Churches urged to 'raise the bar' with respect to Child Protection

[Dave Roberts]

The Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service has today unveiled new guidance with a call to churches to raise the bar in their protection of children. The Key Facts booklet has been produced by the CCPAS to help church leaders and workers know how to deal with suspected or alleged abuse and to keep in step with evolving child protection legislation.

The booklet summarises the CCPAS’ 10 ‘Safeguarding Standards’ for places of worship and other organisations. Among the recommendations made by the CCPAS are the implementation of a formal safeguarding policy, staff training in child protection, and the adoption of a formal recruitment policy for paid and voluntary workers.

CCPAS founder David Pearson said that child protection guidance had become much more detailed in the last few years in light of a number of high-profile abuse scandals. “This demands a lot of places of worship - hence the need for simplification and help, which is why we are publishing Key Facts at this time,” he said.

Read More