Book Review - Policing Innocence
A friend recommended I read this book, knowing how heavily I implement child protection!!
Whilst freely acknowledging that most child abuse occurs within family/household groups, this book is a loud wake-up call to all of us - especially to churches - not to be naive when it comes to the need for constant vigilence and prompt, appropriate and wise action when protecting children.
All the way through this book is a steely thread of righteous anger, not only aimed at paedophiles but at churches who naively ignore the issues raised by Rebecca. Her use of words such as paedophile and pervert may cause some offence and may appear overly strong, but I believe the use of these terms is necessary in waking up churches living in the mistaken belief that these problems ‘won’t happen here’.
This is an easy read with welcome humour at times, but it is far from being a comfortable experience. The relating of actual cases and the considerable experience of the writer make graphically clear the real dangers that face all churches that have children attending. It robustly demonstrates the reason behind all those (seemingly theoretical?) formal rules with which we should be familiar.
The salutory warning is that some of the examples given happened in a modern church with all the protection systems in place. It should be required reading for those who object to Child Protection procedures and it serves to abolish any complacency by those of us who willingly operate under good systems.
As I sit here writing this, I am aware that if these things didn’t happen in church, I would not be alive! I am the result of a respected member of a church abusing one of the young people….my birth mother. No one in the church believed her. In the book Rebecca relates a story similar in its ending but even more stunning in its outworking.
Having a good and necessary Child Protection Policy does not mean automatic protection for our children. It is the responsibility of all of us to be aware of the dangers, alert to the warning signs and clear about our priorities. Why is it that we can be more concerned about upsetting an adult than about potentially putting a child at risk?
The information at the back of the book, written by herself for the church she was child protection officer for, is a useful checklist to have alongside your own policy to see if there is anything more you need to look at or if there are any gaps in the policy to be filled. This book is not a training manual, but I know it will send you running to the people who will be able to help you make sure you have all the right proceedures and training in place
It is so easy to be duped and fooled by paedophiles, and we can’t always rely on the presence or absence of the ‘holy hunch’ we get when we are uncomfortable with someone. These people are clever!
We hope that this uncomfortable and necessary alarm call will mean that children known to you will be free to be children in safety and healthy innocence, protected not just by systems but by clued-up adults.
Policing Innocence is by Rebecca Andrews, Pubished by Authentic Media. ISBN 9781860246265
Whilst freely acknowledging that most child abuse occurs within family/household groups, this book is a loud wake-up call to all of us - especially to churches - not to be naive when it comes to the need for constant vigilence and prompt, appropriate and wise action when protecting children.
All the way through this book is a steely thread of righteous anger, not only aimed at paedophiles but at churches who naively ignore the issues raised by Rebecca. Her use of words such as paedophile and pervert may cause some offence and may appear overly strong, but I believe the use of these terms is necessary in waking up churches living in the mistaken belief that these problems ‘won’t happen here’.
This is an easy read with welcome humour at times, but it is far from being a comfortable experience. The relating of actual cases and the considerable experience of the writer make graphically clear the real dangers that face all churches that have children attending. It robustly demonstrates the reason behind all those (seemingly theoretical?) formal rules with which we should be familiar.
The salutory warning is that some of the examples given happened in a modern church with all the protection systems in place. It should be required reading for those who object to Child Protection procedures and it serves to abolish any complacency by those of us who willingly operate under good systems.
As I sit here writing this, I am aware that if these things didn’t happen in church, I would not be alive! I am the result of a respected member of a church abusing one of the young people….my birth mother. No one in the church believed her. In the book Rebecca relates a story similar in its ending but even more stunning in its outworking.
Having a good and necessary Child Protection Policy does not mean automatic protection for our children. It is the responsibility of all of us to be aware of the dangers, alert to the warning signs and clear about our priorities. Why is it that we can be more concerned about upsetting an adult than about potentially putting a child at risk?
The information at the back of the book, written by herself for the church she was child protection officer for, is a useful checklist to have alongside your own policy to see if there is anything more you need to look at or if there are any gaps in the policy to be filled. This book is not a training manual, but I know it will send you running to the people who will be able to help you make sure you have all the right proceedures and training in place
It is so easy to be duped and fooled by paedophiles, and we can’t always rely on the presence or absence of the ‘holy hunch’ we get when we are uncomfortable with someone. These people are clever!
We hope that this uncomfortable and necessary alarm call will mean that children known to you will be free to be children in safety and healthy innocence, protected not just by systems but by clued-up adults.
Policing Innocence is by Rebecca Andrews, Pubished by Authentic Media. ISBN 9781860246265
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