Safeguarding

It is vital that our churches are safe for all – as part of that commitment we take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously. On this page you will find out what to do if you feel there is something amis and who to contact. Never be afraid to contact anyone on this page with a concern or a complaint.

If you believe that someone – a child, young person or adult – is in immediate danger you MUST call the Police on 999. You do not have to have their permission to do this.

Each of our churches has a safeguarding officer. In the normal course of events this would be the first place to raise a concern. The safeguarding officers for each church are:

  • All Saints – Mr Malcolm Robertson
  • Holy Trinity – Miss Jane Jones
  • St. Nicholas – Mrs Andy Lewis
  • St. Michael – Mrs Sheila Bryant

If you feel you are unable to raise a concern with one of the safeguarding officers you can contact any of the clergy or readers in the team via the Contact Us page, through the office (01432 273086), directly in person, or via their contact details in Team Talk.

If you feel that the safeguarding officer in the parish, the clergy or the readers are not appropriate contacts for whatever reason, then the diocese safeguarding adviser is The Diocese of Hereford Safeguarding Officer is Carl Steventon and he can be contacted on  07593817717. Find more guidance on what to do if you have a concern on the diocese website.

Ultimately if you feel your concern cannot be heard by any of these people you can contact the police directly – contact details for Hereford Police Station can be found here.


Safe Spaces, commissioned by the Anglican and Catholic Churches in England and Wales, will be run by Victim Support, a national charity with a track record of providing survivor support.

Safe Spaces is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused through their relationship with either the Church of England, Church in Wales or the Catholic Church of England and Wales.

Safe Spaces comprises a team of trained support advocates, who have undergone specialist training in supporting survivors of sexual violence and who have received additional specific training in how the churches respond to abuse cases, the way in which faith and church-related settings have been used to carry out abuse, and the particular issues affecting people who have had or still have, a relationship with the church.

The service is for those who may have experienced any form of abuse, including sexual abuse, physical abuse, financial abuse, psychological abuse (including spiritual abuse), domestic abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour.

HELPLINES

Safe Spaces: 0300 303 1056

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000

Childline: 0800 1111

Stop it now: 0808 1000 900

NAPAC: 0808 801 0331

Samaritans: 116 123

Family Lives: 0808 800 2222

National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247

Action on Elder Abuse: 080 8808 8141

Your Data

Data Protection

2018 General Data Protection Regulations.

To find out how we use your data and who it may be shared with, please read our Privacy Notice

You can also request a copy of the Privacy Notice by post please write to us or phone us at the address below.

If you have any questions or concerns about how we use your data – or if you would like to make a complaint – please contact our Data Protection Officer:

Kerry Preedy
Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance,
The Diocesan Office,
The Palace,
Hereford,
HR4 9BL

You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office online.

GDPR and Parishes

The national Church of England office, (National Church Institutions, or NCIs), in London, has issued UK GDPR guidance for PCCs. This guidance can be found on the Parish Resources website and offers a template to help PCCs audit their use of personal data. There are additional templates that can be downloaded from this page too.

A sample Data notice for a PCC Secretary and Clergy is available here

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