Safeguarding Policy

 This document outlines the policies regarding the protection of children and vulnerable adults at Carrubbers Christian Centre. 

Safeguarding Board

The Safeguarding board at Carrubbers has the following role:

  • to support and liaise with relevant ministries to ensure that Carrubbers Christian Centre and its policies have been adopted and are being followed.
  • to be responsible for the following procedures: Identifying and Reporting Abuse and Confidentiality.
  • to be the first confidential contact and advisory body for procedures following a safeguarding concern.

Composition

Members

Those in the PVG.Teams. As of December 2024:

  1. Eric John Scott – Safeguarding chair and first response, church elder
  2. Pat Ferguson – Safeguarding officer and second response, church administrator
  3. Karen Clark – Director of womans’ and evangelistic ministries
  4. Linda Swinson – Director of children and families’ ministries
  5. Doug Whyte – Director of church operations, church elder
  6. Ewan Evans – Ministry leader of Discovery bible study

PVG Signatories

  1. Linda Swinson
  2. Sue Rose
  3. Pat Ferguson

Policy and Procedure for Protecting Vulnerable Children and Adults

Carrubbers Christian Centre aims to ensure that any vulnerable people, whether children, young people or vulnerable adults, are protected and kept safe from harm while they are with staff and volunteers within its organisation. In order to achieve this, we will ensure our staff and volunteers are carefully selected, screened, trained and supervised.

In line with national guidelines, we define young people as being vulnerable under sixteen years of age. Vulnerable adults are defined according to their physical, capacity to consent and emotional state.

Application process for a PVG Check

The application process will proceed as outlined below.

  • We have the provision to allow an individual to observe a ministry within the church context. Where an individual shows an interest in a particular ministry, they will be invited to attend on a maximum of one visit with one-to-one supervision by the appropriate ministry leader[s]/disclosed volunteer prior to making an application. At this point, the applicant and Ministry Leader[s] will decide whether to proceed with an application and obtain the appropriate disclosure. During the process of the application the applicant is permitted to attend a further two visits with one-to-one supervision by the appropriate ministry leader[s]/volunteer or until their disclosure is completed.
  • All applicants within our organisation will register interest in helping with youth ministries. The information captured is handled with the appropriate data security levels in place as per our Secure handling, use, storage and retention of disclosure information (below).
  • Applicants are asked to provide two references, and these will always be taken up prior to confirmation of the continuation of their application.

Screening

  • The applicant will have to agree to an appropriate disclosure application. Disclosures will be requested prior to the applicant being approved to work within a ministry team without supervision.
  • The applicant will be required to be a member/associate member of Carrubbers Christian Centre.
  • Refer to policy and procedures on Secure Handling, Use, and Storage and Retention of Disclosure Information (below). 

Training

All new applicants will be provided induction training (if necessary), which will give an overview of the organisation and ensure they know its purpose, values, services and structure.

The induction training is the responsibility of the ministry leader under the guidance of the Safeguarding Board. The successful candidate will return a signed declaration (see appendices) to their ministry leader stating that this training has taken place.

  • Relevant training and support will be provided on an ongoing basis.
  • The Safeguarding Board will facilitate ongoing training and support will be provided for ministry leader(s) and their teams under guidance of the Safeguarding Board.
  • Training on specific areas such as health and safety procedures, identifying and reporting abuse and confidentiality will be given as a priority to new staff and volunteers, and will be regularly reviewed.

The procedures on health and safety, identifying and reporting abuse, and confidentiality will be issued to each successful candidate. The successful candidate will return a signed declaration (see appendices) to their ministry leader stating that these have been read, understood, and adopted in full. The Safeguarding Board, as part of their on-going annual audit, will review the procedure.

Supervision

Carrubbers Christian Centre will ensure that all staff and ministry leaders involved in recruitment, training and supervision, are aware of this policy and have received appropriate training and support to ensure its full implementation.

Those involved in recruitment, training and supervision must review the above policies and procedures before implementing them. Ministry leaders will also have PVG disclosure and will have undergone appropriate training where necessary.

PVG Policy and Procedures for the Secure Handling, Use, Storage and Retention of Disclosure Information

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance and instruction on how to appropriately handle disclosures for those who will have access to them and to provide assurance to Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services (VSDS) and our staff and volunteers that their disclosure information will be handled, used, stored and destroyed appropriately and in accordance with the Disclosure Scotland Code of Practice.

For the purpose of this policy, PVG Scheme Records, PVG Short Scheme Records, Standard disclosures and Enhanced disclosures will be referred to as disclosures.

This policy is for organisations enrolled with VSDS to access disclosures for the purpose of assessing individual’s suitability for paid and/or voluntary work.

In accordance with the Scottish Government Code of Practice, for registered persons and other recipients of disclosure information, we will ensure the following practice.

Requesting Disclosures

Disclosures will only be requested when necessary and relevant to a particular post and the information provided on a disclosure will only be used for recruitment purposes.

Our organisation will ensure that an individual’s consent is given before seeking a disclosure. Before using disclosure information for any other purpose, we will seek their consent and will take advice from VSDS to ensure it is appropriate to use the disclosure for a purpose other than recruitment. Furthermore, we will ensure that all sensitive personal information that is collated for the purposes of obtaining a disclosure will be always managed confidentially by those involved in the disclosure process.

We will not request disclosure information for other organisations without first discussing the appropriate process and receiving approval for this from VSDS.

Sharing Information

We will only share disclosure information with those authorised to see it in the course of their duties. 

Storage

Disclosure information will be stored in secure conditions as follows:-

  • Online Results: A note will be taken of any vetting information which needs to be reviewed. Access to disclosure information will be restricted to those that are entitled to see it in the course of their duties. When receiving an online result, it is essential that we record the information required for our Disclosure Tracking Record. No photocopy or other image of the disclosure information will be retained.
  • Paper Disclosures: Paper documents will be kept in lockable and non-portable storage units. Access to disclosure information will be restricted to those that are entitled to see it in the course of their duties. No photocopy or other image of the disclosure information will be retained.
  • Telephone Results: When receiving disclosure information by telephone, VSDS staff will only convey information detailed in disclosures accessed by our organisation to our enrolled signatories once they have correctly answered the relevant security questions. Failing to provide the correct answers to the required security questions will result in VSDS withholding the required information and may lead to an investigation being carried out to establish why our enrolled signatory was unable to provide the required security information. Once the disclosure information has been shared with us, VSDS will shred the disclosure. VSDS does not keep a record of any information contained on the disclosure. When receiving a telephone result, it is essential that we record the information required for our Disclosure Tracking Record.
  • Emailed Certificates: VSDS ceased emailing disclosures on 10 June 2024, for any that were received disclosures by email and stored those email disclosures. Care will be taken in relation to emailed disclosure information and we will endeavour to prevent unauthorised viewing, transmission, storage, printing or fraudulent manipulation. Access to email disclosures will be restricted to those who are entitled to see it in the course of their duties. Insert details here of how you will store email disclosure records here: (this should be copied from the last version of your Secure Handling Policy). No photocopy or other image of the disclosure information will be retained.

Record Keeping

It is our organisations responsibility to keep accurate information about disclosures we have accessed. The following information will be recorded on our Disclosure Tracking Record:

  • Name of Applicant
  • Date of Birth
  • Level of Disclosure
  • Position applied for
  • Signatory
  • Date Posted/requested online
  • Date Processed (application requests only)
  • T Reference Number
  • Date disclosure issued
  • Certificate/Disclosure Number
  • PVG Membership Number
  • Date Destroyed/Deleted
  • Recruitment Decision and date

We will not record whether there was any vetting information as the Code of Practice prohibits this.  VSDS provides a sample tracking document in the guidance and resources section of their website.

Retention

We will not retain disclosures for longer than is necessary for the purpose for which the disclosure record was obtained. PVG disclosures will be destroyed securely on receipt of an updated PVG disclosure, and they will not be retained beyond the last day that a scheme member is carrying out regulated work for our organisation.

Destruction/Deletion

We will take reasonable steps to ensure that disclosure information is destroyed by suitable and secure means, for example, shredding, pulping or burning. Electronic images from email certificates will also be deleted permanently from both the email address where it was received and from where it is stored.

We will ensure that all staff with access to disclosure information are aware of this policy and have received training and support to help them to comply with both this policy and the code of practice.  A copy of this policy will be made available to any applicant, member of staff or volunteer who requests it.

Lost Disclosures

If we lose a physical or emailed copy of a disclosure or any other record of disclosure information, we will notify the scheme member(s) affected, VSDS and the Information Commissioners Office.

