Safeguarding Roles and Responsibilities
Everyone in the Diocese of East Anglia, whether they be a member of the clergy, curial staff or laity has a responsibility to ensure that our diocese, parishes and people are safe and that a healthy and supportive culture of safeguarding exists throughout. Simply put, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and we all have a duty to report abuse. People who are found to have committed acts of abuse or harmed others will be dealt with robustly and held to account. You will find below an outline of the key safeguarding roles and responsibilities within the diocese.
The Diocesan Bishop
The Diocesan Bishop is ultimately responsible for all aspects of safeguarding within his diocese and relating to his clergy, staff and faithful. The bishop is responsible for providing strong and effective leadership in this key area of diocesan life and for demonstrating the diocese’s commitment to safeguarding and showing that it is an intrinsic part of what we do as Christians. The bishop will work collaboratively with his clergy, his curial staff, partners and other diocesan bishops and religious leaders to develop best safeguarding practice and effective policies and procedures.
The Diocesan Trustees
The Diocesan Trustees are a body of senior clergy and lay people with relevant experience who provide governance and leadership for the diocese, and hold the bishop and his staff to account. They have a legal responsibility to protect and help advance the diocese in all of its activities and that includes safeguarding. They meet regularly and are required by law to discharge their responsibilities by satisfying themselves that safeguarding is being prioritised and effectively delivered across the diocese and that the charitable objectives of the trust are met and comply with both civil and canon law.
The Diocesan Safeguarding Commission
Appointed by the bishop and acting on his behalf, the Safeguarding Commission has advisory and supportive functions. The Commission is led by an independent chair and consists of professionals from across the diocese representing Child and Adult Social Care, Police, and Probation. There are also members representing the clergy and religious and the laity. The Commission meets regularly and scrutinises all of the safeguarding casework, considers new and ongoing reports of allegations and concerns of abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults that have occurred within a Church environment and works with the statutory agencies accordingly. Existing cases are reviewed regularly. The Commission also regularly updates the bishop on all safeguarding cases and advises him accordingly. This is often delegated to the Safeguarding Coordinator.
The Diocesan Safeguarding Sub-Committee
The Diocesan Safeguarding Sub-Committee is a body of trustees and non-trustees, each with a rich background in safeguarding. They meet regularly and on behalf of the trustees they scrutinise all aspects of safeguarding within the diocese including case work and the work of the Commission, above; the diocese’s safeguarding vision and strategic planning, to ensure that it complies with the eight national safeguarding standards and that any risks are identified and addressed. The work of the Sub-Committee is documented in an implementation plan which tracks progress and clearly outlines goals and areas for development. The Sub-Committee reviews all policy and procedures and approves them on behalf of the diocesan trustees. The Chair of the Sub-Committee presents a safeguarding report to the board of trustees at their regular meetings, which includes all developments nationally and locally, an overview of case work including serious cases and issues of note including areas of risk and the measures taken to mitigate those risks.
The Parish Priest
The Parish Priest is ultimately responsible for all aspects of safeguarding within his parish and relating to his clergy, staff and parishioners. The Parish Priest is responsible for providing strong and effective leadership in this key area of parish life and for demonstrating his commitment to safeguarding and showing that it is an intrinsic part of parish life and what we do as Christians. The Parish Priest is responsible for recruiting and supporting his Parish Safeguarding Representative(s) and other parish volunteers who work with vulnerable groups to ensure that they are clear in their roles and are following best safeguarding practice. The parish priest should maintain a good working relationship with the diocesan safeguarding office and report any concerns or allegations as soon as he becomes aware of them. The Parish Priest is responsible for ensuring that both he and his parish team are up-to-date with safeguarding training and follow Safer Recruitment best practice, including for themselves.
The Safeguarding Coordinator
The Safeguarding Coordinator is a professional employed by the diocese and they come with a comprehensive background in safeguarding from a statutory authority. They are appointed by the bishop on the advice of the Safeguarding Sub-Committee and they lead the diocesan Safeguarding Team. They are responsible for ensuring that the diocese complies with the eight national safeguarding standards and in particular have key responsibility for the effective management of : victims and survivors, all safeguarding allegations and respondents; the delivery and monitoring of training and Safer Recruitment. The Safeguarding Coordinator reports to the bishop, the Safeguarding Commission, the Safeguarding Sub-Committee and the trustees. They liaise with the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency to ensure compliance with national policy and procedures and that we are following a One-Church approach. On behalf of the Commission and the Sub-Committee the Safeguarding Coordinator ensures that the bishop is kept up to date with all safeguarding matters in the diocese. The Safeguarding Coordinator is not a member of the Commission or the Sub-Committee but reports to them. The Safeguarding Coordinator is the line manager of the Safeguarding Administrator.
The Safeguarding Administrator
The Safeguarding Administrator is a professional employed by the diocese and they come with a background in safeguarding from a statutory authority. They have responsibility for leading on Safer Recruitment best practice and processing the paperwork that is linked with the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) applications, and maintaining databases and filing systems. The Safeguarding Administrator offers advice to the diocese on safeguarding issues and receives safeguarding referrals and processes them. They provide support to both the parishes and the Parish Safeguarding Representatives (PSR). The Safeguarding Administrator leads on the recruitment and retention of PSRs and delivers high quality training to them, enabling them to perform their roles. The Safeguarding Administrator organises, supports and minutes both the Safeguarding Commission and the Safeguarding Sub-Committee meetings.
The Parish Safeguarding Representative
The Parish Safeguarding Representative (PSR) is a volunteer with special responsibility for working collaboratively with their parish clergy and parishioners and for promoting good and safe practices in all activities involving children, young people and vulnerable adults within their parish. The PSR is the link between the parish and the diocese and as such is in regular contact with the Safeguarding Coordinator and Administrator. The PSR attends various safeguarding training events and has a sound knowledge of the policies and procedures under pinning best practice, how to respond effectively to a disclosure of abuse or safeguarding incident and also who to contact for advice and support. The PSR is involved in the Safer Recruitment of volunteers to roles within the parish and has the responsibility for coordinating the Safer Recruitment process, including DBS processing, and ensuring that everybody who is required to go through the process does so.