emotional abuse of children and young people.

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Biblical Basis o Mark o Mark o Old Testament: Samuel Joseph David

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 The Safeguarding Office Who are we? & What do we do?

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Who are we? o The Safeguarding Office was established in August 2005 and is a established in August 2005 and is a Central Services function. Central Services function. o It evolved from the Child Protection Unit which was part of the Board of Unit which was part of the Board of Parish education from 1997 Parish education from 1997

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 o There are eight members of the Safeguarding Team Safeguarding Team o There are 50 CP Presbytery Contacts o There are 57 CP Trainers and o Approx 1,800 Child Protection Coordinators Coordinators Who are we?

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 What do we do? o Continue development of the Church of Scotland’s policy and procedure on of Scotland’s policy and procedure on child protection child protection o Coordinate a national system of safe recruitment of voluntary workers recruitment of voluntary workers o Recruit, train and support a team of volunteers to present child protection training across Scotland

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 What do we do? o Facilitate child protection training for volunteers and coordinators in congregations o Develop, maintain and update resources relating to child protection o Provide support, advice and guidance to congregations

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 What do we do? o Liaise with other church denominations, para-church bodies and other voluntary organisations o Develop the ‘Safeguarding’ role in line with changing legislation

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Safeguarding and the Ministries Council

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/ o Training of Ministers o First compulsory post ordination training

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 General Assembly 1998 Ministers must be: o conversant with policy in this area o clear about measures to be implemented by Kirk Sessions o Clear about action to be taken in the event of an allegation of abuse o Aware of issues for good child protection practice in their pastoral work

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/ o General Assembly Act 15 o Disclosures for Ministers and Deacons o Paid for by the Church o Best practice

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Others o 2004: Those on the enquiry process Admission and Readmission of Ministers o 2006: Readers included in Act 15

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Why do we do what we do?

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Fact 1 There are approximately 1 million children under the age of 16 living in Scotland

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Fact 2 Scotland has one of the highest rates of relative child poverty in the developed world; one third of households are in, or on the margin of poverty

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Fact 3 Annually, approximately 6,000 children are referred to Social Work Departments in relation to Child Protection Issues

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Fact 4 Around 9,000 children annually will run away from home

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Fact 5 1 in 7 will be physically or sexually abused

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Fact 6 Around 100,000 children in Scotland live with domestic violence

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Fact 7 About 125,000 young people experience mental health problems that interfere with their daily lives

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Fact 8 Just over 11,000 children and young people are looked after away from home

Safeguarding Best Practice 14/08/2015© Safeguarding Office 2006 What Informs Legislation?

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 IncidentInquiryFindings (Inquiry Report)

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Recommendations New Legislation Changes in Policy & Good Practice

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 o Law o Policy o Best (Good) Practice So what is the difference between…

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 “The aim of the law is to set and uphold the parameters within which people go about their lawful business.” (Answerable to the Courts) Law

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Policy “ Guiding principals designed to influence decisions, actions etc. Typically, a policy designates a required process or procedure within an organisation.” (Answerable to the Organisation) (Answerable to the Organisation)

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Best (Good) Practice “An activity or procedure that has produced outstanding results in another situation, and which could be adapted to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and/or innovativeness in another situation.”

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Which Incidents have Informed Child Care and Protection Legislation?

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/ Maria Caldwell 1985 Jasmine Beckford 1987 Tyra Henry 1988 Clevland Inquiry 1992 Orkney Inquiry 1996 Dunblane Inquiry 2003 Victoria Climbie 2003 Caleb Ness Inquiry 2005 Soham Inquiry

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Dunblane Inquiry The Dunblane Inquiry was led by Lord Cullen and became more commonly known as the Cullen Report

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Soham Inquiry The Inquiry into the Soham Murders (Jessica and Holly) was led by Lord Bichard and his findings have become more commonly known as the Bichard Report

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 So lets go back to the Law and look at which bits of legislation have had the most impact on our practice over the last few years:

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 o The Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 o The Police Act (1997) o Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974)

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 New Legislation o The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 o Received Royal Assent on 18 th April 2007 o Not expected to be enacted until at least the Autumn of 2008

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 What Does The New Legislation Say? o The Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 will be repealed and become part of the PVG(S) Act 2007 o The definition of a ‘Child Care Position’ has been expanded to include website monitors and private tutors amongst others

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 New Legislation o The new legislation will introduce a new Vetting and Barring Scheme in Scotland. o A Vetting and Barring Scheme membership will replace the current enhanced Disclosure Check

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Vetting & Barring Scheme - Advantages o A National, mandatory scheme making Disclosure information portable between organisations o The scheme membership lasts for up to 10 years and the plan is to update information electronically o A Central Barring Unit (CBU) will decide which individuals will be barred from the child care and AAR workforce

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Issues Presently Under Consultation o Retrospective checking o Benchmarks for Barring o Fees

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 The Future for us all? Food for thought?

Safeguarding Best Practice © Safeguarding Office /08/2015 Thank You!