Safeguarding Everyone

God created the human race in his image. An image that should be treated with dignity, care, compassion and value.

The care and protection of children, young people and adults involved in Church activities is the responsibility of everyone who participates in the life of the Church. No one should have to deal with the trauma of any abuse. That is why safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults is a priority to us. We follow the Diocese of Guildford's Safeguarding Guidelines and Requirements and Promoting a Safer Church: The Church of England’s Safeguarding Policy for children, young people and adults.

Our Commitments

1. Promoting a safer environment and culture.
2. Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults.
3. Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern and allegation.
4. Caring pastorally for victims and survivors of abuse and other affected persons.
5. Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons. 
6. Responding to those who may pose a present risk.

Are you a survivor or victim of church related abuse? Could you help the Diocese of Guildford to learn from the past and protect the future?

The Diocese of Guildford is currently reviewing all its records, across all 162 parishes, to ensure that all safeguarding concerns and allegations have been identified, reported, and appropriately actioned. Critical to this, is the voice of survivors and victims. The Diocese of Guildford wants to listen to and to learn from your experiences and ensure that your voices are heard throughout this review process.

Coming forward

Anybody who would like to give information or make disclosures about church-related abuse is asked to contact Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor, Jackie Broadfoot by email or 07918 559 387.

Support is available

The Diocese recognises that coming forward may be extremely difficult and dedicated support has been set up for you. Two confidential listening services have been set up, for those people who have experienced church related abuse but who might want to talk through their experiences and feelings before taking any next step. To find out more about the support available click here.

Building the safest community we can

We want to be a place where people feel safe. Safe to talk about past trauma and seek help. Bishop Andrew explains why we are doing this: