CCPAS Press Release
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13 April 2006
WELL OVER 2000 CHURCHES IN UK HAVE NO CHILD PROTECTION POLICY – MAJOR NEW SURVEY FROM CCPAS ‘Lack of CPP may render insurance cover void’ – leading church insurer
The Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) revealed today that well over 2000 churches across the UK have yet to adopt formal child protection policies (CPPs) – six years after the tragic death of Victoria Climbie.
The keynote finding comes from a survey* carried out for CCPAS by Christian Research, which also carries out the regular national church attendance surveys. Although 6% of churches in the UK – about 2,250 churches – have no child protection policy, the good news is that number has fallen from 9% since the issue was last investigated, in 2003.
Executive Director of CCPAS David Pearson said: “This is a truly frightening statistic, especially as it almost certainly underestimates the number of churches in the UK. This is because there is simply no way of polling all the churches that now exist. Many congregations, especially in inner city locations, do not possess their own church building and so may meet in halls, cinemas - or even people’s front rooms.
“Although there has been some progress over the past few years, in our view far too many churches are extraordinarily complacent when it comes the responding to children who might have been abused. We therefore urge them to put child protection at the top of their list of priorities.
Mark Ingram, Head of Insurance Operations for specialist church insurer Ansvar Insurance Company Ltd (a subsidiary of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group) said: "Churches, arguably, are responsible for caring and nurturing more young people than any other sector outside of schools. Therefore they need to be aware of two absolute imperatives. Firstly, they should check with their insurance adviser that child abuse cover is included in their church insurance policy as some wordings may specifically exclude this kind of potential exposure.
“Secondly, they must ensure that an adequate Child Protection Policy is in place and that it is constantly monitored and regularly reviewed - failure to do so may render any insurance cover in place as void. We therefore totally endorse CCPAS's work as they continue to raise awareness and support churches in this vital area."
Similar sentiments have been expressed by other insurance companies. This means that no church can afford to be complacent. Even where there is a denominational policy in place, the local church must ensure that they are working within the letter and the spirit of the policy. The fact, for example, that 2% of Anglican clergy (representing several hundred churches) told our researchers that they were unaware of their denominational child protection policy is of very grave concern. Failure to act could land the local church with huge potential financial liabilities.
The Government takes a similar line. In its new guidance entitled Working Together to Safeguard Children**, it emphasises that churches are some of the largest providers of children and youth work, and have an important role in safeguarding children. Working Together also advises churches to have policies in place that are in line with denominational and CCPAS expectations.
The government guidance also sets out a ten point plan that explicitly states the importance of safeguarding the welfare of children in strategic policy documents; a clear commitment by senior leaders to the importance of promoting children’s welfare and clear lines of accountability.
The Charity Commission also requires churches and other children’s organisations to have policies in place before granting registration. CCPAS provides model policies and good practice guidelines with comprehensive support to churches and organisations, so Pearson says there is really no excuse. Given all these expectations, Pearson insists that any church or group working without a robust policy in place could be seen as acting negligently and failing the children in their care.
On the plus side, 97% of church leaders now recognise the importance of child protection; 90% of churches are now carrying out criminal records checks on their children’s workers (up from 80% in 2003) and only 2% (down from 14%) provide no training whatsoever in child protection.
In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests that the child protection training offered in churches is often far better than that given to teachers and doctors.
In partnership with the Metropolitan Police, CCPAS has produced a new 12 page booklet called Safe & Secure. It shows church leaders exactly what to do if they believe a child’s safety may be at stake, sets out what abuse is, lists signs of possible abuse and shows how best to respond to concerns or allegations.
A clear majority of churches introduced their CPPs between 2000 and 2003, almost certainly to do with the publicity given the Victoria Climbie case. 17% introduced their CPPs in 1998-99 and a similar number in 2004-05.
According to David Pearson: “Whilst the majority of churches do take child protection seriously, it is very worrying if it takes a major tragedy to jolt some out of complacency and do nothing until they are forced to do so. Policies should be living documents, shaping practice. They should be kept under constant review – not left to gather dust on a shelf.
“Child protection is much more than just a box ticking exercise. To be effective it must involve a cultural shift in attitudes to child welfare in every area of a church’s activities – and from every member of the congregation”.
* Churches, Children and Child Protection – a national survey sponsored by CCPAS. It may be downloaded from the CCPAS website, www.ccpas.co.uk.
**Working Together to Safeguard Children – A Guide to working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, by HMG,may be see at http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/CC33F42E29C4BB89100BB0AF34A57386.pdf
Copies of Safe & Secure may be obtained, free of charge, from:
CCPAS 0845 120 4550
info@ccpas.co.uk
Or may be downloaded free from CCPAS’s website: www.ccpas.co.uk
Media Enquiries: Iain Taylor
01732 461060 or 07979 914217
NOTES TO EDITORS:
CCPAS is an independent Christian charity providing professional child protection advice and support across church denominations and organisations throughout the UK.
CCPAS was established in 1977. It assists churches, organisations, social services and other child care agencies as well as individual children and families by:
• helping churches and other organisations adopt safe practice in order to protect children from abuse – and youth workers from the possibility of false allegations
• advising on individual cases, giving ongoing help to leaders and others.
• training across the UK and providing “in-house” training and other resources
• acting as external consultants to denominational/organisational child protection advisors
• counselling individual adults or children about past or present abuse.
Copyright © 2006 All rights reserved. [Churches Child Protection Advisory Service]