On 17 April around 24 organisations in the Diocese of Guildford came together to explore our shared goal of making our communities safe for all.
The Diocese of Guildford hosted the Safeguarding Breakfast, bringing together organisations and individuals across our church communities who work with vulnerable people. The group explored how we can work together to better support and protect vulnerable people.
The Safeguarding Team said: “There are so many people across Surrey who do brilliant work to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. People from organisations brought and shared their expertise and experience. Each situation is individual and unique and can involve different organisations. By linking up and spending time together we can learn from each other, find out how we work differently and similarly, and ultimately do more, and do it better.
“Working in this space can feel very isolated. It was great to see the collaboration already happening. And it was so clear that everyone has a part to play in safeguarding. We all walked away from the morning with a rekindled passion for protecting vulnerable people, a better understanding of what services are out there, and just how many people are out there working together to safeguard.”
“We are planning our next get-together, where we will be getting very practical and looking at safeguarding scenarios where working together can minimise risk and maximise safeguarding for all impacted.”
The team will be following up with those who came and inviting them to the next one to continue this work.
We would encourage everyone in the diocese to visit our safeguarding web pages where you’ll find information on reporting concerns, training, resources and ensuring that safeguarding is a visible priority across our church communities and an integral part of our mission and ministry.
If any concern is raised with you, get in contact and report it to the diocesan safeguarding team within 24 hours, even if it seems unimportant – it could point to a much bigger issue. If the concern is raised outside normal working hours please report using the emergency contact details on our website and send an email to safeguarding@cofeguildford.org.uk.
Safeguarding for the Diocese of Guildford
Each parish in the diocese has a Parish Safeguarding Officer. They are a vital champion to advise, shape and implement policies, practices and training to safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults.
The diocesan team supports these officers, churches, and anyone in the diocese with advice, training, practice and guidance, as well as handling any concerns brought to them. Find out more on our web pages for Safeguarding for the Diocese of Guildford.