Our commitment
We are part of the Diocese of London in the Church of England. The diocesan safeguarding helpline is 020 7932 1224, and we follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies. We also have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer(s), PSOs, and the Diocese of London’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and advice for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor and local safeguarding work.
Who to contact
In our parish, the Safeguarding Officer is Zena Hussein. If you have any safeguarding concerns at all, please contact her on 07738 093 104. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm, please contact the PSO Zena at admin@st-matthews.org.uk, or the DSA (Stepney) Jo Bingham at safeguarding@london.anglican.org.
If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services.
Other helpful contacts
- Childline – 0800 1111
- Family Lives – 0808 800 222
- Thirtyone:eight – 0303 003 1111
- Action on Elder Abuse – 080 8808 8141
- Domestic Violence Helpline for women – 0808 2000 247
- Domestic Violence Helpline for men – 01823 334244
- Stop It Now / Lucy Faithfull Foundation – 0808 1000 900
What the parish does
All volunteers and employees who work with children or vulnerable adults are vetted by DBS checks. The parish is committed to promoting a safer environment and culture, safely recruiting and supporting those with responsibility for children, young people and vulnerable adults, responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation, caring pastorally for victims and survivors of abuse and other affected persons, and responding to those who may pose a present risk to others.
The parish will create a safe and caring place for all, have a named Church Safeguarding Officer to work with the incumbent and PCC to implement policy and procedures, safely recruit, train and support all those with responsibility for children, young people and adults, ensure appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish, display in church premises and on the parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs, listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse, and ensure health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place and reviewed annually.