BROKEN RITES 

 SAFEGUARDING POLICY 2025

  • Broken Rites is a small, volunteer-led support group.  Finance and process investment in safeguarding is proportionate to this.  
  • This policy should be read alongside the Lone Working Policy.
  • Serious concerns or issues must be escalated to Chair or if appropriate, another senior member of Broken Rites.

Policy Statement

Broken Rites is committed to offering a safe environment and culture in which the members of Broken Rites and those whom they seek to support, can be supported in a caring and safe environment.   

We recognise that each of us may be regarded as vulnerable at some time in our lives.  

We are committed to respectful, pastoral ministry to all, and to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable people, and will seek to enable informed pastoral care to be offered to anyone who has suffered abuse.  We will challenge any abuse of power by anyone in a position of trust. 

A person who might be considered vulnerable has the right to be treated with respect and dignity, to be heard, to have their privacy respected, to have the protection of the law, and to have their rights upheld regardless of their ethnicity, gender, sexuality, impairment or disability, age, religion or cultural background.

We recognise the general duty not to pass on information which has been received in the clear expectation that it will be treated as confidential.  This duty is not absolute, however.  Thus, where a vulnerable person is judged to be at risk of significant harm, or an adult is likely to harm themselves or others, and such information has been received in confidence, the person giving the information should, in the first instance, be encouraged to disclose it to the authorities themselves, or the person receiving the information should ask permission to pass the information on.  If this request is denied it may be legally possible, appropriate and/or desirable to disclose relevant information to the public authorities for the sake of protecting that vulnerable person.

Broken rites will seek to ensure the safety and protection of all its members, potential members, and those we seek to support, through adherence to this Safeguarding Policy.

Broken Rites will:

  • Have a named Safeguarding Lead who will work with the Chair, to implement policy and procedures. 
  • Practice safe recruitment in checking the suitability of Committee members, Area Representatives and Area Links to work with vulnerable adults.  This will involve DBS checks, where appropriate, and suitable Safeguarding Training to ensure that they have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.
  • Raise awareness of Safeguarding so that every person involved understands their moral and legal obligation to protect vulnerable people, from harm, abuse and exploitation.  This may involve suitable Safeguarding Training, where appropriate.
  • Display on their website, the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns.
  • Will listen to, and take seriously, all those who disclose abuse.
  • Will offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.
  • Take steps to protect vulnerable adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, notifying the Safeguarding Lead and Statutory agencies, as appropriate.
  • Take steps to protect vulnerable adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, notifying the Safeguarding Officer and Statutory agencies, as appropriate.
  • Recognise the responsibility that everybody has, to be aware of the procedures to follow, should a disclosure of abuse be made to them or if they have concerns that a vulnerable person is being abused.  If abuse is suspected, the procedures outlined in this policy should be commenced without delay.
  • Recognise that abuse occurs in all cultures, racial and religious groups.  Broken Rites members have a responsibility to be sensitive to, and respectful of, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  However, these factors must not be used as a reason for non-intervention.
  • Endeavour to keep up to date with National, Church of England and other Main Denominations developments, relating to the care and protection of vulnerable adults and will amend this policy as may be appropriate to comply with current best practice.