Our helpline is 0845 120 4550 and is available every hour of every day of the year, although out of office hours it is for urgent advice only. It has been a source of comfort and support for literally thousands of people hurting from abuse, or the consequences of abuse, since it began nearly 30 years ago.
It is staffed only by social workers and counsellors who have decades of collective experience in the field. All are knowledgeable, practical and approachable
Everybody is welcome to use the helpline. It serves individuals such as parents, children and young people and adults. It is also available to church leaders, organisations, social workers, local safeguarding children boards and other professional bodies
Users receive advice and support about:
- Policy and good practice
- Allegations of abuse
- Management of sex offenders at places of worship and elsewhere
- Personal help with issues such as past abuse or reoffending
Over more than 20 years, CCPAS has built up an impressive variety of cost-effective training resources, all of which are highly relevant to the fast-changing safeguarding environment in which we live and work. They include:
- CCPAS’s new qualification in e-safety - click here
- The ‘Facing the Unthinkable’ safeguarding seminars - click here
- Safe & Secure training DVD - click here
- ‘Special Children, Special Needs’ - click here
- Supporting Offenders Safely - click here
- ‘Sharing the Load’ - click here
Becoming a member of CCPAS offers a host of benefits, including:
- Safe & Secure, our 250 page online training manual
- Access to our model safeguarding policy
- Free breaking news updates
- Full access to our Disclosure Service, where required, with free initial checks
Click here for further information and application form. Existing members may go straight to the members’ area.
Whilst CCPAS does not charge for membership, we are a charity. We therefore ask those joining to consider making an annual donation towards the cost of running our services. Almost all our income comes from our members and supporters. Without those funds we would no longer be able to provide our increasing range of safeguarding services.
The suggested donation for an average size single church or group is £80 a year. But if you are a larger church/group with branches and/or a central headquarters, could you consider giving more? Click to join
As a CRB and Access NI umbrella body, we process criminal record disclosure checks for workers (paid or voluntary) before they are appointed to work with children or vulnerable adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This ensures that they do not have a history that makes them unsuitable for the post.
And, if anything untoward is discovered during this process, we provide advice on such 'blemished’ disclosures under the devolved regulations in force in each of the four UK nations.
For more details on all our Disclosure services, including our Bespoke scheme for larger churches and organisations click here.
CCPAS prides itself on the quantity and quality of the information it provides both to members and to others. To see the range of the materials and resources we provide, click here
Safeguarding never stands still, and CCPAS is determined to continue to play a leading role in protecting children and vulnerable adults throughout the UK and, in future, further afield. We are therefore expanding into three new strategic areas of ministry:
Academia
We are currently actively working to expand our reach and influence in academic circles. In conjunction with some of the UK’s leading theologians we are therefore currently developing a new ‘Theology of Safeguarding’. We will also be expanding our successful Breaking News Updates to develop a specialist tool designed specifically for university researchers working in the safeguarding field.
Other faiths
Why reinvent the wheel? Over the years CCPAS has has worked with many different faiths. We help them to adapt our materials and learn from our experiences. We will work with anyone who shares our passion for protecting children and vulnerable adults. And we will challenge anyone who does not!
International
Those who wish to harm children and vulnerable adults are increasingly exploiting cross-border legal inconsistencies and difficulties of law enforcement. Working in partnership with statutory agencies and other safeguarding charities and organisations our aim is to build up an international network capable of better protecting those who are the targets of harmful behaviour.
Currently this work is being done mainly in the USA and Europe. However, we plan to expand this into many other nations in future.
Partners
One of the ways this strategy will be implemented is by creating a number of key partnerships with likeminded, expert organisations in fields complementary to our own. This is a keynote new development.
So far we have linked formally with the Evangelical Alliance and Ascension Trust, with more expected shortly By the end of 2011 we expect to have made a number of further tie-ups in the USA, too.
Partner organisations may go straight to their own section of this site.