Code of Practice

Further instructions and guidance on secure handling of disclosure information can be found in sections 17 to 23 of the Code of Practice and 71 to 100 of the Annex to the Code of Practice.

PVG Application Process

The PVG application process is a collaboration between the Applicant, the Carrubbers Office administration staff, The Carrubbers PVG Signatory, and Disclosure Scotland.

It is important to note that a PVG Certificate belongs to the applicant not the organisation. The applicant is responsible for advising Disclosure Scotland directly about any changes such as name, address etc or leaving Carrubbers. More information below.

The process is described below in diagram form, and then below that in text in more detail:

pvgmembership.drawio_.png

 

Application (by the Applicant):

  1. Website Online Form submitted by Applicant, capturing contact details, areas of interest, relevant experience and references.
  2. Submission goes to to the Director of Children and Families Ministries and officeadmin@carrubbers.org

Carrubbers Admin Checks (by the Office):

  1. Membership Check and obtain references
  2. Office to obtain references via email
  3. Office to confirm with a Signatory that application is ready for ID checks and proceed to Volunteer Scotland application process

ID Checks and Application to Volunteer Scotland (by the Signatory)

  1. Signatory meets applicant for ID checks
    1. photographic ID e.g. passport, driving licence or an officially recognised facial identification card
    2. address checks: e.g. a letter or official document that proves your name and home address such as a Council Tax Letter or a Utility bill
  2. Signatory begins application on behalf of the applicant at https://www.volunteerscotland.net/disclosure-services/application-processes/online-pvg-application-request-form

Application Registration (Volunteer Scotland)

  1. Volunteer Scotland create the application, generating a tracking number (T00000), which follows the application throughout the process
  2. They notify the applicant (not the signatory or the office) by an email from disclosurescotland@notifications.service.gov.scot.

Completion of Application (by the Applicant)

  1. The applicant waits for the email from disclosurescotland@notifications.service.gov.scot. The applicant should check junk mail folders in case the emails end up there.
  2. The email includes a link to complete the application, and the tracking number (T00000). The office also receive this tracking number.
  3. The applicant then has 14 days upon receipt to complete this stage of the application.

Application Processing (by Volunteer Scotland)

  1. Volunteer Scotland process the application and draw a conclusion as to the suitability of the applicant to be involved in the stated activity.
  2. They contact the applicant by email (not the office or the signatory) to detail that the application is ready to be viewed and shared.

Reviewing the Results (by the Applicant)

  1. The applicant can then create or login to a ScotAccount, to view their result.
  2. The applicant then decides to either:
    1. withdraw their application to be involved in the stated activity
    2. share their PVG certificate and proceed with being involved with the stated activity. 
  3. In either case they share their desired next step with officeadmin@carrubbers.org:

Registration of Completed Application (Office)

  1. The office then either close off your application, or have 14 days to open the link sent by you to your PVG certificate.
    1. The office have a maximum of three attempts to enter into your account. If they fail, they will need to contact you again to have you re-share.
    2. Once the online result has been opened the office will have 15 minutes to check the information. If for some reason the office is unable to open or closes in error they will have to ask you to re-share. You will be able to share as many times as required.
  2. They record your membership and certificate numbers on the Carrubbers PVG Data spreadsheet held confidentially for Disclosure Scotland and Volunteer Scotland audit purposes, and in the PVG application.
  3. They email Director of Children and Families' Ministries with confirmation that PVG has been approved.

Notification to Ministry Leader (Director of Children and Families' Ministries)

  1. Director to advise ministry that applicant is cleared to begin working with the ministry applied for.

Update of team lists (Ministry Leader):

  1. Ministry Leader[s] to add the newly PVG checked person to their list of volunteers (if they weren't already there as an "Observer")
  2. Each ministry leader[s] is/are responsible for managing the list of PVG approved team members for their ministry on the website both active and departing.

PVG Certificate - Volunteer Responsibilities

There are responsibilities associated with joining the PVG Scheme, which Disclosure Scotland ask us to provide to you when you start volunteering so please do read the information below to ensure that you are following Disclosure Scotland’s PVG Scheme regulations.

If your contact details change

  • “Contact details” refers to your phone number, email address or home address.
  • You should inform Disclosure Scotland as soon as possible, following the instructions at  https://www.mygov.scot/manage-pvg and also contact your Safeguarding Officer at safeguarding@carrubbers.org
  • If advising of a change of email address you should email from your new email address, copying in your former address.
  • If advising of a change of contact number, you should be sure to email us from the email address you used for your PVG application. If this is not possible, please be advised that the Safeguarding Officer will contact you to confirm your identity before updating our records.
  • If advising of a change of address, please email a photo or scan of an official document (utility bill, council tax statement, driving licence) showing your name and new address.

