Welcome to the safeguarding page for Area Meeting Safeguarding Coordinators and Local Meeting Verifiers in Britain Yearly Meeting.
This page complements the Safeguarding Co-ordinators page, BYM’s main Safeguarding page, and the page “I have a concern about abuse”, on the BYM website.
BYM recommends area meetings subscribe to Thirtyone:eight (the organisation previously called CCPAS, the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service). Membership gives access to Thirtyone:eight’s team of experienced professionals staffing its 24/7 Helpline, useful documents and leaflets, videos, model safeguarding policy and procedures, and many other services. Area meetings are strongly encouraged to check their draft documents with Thirtyone:eight, to ensure they include all essential items.
BYM’s Safeguarding Officer offers help and guidance to meetings and safeguarding co-ordinators, on the Quaker context for safeguarding, as well as pastoral support for role holders and individuals. Please contact safe@quaker.org.uk 020 7663 1103 if you have any questions or comments.
Vulnerable Adults:
This legal guidance was obtained by BYM:
Helping Vulnerable Adults Make Decisions – Legal Guidance provided May 2018: England
Guidance is now being sought on this for the other three jurisdictions covering Britain.
Record Keeping:
Here is a notice sent to Quaker meetings in 2015 about the requirement to retain records:
Offenders and adults of concern
Britain Yearly Meeting staff have prepared new model safeguarding documents, which follow modern good practice from the specialist safeguarding organisation Thirtyone:eight, adapted to the Quaker context.
Please contact the BYM Safeguarding Officer, and/or consult Thirtyone:eight for advice, and refer to Thirtyone:eight’s online safeguarding manual which has full guidelines.
Many meetings are able to offer a warm welcome to offenders and ex-offenders, with good boundaries in place to protect both the meeting and the worshipper. Often a contract is useful to outline the agreement. While these documents may refer to sexual abuse, they could also be used for other forms of abuse.
Sexual Harassment
Media support and guidance can be provided by Anne van Staveren (020 7663 1048). This is particularly useful if you have a case in the criminal justice system.
Area meeting Trustees have the ultimate responsibility for safeguarding matters.
The Charity Commission’s expectations of trustees are described here:
Organisations advising Quakers nationally:
Other churches: