Many children and families benefit greatly from getting involved with places of worship and faith groups in their community. Safety should always be at the heart of any activity that involves children, faith-based or otherwise.
Faith groups can offer anything from child friendly worship and youth work to childcare and supplementary education. Activities can take place in a variety of settings such as church halls, mosques, temples and synagogues.
It is important that sufficient safeguards are put in place to ensure that children and young people are kept safe.
Groups can do this by:
Faith groups should also have robust arrangements in place in the event of an ex-offender wishing to join their congregation, specifically one who has committed a sexual or violent offence.
In Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010, it is recommended that a contract of behavior is drawn up, stipulating the boundaries an offender would be expected to keep. Faith communities should consult the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (2009) guidance which includes a section on 'Offenders and Worship'.
Some groups are accountable to management and governance within their religious organisations. Others may choose to join or become affiliated with umbrella organisations such as the Churches' Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) or The Churches’ Agency for Safeguarding (CAS), for further support.
The Safe Network has produced a FREE step by step guide and resource pack for safeguarding children in voluntary and community groups. The Are they Safe? pack also includes a DVD resource, posters and templates.
Faith communities are in a prime position to raise awareness out in the community and interact with harder to reach groups. The Safe Network has also developed the CD-ROM Keeping our children safe: Raising awareness in BME communities to help facilitators and trainers raise awareness of child protection issues in black and minority ethnic communities.