If you change your name

  • By law, you must tell Disclosure Scotland within 3 months of changing your name. 
  • If you do not tell Disclosure Scotland, you are committing a criminal offence.
  • You must also advise the Safeguarding Service. To do this please email a photo or scan of an official document (utility bill, council tax statement, driving licence) showing your new name.

Receive a gender recognition certificate

  • By law, if you are issued with a full gender recognition certificate under section 4 of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (c.7) you must tell Disclosure Scotland within 3 months. 
  • If you do not tell Disclosure Scotland, you are committing a criminal offence.
  • You do not need to advise the Safeguarding Service as we do not record the gender of our volunteers. However, if you changed your title (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Mx etc) you may wish to inform us so that we address you correctly when contacting you in the future.
  • For the church's beliefs on these things then please speak to a pastor or read the section of our pastoral care policies under gender. 

When you stop working with children or protected adults in Carrubbers

  • You must advise Disclosure Scotland, following the instructions at  https://www.mygov.scot/manage-pvg
  • You should also advise your Safeguarding Officer at the same time at safeguarding@carrubbers.org
  • If you at any time under ‘consideration for listing’ by Disclosure Scotland
  • This means consideration for barring from work with children and protected adults. 
  • You must share this information with your Safeguarding Officer safeguarding@carrubbers.org
  • Disclosure Scotland will advise you and the Safeguarding Service about this.  They will manage that information sensitively and confidentially.
  • If you are barred from regulated work or are under formal consideration for listing and you change your name, address or gender, you must tell Disclosure Scotland within 1 month.
  • If you do not tell Disclosure Scotland about any of these changes you are deemed to be committing a criminal offence, and we want to help you avoid that possibility.

Policy And Procedures for the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders

Carrubbers Christian Centre undertakes to treat all applicants for positions within the organisation fairly and not to discriminate unfairly against the subject of a disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.

  • We will only request an Enhanced disclosure where it is necessary and relevant to the position sought.
  • Where a position requires a disclosure, we will make this clear on the application form and on any other information provided about the post.
  • If a PVG check comes back as ‘under consideration’ then they will not be permitted to continue in regulatory work. They will be offered an alternative non-regulatory role, where possible, pending resolution of the consideration.

Procedure for Identifying and Reporting Abuse and Confidentiality

Framework

A part of Carrubbers Christian Centre’s policies and procedures on child/vulnerable adult ministries.

Disclosure of abuse

Incidents of suspected abuse can be disclosed in a variety of ways:

  1. Directly by child/vulnerable adult
  2. By another child/adult/or agency (third party disclosure)
  3. By letter or phone call, with or without the name of the informant (third party disclosure)

Actions by Recipients of a Disclosure

  1. A guarantee of confidentiality must never be given, It is important to advise the person that is disclosing that you will have to share this with the Safeguarding Officer.
  2. It should be recognised that it may be traumatic for the child/vulnerable adult to make a disclosure. Reassurances may be appropriate e.g. “You have done the right thing”.
  3. Any initial questioning or discussion must be limited to establishing very basic facts. Open-ended questions should be used.  You are not interviewing them.  It is very important to record what they are saying in as much detail as possible.
  4. The person being disclosed to should not introduce either personal experiences of abuse or those of other children / vulnerable adults that they may know about.
  5. As soon as possible the full disclosure should be written down – word for word what was told to you remembering to include the when, where, who and what details. This written record then needs dated and signed.  It is very important to write out the child/vulnerable adult’s exact words.
  6. Once you have written it down, contact the Safeguarding Officer or the Chair of the Safeguarding Board to tell them what has happened. They will advise you as to next steps.
  7. The written record should then be given or emailed to the Safeguarding Officer. The information will be stored in a secure place as per the organisations Secure Handling, Use, Storage And Retention Of Disclosure Information policy. 
  8. Once it is confirmed that the Safeguarding Officer has received the record then it should be deleted from any personal device(s). Only one copy will be retained by the Safeguarding Board in a secure record as per the organisations Secure Handling, Use, Storage And Retention Of Disclosure Information policy.
  9. This information must not be shared out with the Safeguarding Board members. The person to whom the disclosure has been made can inform the ministry leader that there has been a disclosure, but they cannot discuss the content of the disclosure. The Ministry Leader will be advised by the Safeguarding Board of how the disclosure will be handled without providing confidential information.
  10. If the subject of disclosure is a member of the Safeguarding Board, then this matter should be referred to the pastor(s) and/or elder’s Chairman.

