Appendix 2 – Detailed Guidance on Reporting Requirements

STAGE 1 – THE WORKER

The duty of the person who receives information or who has a concern about the welfare of a child, young person or adult at risk is to RECOGNISE the concerns, make a RECORD in writing and RESPOND by passing on their concerns to the DPS. If he/she is not contactable, or they are implicated in the situation, another member of the church Safeguarding Team should be contacted instead.

Concerns should be passed on to the DPS within 24 hours of the concern being raised. If anyone is considered to be in imminent danger of harm, a report should be made immediately to the police by calling 999. If such a report is made without reference to the DPS, they should be informed as soon as possible afterwards.

A written record using the standard incident report form should be made as soon as possible after a child or adult at risk tells you about harmful behaviour, or an incident takes place that gives cause for concern.

The record should:

  • be hand-written as soon as possible after the event
  • be legible and state the facts accurately (when hand-written notes are typed up later the original hand-written notes should be retained)
  • include the child or adult at risk’s name, address, date of birth (or age if the date of birth is not known)
  • include the nature of the concerns/allegation/disclosure
  • include a description of any bruising or other injuries that you may have noticed
  • include an exact record of what the child or adult at risk has said, using their own words where possible
  • include what was said by the person to whom the concerns were reported
  • include any action taken as a result of the concerns
  • be signed and dated
  • be kept secure and confidential and made available only to the church Safeguarding Team (including the church minister), representatives of any statutory authorities involved and the local Baptist association.

If concerns arise in the context of children’s or adult at risk work, the worker who has the concern may in the first instance wish to talk it through with their group leader, where appropriate. However, such conversations should not delay concerns being passed on to the DPS. It should be clear that the duty remains with the worker to record and pass on their concerns to the DPS.

If an issue concerns an adult at risk who does not give permission to pass on the information to anyone else, the worker should explain that they will need to speak with the DPS, who will have greater expertise in dealing with the issue at hand.

If a concern is brought to the attention of a group leader by one of the workers, the leader should remind the worker of their duty to record and report, and will also themselves have a duty to pass on the concern to the DPS.

STAGE 2 – THE DESIGNATED PERSON FOR SAFEGUARDING (DPS)

The duty of the DPS on receiving a report is to REVIEW the concern that they have received and REPORT the concern on to the appropriate people, where necessary.

The duty to REVIEW

In reviewing the report that is received, the DPS:

  • should take into account their level of experience and expertise in assessing risk to children or adults at risk.
  • must take into account any other reports that have been received concerning the same individual or family.
  • may speak with others in the church where appropriate (including the Minister and church Safeguarding Team, unless allegations involve them) who may have relevant information and knowledge that would impact on any decision being made. Such conversations should not lead to undue delay in taking any necessary action.
  • may consult with other agencies to seek guidance and advice in knowing how to respond appropriately to the concerns that have been raised.

The duty to REPORT

The DPS will decide who the report should be referred on to, working in conjunction with the church Safeguarding Team where appropriate. They may:

  • refer back to the worker who made the initial report if there is little evidence that a child or adult at risk is being harmed, asking for appropriate continued observation.
  • refer the concern to others who work with the child or adult at risk in question, asking nfor continued observation where appropriate.
  • Inform parents / carers under certain circumstances, where doing so would not present any further risk of harm.
  • Make a formal referral to the police or local Social Services team. With adults at risk, confidentiality means that someone’s personal business is not discussed with others, except with their permission. This is not always possible when considering passing relevant information about abuse or concerns to the statutory authorities, however, it is possible to keep the information confidential to the relevant parties. This means not telling or hinting to others what has been disclosed, not even for prayer ministry purposes. For adults at risk, concerns will only be referred to the police or Social Services without consent where:
    • the person lacks the mental capacity to make such a choice
    • there is a risk of harm to others
    • in order to prevent a crime
  • If an allegation is made against someone who works with children* the allegation should be reported to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or equivalent. The LADO is located within Children’s Services and should be alerted to all cases in which it is alleged that a person who works with children has:
    • behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed, a child
    • possibly committed a criminal offence against children, or related to a child
    • behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates s/he is unsuitable to work with children.
  • If an allegation is made against someone who works with adults at risk*, it should be reported to the police or Adult Social Services.

*If a worker has an allegation made against them, they should step down from all church duties until the incident has been investigated by the statutory authorities. It may also be appropriate to put a Safeguarding Contract in place; this should be discussed with the local Baptist Association Safeguarding Contact.

  • Whenever a formal referral is made to the police, Social Services or LADO, the DPS should report the referral to:
    • The Safeguarding Trustee
    • The Minister
    • The local Baptist Association Safeguarding Contact

A record should be kept of all safeguarding incidents and should be considered in the annual review of the church’s safeguarding policy. All original reports should be retained safely and securely by the DPS and a written record should be made of the actions taken.

STAGE 3 – THE NEXT STEPS

Responsibilities to REPORT and SUPPORT in stage 3 of the process are shared by the church Safeguarding Team and the Minister.

The duty to SUPPORT

Once concerns, suspicions and disclosures of abuse have been addressed, the church continues to have a responsibility to offer support to all those who have been affected, including:
Victims; Alleged perpetrators; Children; Adults at risk; Other family members; Church workers; Church Safeguarding Team; Minister; Leadership Team.

The duty to REPORT

If a church worker has been accused of causing harm to children, young people or adults at risk this would be classed as a serious incident that should be reported to the Charity Commission by those churches that are registered with the Charity Commission.

If a worker has been removed from their post or would have been removed from their post because of the risk of harm that they pose to children, young people or adults at risk, there is also a statutory duty to report the incident to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).