United Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough
CHILD SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT (RI)
The Church of Ireland provides religious, educational and recreational activities and services to children under 18 years of age through a range of local services.
The Church of Ireland acknowledges its duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice.
The Church of Ireland is committed to safeguarding children by working under the guidance of its national safeguarding policy Safeguarding Trust and its associated procedures. The Church of Ireland recognises that the welfare and interests of children are paramount in all circumstances. The bishops, clergy, volunteers and staff are committed to ensuring that all children have a positive and enjoyable experience in a safe and child centred environment and are protected from abuse whilst participating in activities.
All parishes, dioceses and other bodies operating under Safeguarding Trust have conducted a specific written risk assessment of any potential for harm to a child through their involvement in Church activities. The written risk assessment indicates the areas of potential harm, the likelihood of harm occurring, and lists the required policy, guidance, process and practice required to alleviate the risks. If there are site specific risks that local parishes and diocese need to include in their Child Safeguarding Statement they have done so in conjunction with their relevant person at diocesan level.
Risks Identified
Polices/Procedures in Place
Risk of harm (as defined in the Children First Act 2015) of a child by a member of the clergy/staff/volunteer/peer;
The Church of Ireland has an extensive child safeguarding policy including a code of behaviour and vetting procedures which addresses these risks and are available at https://safeguarding.ireland.anglican.org/child-safeguarding-roi/
Risk of harm (as defined in the CFA 2015) to a child on outings by a member of the clergy/staff/volunteer/stranger/peer
The Church of Ireland child safeguarding policy addresses these risks and is available at https://safeguarding.ireland.anglican.org/roi-child-safeguarding-part-5/#12
Risk of harm of bullying of a child by a member of the clergy/staff/volunteer/peer
The Church of Ireland child safeguarding policy addresses these risks and is available at https://safeguarding.ireland.anglican.org/roi-child-safeguarding-part-4/
Risk of harm (as defined in the CFA 2015) of a child from unauthorised photography;
The Church of Ireland child safeguarding policy addresses these risks and is available https://safeguarding.ireland.anglican.org/roi-child-safeguarding-part-5/#10
Risk of harm (as defined in the CFA 2015) of a child from online abuse through social media or internet access;
The Church of Ireland child safeguarding policy addresses these risks and is available https://safeguarding.ireland.anglican.org/roi-child-safeguarding-part-5/#11 and there is further guidance available here.
Allegations made against clergy/staff/volunteer/peer
The Church of Ireland child safeguarding policy outlines the procedures for responding to allegations and these are available at https://safeguarding.ireland.anglican.org/roi-child-safeguarding-part-7/#9
The Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, the Children First: National Guidance, and Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice.
In addition to the diocesan and parish risk assessments and the above policies and procedures named, the following procedures are in place throughout the Church of Ireland as part of its safeguarding policies and procedures:
§ Procedures for the safe recruitment of volunteers or employees to work with children in our services.
§ Procedures for provision of and access to child safeguarding training, including the identification and reporting of harm.
§ Procedures for reporting child protection and welfare concerns to Tusla and An Garda Síochána.
§ Procedures for maintaining a list of persons in each diocese who are mandated persons.
§ Procedure for appointing a relevant person for this child safeguarding statement.
The full Church of Ireland Child Safeguarding Policy is available on the Church of Ireland Safeguarding website at https://safeguarding.ireland.anglican.org/.
The Church of Ireland recognises that implementation is an on-going process and is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support its intention to keep children safe from harm and the risk of harm. The Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed no later than March 2025,[1] or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.
The Relevant Person for this Child Safeguarding Statement is:
Emma Fawcett (Diocesan Youth Officer) Email dgyc.office@gmail.com
[1] 24 months after the new CSS is adopted circa February 2025