Action on third party disclosures

  1. Considerable care should be taken when managing third party disclosures.
  2. The guidelines above should be followed.
  3. In the instance of the third-party disclosure coming from a child/vulnerable adult the recipient of the disclosure, or the ministry leader must inform the Safeguarding Officer who will take the disclosure forward with the Safeguarding Board and will if necessary make contact with any appropriate agencies who in turn will inform the family. Details of the disclosure must not be passed to any parent(s) / guardian(s) at this point. This will be handled by the Safeguarding Board.

The discussion meeting

As soon as possible, and prior to contacting services (if this is deemed necessary by the Safeguarding Board), a discussion meeting will take place involving the recipient of the disclosure and at least two members of the Safeguarding Board.

  1. This discussion meeting should initially consider whether a referral is required. Any referral should be made within 3 months from the date on which the disclosure was made.

The disclosure will be reviewed on the basis of one or more of the following:

  • Caused harm
  • Placed someone at risk or harm
  • Engaged in inappropriate conduct involving pornography
  • Engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct
  • Given inappropriate medical treatment

Inappropriate behaviour examples:

  1. Emotional abuse.
  2. Neglecting a person’s needs.
  3. Inappropriate physical restraint.
  4. Failing to attend to whatever Health and Safety requirements may be in forced.
  5. Using inappropriate language.
  6. Sexual abuse, physical assault, supplying illegal or unauthorised drugs.

Once the Safeguarding Board makes their decision based on the Disclosure Scotland Code of Practice available to them it is the their legal responsibility to make a referral on behalf of the organisation within 3 months of the recorded date of the disclosure...

If it is agreed that there is to be no referral then further consideration should be given to:

  1. What information is known about the child, any sibling(s) and family?
  2. What basic facts are known about the specific incident or concern?
  3. Have there been previous concerns?
  4. Are there implications for siblings?
  5. Are the parent(s) / guardian(s) aware of the disclosure and what is their likely response?
  6. Are there implications for other children?
  1. A minute of the meeting should be made by either the Safeguarding Officer or an appropriate member of the Safeguarding Board present at the meeting and irrespective of the outcome a record should be made for the reasons for the action taken.
  2. Remind all those involved that all matters must be treated confidentially.
  3. Following a decision that a child/vulnerable adult may be at immediate risk of abuse or has suffered abuse, consider what following action must then be taken, see diagram below:

SafeguardingAtRisk.png

Safeguarding Board members should refer all appropriate cases where there is a knowledge or a suspicion that a child is suffering or at risk of suffering abuse to the Child Protection team at St. Leonard’s Police Station. It is the responsibility of this statutory agency to determine the significance or otherwise of the collated information.

The Safeguarding Board will clarify with the Child Protection team at St. Leonard’s Police Station who will inform parent(s)/guardian(s). 

Guidance on Driving a Vehicle

  1. All drivers must have signed and returned the declaration on the Youth and Vulnerable Adults Ministry form “Driving a Vehicle” to the ministry leader responsible for the event.
  1. At all times drivers must:
    • Exercise due care and attention, taking account of road and traffic conditions
    • Adhere to national speed limits
    • Refrain from using a mobile phone while driving
    • Ensure there is adequate control of children / youth within the vehicle
    • Ensure seat belts are worn at all times by everyone in the vehicle
  1. It is inappropriate to transport unaccompanied young people. When carrying children and vulnerable adults someone in the car must be disclosed.
  1. Discretion should be given as to who should be dropped off first.
  1. Under 21 years and / or those with three years and under driving experience may not transport children / youth or vulnerable adults.

Adult: Child Ratios

Carrubbers Christian Centre  will, where possible, try to ensure we are following good practice for our ratio balances in each ministry.

The Scottish Care Inspectorate recommend the following ratios:

  • 0 to under 2 years 1 adult to 3 children
  • 2 to under 3 years 1 adult to 5 children
  • 3 to under 8 years 1 adult to 8 children (See note below)
  • Over 8 years 1 adult to 10 children

Note: Where children aged three and over attend settings for fewer than four hours in any one day the adult to child ratio can be one adult to 10 children.

