Promoting a safer church
St Laurence is part of “Stroud Parish Churches” (under the Stroud Team Ministry) and is covered by the Team safeguarding arrangements.
The Church of England’s 2017 safeguarding policy statement “Promoting a Safer Church” is based on five foundations and offers six overarching policy commitments:
- Promoting a safer environment and culture
- Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the Church
- Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation
- Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons
- Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons
- Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.
The Stroud Team Ministry maintains its own Safeguarding Policy, based on the Church of England’s Model Parish Safeguarding Policy, adapted for the context of a Team Ministry.
The current Safeguarding Officer for Stroud Parish Churches is Heather Fletcher, who attends the church in Slad. Heather trained as a nurse and a midwife in Gloucestershire and spent most of her 40-year career working in the NHS. Now retired, she brings all of that understanding and experience into our safeguarding team.
Please contact her at safeguarding@stroud.church with any issues or queries.
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