Giving Thanks to Our Safeguarding Teams
Friday 16th March 2018Last night saw dozens of our hard working Parish Safeguarding Reps and clergy gather for the Annual Safeguarding General Meeting. The meeting is now in its 5th year and is an important date in the diocesan calendar. Unable to attend in person Bishop John thanked the Reps for all their hard work via a video.
He said: ‘I wanted to leave a word of gratitude and thanksgiving for all the work that is being done. I am very grateful to you the Parish Representatives who make sure that safeguarding is there on the frontline in our parishes where in needs to be; protecting all our young and vulnerable people. Thank you very much for the time that you give and for the expertise that you offer. I look forward to working with you in the coming year.’
The evening provides an opportunity to give thanks to an often overlooked member of parish teams. As well as hearing a report from the Diocesan Safeguarding Team it is a chance for reps to socialise, share good practice in an informal setting and hear music from SAFE Gorton (which is always the highlight!).
Those attending also heard how the Diocesan Safeguarding Team have doubled the amount of DBS checks undertaken in the last few years. This is testimony to the effectiveness and efficiency of the team but also to the busy and vibrant parishes spread around the diocese as volunteer numbers continue to grow.
Speaking after the meeting Dawn Lundergan, Diocesan Safeguarding Co-ordinator said: ‘We are lucky in the Diocese of Salford to have a fantastic group of committed Safeguarding Reps. The attendance at evenings such as this and our training days shows how much importance the Reps give to their role. I would like to express my thanks again for all their hard work over the past 12 months.’
Every Parish within the Diocese has at least one Safeguarding Rep, who has voluntarily undertaken the role and who has responsibility for raising awareness of safeguarding aims, policies and procedures and promoting good and safe practices in all activities involving children, young people and adults at risk within the parish community. The rep is the link between the parish and the wider team and as such is in regular contact with the Safeguarding Team at the Diocese.
You can find out more about the role of a Parish Safeguarding Rep here. As the work of our reps develops we would like to encourage each parish to have a number of reps at any one time. If this something you feel that you would like to volunteer to do within your parish please contact the Safeguarding Office on 0161 817 2206 or speak to your Parish Priest.