Discipline Policy

It is important that order is maintained within the ministry.  Leaders must remember that discipline of a child is the sole responsibility of the parents or guardians who are responsible for the child.

In dealing with discipline issues ministry leaders/teachers/helpers have: -

  1. A duty of care to one’s self
  2. A duty of care to the individual
  3. A duty of care to others

(This list is not in order of importance; all are equally important)

  • In light of the importance of a duty of care to others, in extreme circumstances it may be necessary to remove the other children from the room.
  • Any deliberate damage or harm to another child should be reported to both sets of parents and the appropriate ministry elder.
  • If the disruption cannot be contained, then the parents/guardians will be sought as soon as possible
  • If disruption is continuous then the ministry leader/teacher/helper will arrange to discuss the issue with the parent/guardian of the child.
  • On no account should there be any physical discipline (i.e. a smack) or any emotional discipline (i.e. standing in a corner).  Ministry leaders will discuss discipline issues during the regular meetings and advice will be given from other teachers/helpers and the ministry leader on how to respond appropriately.

Social Media Code of Conduct for Those Involved in Youth and Children's Ministries

Child protection is as important online as offline. It is essential that your actions online do not allow the general public to gain access to lists of names and/or photographs of young people who are involved in Carrubbers Christian Centre events and activities.

You Must

  • treat all online communications as communications to the general public.
  • recognise that content posted online can never be taken back, so think twice before posting.
  • ensure that your actions online do not allow readers to identify any child or young person.

You Must Not

  • post any photographs or videos from a Carrubbers Christian Centre context/event online, unless the material has been approved by the ministry leader and has parental consent.
  • use social networking sites to initiate contact with young people, or to initiate contact after events at which one has been a team member.

Contact with young people on social networking sites

It is more than likely that young people will look up online profiles of ministry members they have met through being involved in events by that ministry. Ministry leaders are under no obligation to interact with young people on such sites, but if you do, please consider that you are representing Carrubbers Christian Centre and your own personal witness through your online behaviour. While the following guidelines relate to specific networks please apply the same basic principles to all interaction online.

Facebook/Instagram/other social media platforms

  • Friendship requests may only be accepted from young people 13 or over.
  • Do not request friendships from young people.
  • Do not tell young people in person to find you on Facebook to request friendship. This may be interpreted as harassment
  • You are strongly advised to set personal information visible to friends only, and to make the default setting for posts go to friends only.
  • Young people accepted as friends should be added to a specific restricted list.
  • Your profile (including your profile picture) should befit a representative of Carrubbers Christian Centre.
  • Regularly monitor photos and content posted by other friends onto your profile, removing any inappropriate content.
  • Avoid giving any young person focused attention online for a prolonged period of time, even if you think your motives are pure (e.g. avoid regularly “liking” posts and limit the number of comments or message in any period).
  • Do not create Facebook groups or Facebook event pages linked with Carrubbers Christian Centre ministries to which under-18’s would be invited to join. This is because:
    • both these channels create listings of members/attendees which are publicly available and can often disclose precise locations and timings of young people’s whereabouts, which could place them at risk;
    • the creation of such a group/event implies that it is an ‘official’ communications channel, giving Carrubbers Christian Centre and added duty of care which we cannot guarantee to fulfil.
  • However, you are permitted to join a group created by a young person (which Carrubbers Christian Centre deems to be an unofficial channel) if invited to do so. Experience would suggest young people show greater ownership/engagement with groups created by them or their peers.

X [formerly known as Twitter]

  • Do not use personal X [Twitter] accounts to engage in direct messaging with young people.
  • If you are not happy with young people reading your tweets or following you, privacy settings can be changed to make your tweets private and require followers to be approved by you.

WhatsApp/Other communication platforms

  • Young people can be contacted on WhatsApp as long as you have their parents’ permission
  • For group chats we recommend that two ministry leaders are included in the chat at all times.
  • Generally, use electronic communication for passing on information or simple non-emotional communication. If a young person uses electronic communication at a deeper relational level then arrange to meet them instead to discuss these things.
  • If any of their communication with you causes you concern please share it with the Safeguarding officer.
  • Do not message young people between 10pm and 7am.

Scope of Policy

This policy covers all social media environments in ethos and substance even though not discretely mentioned hitherto.