Having a well thought-through Safeguarding Policy is essential. Doing so succinctly conveys that a church or other organisation really values the children and young people in their care and seeks their protection, safety and well-being at all times.
CCPAS has built up its expertise in this area over many years so that our skills are now second to none. We therefore have long experience in preparing, checking, registering and updating policies that make a real difference to protecting the vulnerable.
Click here to become a member of CCPAS. Joining us will allow you to gain further information on the preparation and submission of a safeguarding policy, including downloading a model policy.
Specialist Safeguarding Services
Specialist Safeguarding Services is a new venture from CCPAS. It concerns the fraught issue of operational risk.
Risk is most commonly associated with commercial businesses. But many other organisations, whether charities, voluntary sector organisations, local authorities or other statutory agencies and bodies, also face potentially very serious risks as they go about their normal activities.
Safeguarding is unquestionably a major risk for many. Failing to get it right, as a number of local authorities, charities and other organisations have discovered to their cost, is a sure-fire way of compromising similarly hard-won reputations for professionalism and expertise.
CCPAS has now drawn on its skills and experience to develop a broad range of Specialist Safeguarding Services. These are available to organisations both large and small, operating across a wide range of sectors.
Specialist Safeguarding Services add value by providing a number of specially-developed, highly proactive programmes designed to assist in managing and mitigating the safeguarding risks they face. They work by ensuring that clients are properly equipped to safeguard the children and vulnerable adults in their care – especially, so because we are specialists in this field. not exclusively, when a faith element is involved.
For full details, click here.
Many survivors of abuse contact CCPAS for support and advice. They do so because we are specialist in this field.
We respond both professionally and with huge compassion because our staff have long experience in dealing with this issue. So we listen, and when appropriate refer to local counselling agencies. CCPAS also helps those agencies refer on to police and social services, when necessary in the interests of the victim – or when other vulnerable children or adults are at risk.
When abuse happens it can have a ripple effect on friends, family, places of worship and the wider community. In these cases, CCPAS may again offer ongoing support, including one to one meetings.
Our Help! leaflets may be downloaded here.
Research has shown that at least 25% of people (in some areas the percentage is much higher) who are known to have committed sexual offences against children regularly attend church after conviction, sentence and release. This presents great challenges to churches, both as they seek to protect children from abuse and as they help offenders to behave such that they are less likely to offend in future.
As a distinct project operating within CCPAS, Sanctuary provides training and support to such churches. It aims to help them safely and appropriately to exercise their pastoral responsibilities towards every member of their congregations.
Sanctuary was established in April 2004 as an independent charity. It came under CCPAS’s wing in 2010.
Its principal role is to provide training and support to churches which have known child sexual abusers in their congregations. It also helps other Christian groups which are concerned with supporting child sexual offenders in the community. It delivers a modular Training Programme, which can be shaped to the needs of individual churches and other groups. This is delivered by volunteers, all of whom(?) are professionals drawn from the fields of sexual offending treatment and sexual offender management.
Sanctuary encourages churches working with child sexual abusers to work closely with public protection agencies. However, where those agencies are unable to provide appropriate support we seek to resource it elsewhere.
This very practical course and qualification in internet safety is fully accredited by the SQA. Taken entirely on-line, it is designed to enable safe, legal use of the internet and leads to the ‘Internet Safety’ qualification - a single National Unit at SCQF Level 4 (Intermediate 1).
For more information click here.
E-Bulk is a quick, convenient and economical method of carrying out online CRB checks. This service, which may be tailored to the specific needs of particular clients, has been praised by many who have used it. These include St Albans Church of England Diocese, Oasis Academies and many small churches and organisations.
For more information click here.
We have an extensive range of resources available including books, leaflets, CDs and DVDs. Many are available to buy at our online SHOP.
Our Full Resource List gives details of everything we have available.
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. CCPAS - Company Registered in England No: 2646487, Charity No: 1004490 Scottish Charity No: SCO40578