Safeguarding is an integral part of the mission and ministry of the Church of England. We have robust Codes of Practice, policies and training in place to promote safeguarding as everyone’s responsibility. Safeguarding is the action the Church takes to promote a safer culture. This means we will promote the welfare of children, young people and adults. We work to prevent abuse from occurring, seek to protect those that are at risk of being abused and respond well to those that have been abused.
If a child or vulnerable adult is at immediate risk of harm, call the Police on 999
The Church of England in Upper Weardale takes safeguarding seriously across all our churches. We follow the Church of England’s guidance and policies, and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officers for each church. There is further information on the Church of England’s Safeguarding pages and more locally, the Diocese of Durham’s Safeguarding pages contain vital links and information.
If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm in your church, you can speak to a Parish Safeguarding Officer, or Churchwarden at the specific church, or call the Vicar (Graeme), or call the Associate Priest (Heather): all our contact details are in the sidebar of this website. If you prefer you can speak directly to the Diocese Safeguarding Officer, Beth Miller, telephone 07968 034075.
