Everyone is welcome

Monthly Letter

Safeguarding for Everyone

August 2026

The seemingly constant repetition of Safeguarding training can really irritate some people. Certainly I feel it would help if there was a linked-in service as to have to repeat several times a year for different roles and organisations can be extremely annoying. Nevertheless, to feel that we have learned all we can learn is both foolish and arrogant. Earlier this year I, yet again, had to undertake the Diocesan Leadership Safeguarding training which takes all day and entails written homework afterwards. For part of the training we worked in groups and I quickly realised that not everyone had the same experience or training that I had. Owing to their newness to a role that required such training some in our group were relatively naïve and ignorant about the subject and this taught me a great lesson. I also found that I had forgotten some aspects and I learned some new things one of which was that Safeguarding should be for everyone.

Quite a few new people had made the common assumption that Safeguarding was about protecting children from sexual abuse but this is just one small aspect of it. There are many types of abuse – sexual yes, but also physical, emotional and financial; and it is by no means always children who need protecting. We try to safeguard the vulnerable and while some individuals or groups may be chronically vulnerable we are all so at some points in our lives. It should come as no surprise to any of you that perhaps the most common type of abuse is bullying and people of all ages and types
can be both bullies and bullied.

The good news is that we as individuals do not have to take responsibility for dealing with any safeguarding issue. If we have a concern we need to pass this, confidentially, to an appropriate Safeguarding Officer. All places of work should have one and I know that Morley and Smalley churches have one too. We don’t gossip about any issues – think how you like to be gossiped about. Also we may be misunderstanding a situation. That is for the Safeguarding Officer, together with their Safeguarding advisor to deal with. To find out more, ask to take a Safeguarding course – the basic ones are hardly onerous. As in all things if you are afraid that something may be life threatening call the Police.

Fran Monahan