Safeguarding

The mission of our church and our parish is to be a sanctuary. The word “sanctuary” means a place for holy things. The church quickly understood that people, and particularly the weak and the most vulnerable, are one of these “holy things” and so “sanctuary” came to mean a place of safety or a haven. St Augustine’s strives to be a safe place for all, and particularly for those who are vulnerable. Our bishop, Bishop Stephen, has written, “Abuse and harm have no place in our Diocese. The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and I as your Bishop have a zero tolerance to abuse, harm or any behaviour that falls short of appropriate safeguarding practice.”

If you are a victim of abuse, particularly if that abuse has been perpetrated in a church context or by a church volunteer, worker or member of the clergy, we pledge to support you in every way possible.

At St Augustine’s we are committed to maintaining these high standards. We operate, at all times, in accordance with the Statutory Safeguarding Guidance and Catholic Safeguarding Standard Agency (CSSA) and the Diocese’s policies and procedures. Our Parish Safeguarding.

Volunteering at St Augustine’s: What do I need?

All volunteers in our parish are required to complete a New Volunteer Registration Form and a New Volunteer Reference Form and to return them to the Safeguarding Team on staugustines.safeguarding@gmail.com. The forms can be found at: Safer Recruitment & PSR Resources - Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle (diocesehn.org.uk).

Depending on the nature of your volunteering you may also be asked to make a DBS Application, which you can do either online or on paper. Both application packs can be found here: Safer Recruitment & PSR Resources - Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle (diocesehn.org.uk). For all enquiries, email staugustines.safeguarding@gmail.com.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child or adult at risk, do not delay in contacting the police, if you believe there is immediate danger using 999. If the incident is not ongoing or the person is not in imminent danger, ring 101 and ask for the Police Force for the area where the concern exists. The Diocesan Safeguarding Team can also be contacted on 0191 2433305 or at safeguarding@diocesehn.org.uk.

• If you wish to discuss a safeguarding matter with someone on the parish safeguarding team you can contact: staugustines.safeguarding@gmail.com.

• Alternatively you are welcome to make an appointment with Fr Tony through the parish email.