Good Practice

In January 2020, Good Practice 5: Policy and Good Practice Guidance in Safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk, was published. 

This publication is a major update of Good Practice – Safeguarding Children and Young People in the Church 4th edition, reflecting substantial developments in safeguarding over the past few years.

These include:

• changes in legislation and good practice guidelines 
  
  
• continuing awareness of the need to protect adults at risk and vulnerable children
  
  
• developments in specific types of abuse (for example domestic abuse and female genital mutilation) and effective responses to them
  
  
• improving practice in safer recruitment
  
  
• changes to legislation and procedures relating to data protection
  
  
• responding to online communication

Good Practice 5 constitutes the URC’s only policy and guidance document for safeguarding throughout the denomination. The policy and guidance in this document and its appendices apply to the whole of the URC. This includes Councils of the Church (at local, Synod and Assembly level), Resource Centres for Learning, church members, adherents, trustees, paid and volunteer staff, as well as Lay and Ordained Ministers of Word and Sacraments and Church Related Community Workers (CRCWs).

For guidance on how to apply this policy and guidance document in your local church’s context see:

Appendix A: Model church safeguarding policy (offers an example safeguarding policy for local churches)

https://urc.org.uk/images/safeguarding/GP5/Appendix_A_without_6_subtexts-Final_17.3.pdf

Appendix A1: Safeguarding Policy Statement

https://urc.org.uk/images/safeguarding/GP5/Appendix_A1_Safeguarding_Policy_Statement.pdf