CCPAS Press Release

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5 June 2009

CCPAS URGES CHURCHES TO AIM HIGHER WITH CHILD PROTECTION AS IT PUBLISHES NEW KEY FACTS BOOKLET

The Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS), one of the UK’s leading experts in advising and training Christian and secular organisations in child protection practices, today unveiled important new child protection guidance.

Key Facts summarises CCPAS’s 10 ‘Safeguarding Standards’ for places of worship and other organisations. It encourages churches to aim higher in terms of child protection across the board.

It has been published in the light of growing recognition, over the past few decades, over the scale of child abuse and the government’s response, which has been to continuously update legislation. Also, churches are often called upon to help in time of crisis, so it is vital leaders and workers know how to deal with suspicions or allegations of abuse.

The 10 Safeguarding Standards are that organisations should:

• Adopt a formal, working safeguarding policy
• Develop safeguarding awareness and provide training
• Adopt a formal recruitment policy for both paid and voluntary workers
• Appropriately manage, supervise and support their workers and volunteers
• Ensure they adopt safe working practices
• Ensure that workers know how to relate to the children in their care
• Ensure their workers can spot signs of possible abuse and respond properly
• Ensure that pastoral care is available to all affected by abuse
• Supervise and manage those who pose a risk to children
• Ensure that those working in culturally-diverse settings have  appropriate policies and procedures are in place

 
David Pearson of CCPAS commented: “Over the years CCPAS has pioneered safeguarding policies and good practice guidance for working with children and vulnerable adults in places of worship and other organisations
“However, and in the light of a number of high-profile abuse scandals, the guidance has inevitably become much more detailed and more involved over the past few years. 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.
“We would urge churches not to be downhearted in the light of all this complexity. What is important is that everyone involved with child protection aims as high as they possibly can in order to ensure that the children in their care are as safe as possible. Key Facts will we hope play an important role in achieving this.”
Key Facts is being distributed free across churches and organisations in the statutory and voluntary sectors, and free copies may be obtained from CCPAS. 
Other child protection materials available from CCPAS include:
‘Safe and Secure – the Manual’. This has just been launched as a web based publication and a disk version which will go on sale shortly. The manual is a comprehensive, 300 page document that is fully searchable. 
‘Safe and Secure – the DVD’.  Sponsored by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, this is a 60 minute drama-documentary addressing the 10 standards. It will be available in English and seven other languages, rising hopefully to fourteen in the medium term. It is aimed at churches, focussing particularly on places of worship where English is not the first language. 
-ENDS –

Media Enquiries:                  Iain Taylor
Taylor Communications
01732 461060 or 07979 914217
taylor.comm@tiscali.co.uk

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. 

For more information, please see www.ccpas.co.uk