As a church community, we are committed to:

● Creating and promoting a safe, caring and welcoming environment where everyone is valued, respected and able to flourish.

● Recognising that safeguarding is the shared responsibility of every member of our church family.

● Safely recruiting, training, supporting and equipping all staff and volunteers who serve children, young people and adults who may be vulnerable.

● Responding promptly, appropriately and compassionately to every safeguarding concern or allegation.

● Listening carefully to anyone who raises a concern or discloses abuse, taking every report seriously.

● Providing pastoral care and support for victims, survivors and all those affected by abuse.

● Responding with fairness, sensitivity and appropriate pastoral care to those who are the subject of safeguarding concerns or allegations.

● Taking appropriate action where an individual may present a risk of harm to others.

● Challenging any abuse of power, misuse of trust or inappropriate behaviour by anyone serving in a position of responsibility.

● Regularly reviewing our safeguarding policies, procedures and practices to ensure they remain effective and reflect current legislation and recognised good practice.

● Maintaining a Whistleblowing Policy that enables staff and volunteers to raise concerns safely and confidently.

● Ensuring that everyone serving at The Rock Church understands and agrees to follow our safeguarding policies, procedures and code of conduct.

We are committed to working in partnership with parents, carers, statutory agencies and our wider community to ensure that The Rock Church remains a place where people of every age can experience God's love in a safe and supportive environment.

Urgent concerns

If you have an urgent concern about a child, young person or adult, and an immediate response is needed:

● Contact the emergency services on 999.

● Inform our Designated Safeguarding Lead and Lead Pastor as soon as possible by phone or email, unless they are the subject of the concern.

Concerns where someone may be at risk of harm (non-emergency)

If you have a concern about someone who may be in need of support or at risk of harm:

● Report your concern to our Designated Safeguarding Lead or Lead/Pastor.

● If the person you would normally report to is the subject of the concern, please contact an alternative safeguarding contact:

Designated Safeguarding Leads: Robert McNerney & Sarah Green

Lead Pastor: Samantha McVey

Concerns about a staff member or volunteer

If your concern relates to a member of staff, volunteer or someone serving within The Rock Church:

Please report this to:

Safeguarding Adviser: [Name] [Email / Telephone]

As part of our commitment to creating a safe and healthy church community, The Rock Church is a member of Thirtyone:eight, an independent safeguarding organisation that provides specialist advice, guidance and support to churches and charities.

Through this partnership, we have access to expert safeguarding resources, training and professional advice to help us develop good practice, respond well to concerns, and ensure that our safeguarding policies and procedures continue to protect and support everyone within our church community.