Safeguarding Sunday
A message from the Bishop of Guildford
"Wherever I go across the diocese, churches are engaging in excellent children’s work and youth activities, as well as running drop-ins, lunch-clubs, food banks and street pastors, reaching out to some of the more vulnerable members of our society.
Because of the potential of just one person to cause terrible damage to the lives of children or vulnerable adults – and appalling collateral damage to the life of their families, friends, and church community – the risk is one that we must guard against with utmost vigilance.
Could I therefore urge all parishes and worshiping communities to ensure that the protocols are implemented and reviewed regularly in line with diocesan policy, while thanking you for every way in which your church is having a transformative effect for good on the lives of others." - Bishop Andrew
www.cofeguildford.org.uk and look for the extensive information on Safeguarding.
Introduction
Many of us will have become aware in recent years of DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks and Safeguarding. This has become a much more visible matter and rightly so. It is not something which is for other people and does not happen here. Sadly, there are people everywhere who do not treat others with the dignity and respect which God gives to us all.
Today many people are required to be DBS checked – this is a police check which is undertaken at a variety of levels depending on the perceived risks pertaining to a particular post. For example, anyone working closely and perhaps on a one to one basis with children or vulnerable adults must be checked at the highest levels to ensure that convicted sex offenders are not given positions of trust.
Recently we have seen on the news, concerns that even police recruits have not been properly checked in this way, and it has led to some distressing incidents happening.
Even though all Ministers and many lay people in the church are now DBS checked. The church is not completely clean in this regard. There have been many historical incidents where abuse has happened and been covered up. So, this is why we must be more rigorous in our approach and understanding.
This leads us to having a Sunday in the year dedicated as SAFEGUARDING SUNDAY.
Our desire is that churches are Safe Havens for all and that each of us is aware of what that means in practical terms.
We are thinking about the victims of many kinds of abuse and harm and also the perpetrators. All are loved by God and all are welcome in his church and it is our responsibility to ensure that each is kept safe and shown God’s love as well as helped as needed.
The purpose of having this special Sunday then is to highlight the issues involved and to assist us all in our prayers as we try to do God’s work in our community and to ensure that we personally make any changes necessary
Reading: Matthew 18: 1 – 10 Jesus’s comments in Matthew 18 are in the context of the Disciples arguing about who is the greatest. Each of them had the human ambitions we all have and wanted to be held in high regard. But Jesus turns this on its head and tells us that we should be humbling ourselves like little children.
Take a while to consider Jesus’s own personal approach to children and to the vulnerable in society.
Discuss what he did and the examples he gave his disciples.
What about those who were doing wrong? - How did he approach them?
What about the victims?
You might also like to consider the woman taken in adultery or Matthew or Zacchaeus the Tax collectors. The criminal on the cross beside him and many others.
Matthew 18: 6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
How then should we be treating those who are guilty of this crime?
What if we are the person who does things wrong?
What do you see as wrong in this context?
The culture of today’s society is very different from the one in place when many of us were growing up, whatever age we are now. It seems that we move forward very fast and social change happens almost before our eyes.
Think about corporal punishment- School days, obedience, parenting.
A rule of thumb which I use is: -
If I were doing this in the dark – would it be ok if someone turned the light on?
Reflection:
Take a moment to acknowledge quietly that we are all guilty of harming others at some times, whether it is by the way we speak about them, especially when they are not there, or by the way we treat them publicly. Our prejudices and unconscious habits can upset others without us even knowing.
Ask for forgiveness and know that you will receive it.
Time for Action:
What can we do as individuals and as a church to help protect the vulnerable?
Reading: Proverbs 31: 8 – 9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Often to keep quiet and not put ourselves into situations which might prove to be embarrassing. This can sometimes mean that even though we know that something is wrong we do not know how to intervene.
Prayer first is often a good idea. Check that we have our facts right and that what we think is happening is happening. But if it is and it is wrong then we are surely called to speak up even if it makes if difficult for us as the “whistle-blower”.
Discuss situations when this might apply in your lives.
This church has a designated Safeguarding Officer – Alison Anderson. She is completely trusted by all and can be approached even if you are not sure there is anything to be concerned about. Two heads are often better than one and she can guide you to the right people or take on dealing with the matter herself if needed.
The Key point in all this is that we act.
Somebody should have done it, anybody could have done it, but in the end nobody did, and the crisis was made much worse when it could have been resolved.
Abuse and harm often come from those who want to assert themselves above others and be controlling and manipulative. That is why, when they are challenged, they can make the challenger feel uncomfortable. People in high authority can forget that they too are subject to the law.
As a church we are called to show God’s love to all, but this does not mean that we simply look the other way or forgive and forget and allow harm to continue because we are too afraid to speak up.
We have a policy which means that anyone who is a known offender will not be kept away from the love of God by keeping them out of the church, but they will be given a contract by which they may attend safely, for themselves and for others. There is a system called “buddying” where someone with severe problems may be given a buddy to be with so that whenever they want to come to church, they can come with the buddy and that responsible person will keep them and others safe.
This means that we can ensure that everyone continues to be welcome, but the church remains a safe haven for all. We must do our part to ensure that this continues in Ashtead.
Safeguarding Sunday Prayer
Loving Father God, we come to you in the knowledge that you hold all your children in unconditional love.
We lift to you those who are vulnerable and in need of protection. Give them your safety, comfort, and peace.
We cry to you for those who are hurting and whose trust has been broken. Give them your healing, restoration, and justice.
We bring to you those who seek to forgive others who have hurt them. Give them your strength, courage, and hope.
For those who have caused your children to stumble, lead them to seek your forgiveness and to enter into true repentance.
Thank you for all who give their time, knowledge, and skills to make our communities safer. Give them your wisdom, guidance, and grace.
For ourselves, we ask you to give us your heart for the vulnerable, the oppressed, the voiceless and the forgotten. Help us to see them as you see them; to value them as you value them, and to nurture and protect them as you desire. Help each one of us play our part in creating safer places for all your people. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen