Safeguarding at Christ Church

The leadership of Christ Church Cambridge (parish of St Andrew the Less) is committed to the safeguarding of children and of adults who may be at risk of harm. We recognise the important role that the church has in caring for both young and old alike and to that end we seek to provide a safe and caring environment that promotes the needs of the vulnerable and marginalised in our society. As a church we fully subscribe to the safeguarding commitments and guidance of the Church of England outlined in Promoting a Safer Church (2017).

The PCC will ensure that we have the following in place to enable this to happen:

•   Staff, Leaders and Volunteers recruited in accordance with the principles of safer recruitment

•   Staff, Leaders and Volunteers informed and supported to behave in a way that is appropriate and above reproach

•   Staff, Leaders and Volunteers trained in the recognition and response to the needs of children and of adults who may be at risk of harm.

•   Staff, Leaders, Volunteers and the Congregation made aware of who to contact within the church when they have a concern about a child, adult or person with responsibility towards these groups.

•   Staff, Leaders, Volunteers and the Congregation supported when they are affected by abuse.

The PCC recognises that:

•   The gospel compels us to protect the vulnerable and marginalised as part of our witness

•   Our church culture should be characterised by integrity, transparency and vigilance.

•   The Church is a place where people who have been abused may come for care and support.

•   Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

•   Our church culture should be characterised by integrity, transparency and vigilance.

•   All people have the potential to perpetrate abuse against another person.

•   Social Services has lead responsibility for investigating all allegations or suspicions of abuse where there are concerns about a child or adult at risk. 

•   Where an allegation suggests that a criminal offence may have been committed the police should be contacted as a matter of urgency.

Please see our full Safeguarding Policy for further details of our procedures and practice. This policy was approved by the PCC in March 2024 and will be reviewed annually.

Contact Information:

The nominated Safeguarding Officer for Christ Church Cambridge is Darren Coult. In Darren’s absence please contact his deputy. If you would rather speak to someone outside the church, please contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser directly.

A form for logging a concern about a child or adult who may be at risk of harm can be downloaded here.

Others sources of help and support:

Cambridgeshire Social Care (out of hours helpline): 01733 234724

NSPCC 24 Hour Helpline: 0800 800 5000

ChildLine: 0800 1111

National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247

Action on Elder Abuse: 0808 808 8141

To report other concerns that are not safeguarding-related, please see Reporting concerns, complaints and whistleblowing