Child
Protection
Welcome to the Child Protection section of our web site. Here, we hope
you will be able to find any information or help that you might need. We
have started by explaining exactly what we mean by “Child Protection”, why
we need procedures and what service our Child Protection Representative
provides to our parish. We give details of exactly how you can contact her
if you wish to, and we also have some links to other sites that you might
find helpful. If you cannot find what you need here, simply go to our
contact page and submit any questions you like. Your feedback on the
information we provide here is always welcomed!
What do we mean by “Child Protection”?
In every community there must be awareness that those who are most
vulnerable have to be protected. This is the case in a parish just as it is
in any other community of people who come together to live, work and grow
alongside each other. In our society we have identified children and some
adults as particularly vulnerable and we have developed a strategy for
protecting them to the very best of our ability.
In our parish we believe that each person is made in the image and
likeness of God, and therefore is endowed with immense dignity, and has the
right for that dignity to be respected and recognized at all times. Any
offence against the dignity and rights of the human person is an offence
against God. The violation of the human person is always wrong; the
violation of the dignity of a child by any abuse, but in particular, sexual
abuse is especially evil.
The Church is called to be a community that gives witness to the love of
God by valuing and caring for the most vulnerable people, especially
children. The Church therefore, proclaims the dignity of all children and
strives to ensure the safety and well-being of every child in it’s care, and
to protect them from abuse by whomsoever it is perpetrated.
What is the purpose of having Child Protection Procedures?
Despite our high ideals, we are now more than ever aware of the harm that
has been done to some vulnerable people, especially children in some church
communities. This harm can take a number of forms: emotional, physical,
sexual, and harm by neglect. We understand today more than ever before, that
sexual abuse can damage all aspects of a person’s life; their personal
relationships, their spiritual growth, and their ability to function in the
world. The subject of our procedures is therefore all forms of abuse, with
particular emphasis on sexual abuse.
The procedures to be used throughout the Diocese are to ensure:
