Safeguarding Information

The Welcome Directory is a directory of faith and belief communities that are welcoming, accepting and safe. Having a safeguarding policy, an active culture, and a named lead responsible for safeguarding, is an essential requirement for faith/belief communities prior to registration with The Welcome Directory.

There are two documents that we recommend to all our faith and belief communities to read, in order to understand the importance of safeguarding for communities registered in the Directory:  'Safeguarding Principles’ and ‘Welcoming Prison Leavers into your Faith/ Belief Community’. Please use the buttons below to download and read these documents.

If you have an updated policy and active safeguarding culture, which is a requirement to join The Welcome Directory, then being registered shouldn’t pose a safeguarding concern – especially as the majority of prison leavers are not required to disclose their previous convictions and could already be attending your gatherings. Your safeguarding policy may also require a template safeguarding agreement or contract, and your safeguarding lead will be able to advise on this.  

If a person who has committed a high-risk offence wishes to join your community, then this is dealt with on a case-by-case basis under the provisions of any Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA) - you can find more information on this process at the link below. Your faith or belief community should be contacted by Probation staff to be part of these conversations. An agreement could, for example, allow the person to attend a specific service/gathering but not attend events where there are potentially children present. 


Click here to see our upcoming events - including the Annual Safeguarding Refresher
and our regular Prison Awareness Course,
where Safeguarding is specifically covered in Session 3.

 

This web page from the Ministry of Justice includes everything you need to know about MAPPA.We particularly recommend watching the 10 minute video embedded in the page.

Further Resources

There are many organisations that offer professional support, membership, consultancy services and faith community training. Some of these can be found below - you can click on the logo to view the organisation's website.

Thirtyone:eight

An organisation which equip organisations, faith groups, individuals, and government with the safeguarding tools they need to protect 
vulnerable people. This includes safeguarding services, via membership, including policy development, DBS checks, training, guidance, and support.

NSPCC Learning

An organisation which works in communities and schools across the UK, helping children, families, and professionals. They offer safeguarding and child
protection training and resources for those working or volunteering with children, including policy development via consultancy.

Social Care Institute for Excellence

An organisation which produces, shares, and supports the use of best practice. They offer safeguarding resources, including policy and procedure review via consultancy, training, guidance, and support.

Contract Examples - Provided by the Methodist Church

These Contract Examples are developed by The Methodist Church, although many denominations/ faiths will have their own equivalent, which should be followed. These could be applied across faiths.

People Convicted of a Sexual Offence - Guidance from Prison Fellowship

Guidance developed by Prison Fellowship, for those working with people convicted of sexual offences.

National Safeguarding Standards - The Church of England

Developed by The Church of England, including safeguarding resources, further tools, and Frequently Asked Questions.

Styles and Faal Safeguarding

Styles and Faal Safeguarding supports a wide range of organisations to improve professional standards in safeguarding practice through offering a range of bespoke training and consultancy services

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