Despite statistics that suggest churches have a falling attendance and declining membership the truth is that, excluding schools, the church provides more youth and children's work than all the local authority provision in the UK. Whilst traditional Sunday School attendance may be down, a variety of different children's activities are on the increase, such as kids after school clubs and peer led children's and youth cells. This is in addition to the church's historical association with uniformed organisations (e.g Cubs, Scouts, Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Boys Brigade etc.) It is generally recognised that all of these activities fall within the remit of child protection and the uniformed organisations should operate under such policies.

Churches also involve children and young people in their mixed aged activities, typically through drama groups, choirs, bell ringing and music groups and sports activities such as five-a-side football. This highlights the issue as to whether these mixed group activities should also be regarded as youth/children's work and therefore require the same safeguards in terms of child protection.

What constitutes youth and children's work?

Some consider that a shared activity where adults, children and/or young people are involved without their parents or carers being present does not constitute children's / youth work. However, in these situations the same duty of care should be shown, and churches need to ensure that health and safety and child protection procedures are in place. A demonstration of this would be that the church ensures only those deemed suitable are working with the children and that there are some guidelines in regards to the work they are carrying out.

What should churches be doing?

One of the great strengths of the church is that adults and children can come together in shared pursuits. Adults can, even unwittingly, be positive role models to children! If we look at bell ringing as an example Michael Henshaw, President of the Council of Church Bell Ringers says that 'ringing remains one of the most successful of church activities for recruiting young people.' It is vital therefore that with such activities there should be a safe environment for children and young people to participate.

The publication in 2004 of the House of Bishops' policy 'Protecting all God's children', has brought sharply into focus which positions and work in the church should be subject to Criminal Records Bureau checks (or their equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland)and fall within the remit of a church's child protection policy.

There has been a general recognition that those involved in running Sunday Schools and youth groups or those involved in the uniformed organisations (Scouts, Guides etc) should be included within a child protection policy and recruitment guidelines, but what about mixed age-group activities?

Despite initial protests from some groups, The House of Bishops' policy quite rightly included the following:

'One of the ways that children and young people are protected from harm is to take care over the way adults are appointed when they have contact with children. Those included in this procedure will include….all volunteers who work with children or who may come into regular and direct contact with children during their activities; this will include adult members of mixed age activities such as bell-ringing, choirs, servers;(page 44)

Although we have highlighted the Church of England's most recent policy statement as an example of good practice, it follows that all denominations / church groups ensure anyone working with or alongside children and young people (either exclusively or in mixed age-group activities) undergo checks to ensure their suitability, receive child protection training and work under agreed procedures and practice guidelines.

Should all adults in a church be vetted?

It has been argued that there is no difference between an adult in a choir or bell ringing team and a member of the main congregation. This is an inaccurate comparison because an adult member of the congregation does not, or should not, have unsupervised access to children. I recently took a helpline call from the mother whose daughter was sexually abused along with her best friend by a choir leader who was also the church organist. The children had been in the choir from the age of 7, and from 12 until 16 he had sexually abused both girls. The caller was distressed that he had used his position of trust to abuse the girls.

Those involved with children through music ministry are often in positions where their contact with children is comparable to a youth and children's worker For example; transporting children to practices and concerts, providing one to one tuition, building up relationships of trust etc. This is why comparable safeguards in terms of recruitment and police checks need to be in place.

One concern expressed about carrying out a Criminal Records Bureau check on adults involved in mixed aged group activities is that this may put people off joining if they think that in some way this is suggesting they can't be trusted. The point to remember here is that the aim of any check is not to imply that an individual is untrustworthy but rather to ensure, as far as possible, that children are protected from the minority of individuals who want to harm children and who cleverly use such positions of trust to achieve their ends. The criteria for a check therefore is for all those who have substantial contact with children, not because they may look suspicious.

Roles should be examined to establish the type of check that needs to be carried out. An Enhanced check, for example, is for those working in a position which involves regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of persons aged under 18. This may also mean that a job description needs to be written if one hasn't been done already. My own observations of some mixed aged music groups, for example, is that they have as much, if not more individual contact with children than say a youth worker.

Sports activities

There is a concern that if all the adults in a football team were to be asked to complete a CRB check and sign up to a child protection policy then such activities, often evangelistic in nature, would cease. The protection of children whilst engaged in sporting activities has become an issue and as a result the Football Association announced in 2004 that all its football coaches were to be subject to CRB checks with the expectation that they follow the FA's child protection procedures. This has subsequently become a requirement of registration with them. Churches should follow this example and ensure that they follow adequate child protection procedures when involved in any sporting event that involves children and/or young people.

Conclusion

At CCPAS we are aware of a number of people in positions of trust over activities involving children and young people outside what is considered to be the traditional youth and children's work role, who have been convicted of sexual offences against children.

Having said this, mixed group activities organised by the church should be encouraged as long as appropriate child protection procedures are in place. Those adults involved in such groups can be helped by being provided with clear guidelines in regard to their conduct with those under 18. This 'good sense' approach to all areas of good working practice, safe recruitment and criminal records checks can be found in the CCPAS comprehensive child protection manual 'Guidance to Churches'. Alternatively you can contact our helpline on 0845 120 4550.

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