SAFEGUARDING POLICY STATEMENT FOR QUEENSBERRY BAPTIST CHURCH

Our vision
The vision statement of Queensberry Baptist Church is: Following God, Loving each other, Offering hope to all. More details of how we seek to work out our vision and values can be found on our website.

In fulfilling this vision, we:

Welcome children and adults at risk into the life of our community
Run activities for children and adults at risk
Make our premises available to organisations working with children and adults at risk

Our safeguarding responsibilities

The church recognises its responsibilities in safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk, regardless of gender, ethnicity or ability.
As members of this church we commit ourselves to the nurturing, protection and safekeeping of all associated with the church and will pray for them regularly. In pursuit of this, we commit ourselves to this policy and to the development of sound procedures to ensure we implement our policy well.

Prevention and reporting of abuse

It is the duty of each church member to help prevent the abuse of children and adults at risk, and the duty of each church member to respond to concerns about the well-being of children and adults at risk. Any abuse disclosed, discovered or suspected will be reported in accordance with our procedures. The church will fully co-operate with any statutory investigation into any suspected abuse linked with the church.

Safer recruitment, support and supervision of workers

The church will exercise proper care in the selection and appointment of those working with children and adults at risk, whether paid or voluntary. All workers will be provided with appropriate training, support and supervision to promote the safekeeping of children and adults at risk.

Respecting children and adults at risk

The church will adopt a code of behaviour for all who are appointed to work with children and adults at risk so that all children and adults are shown the respect that is due to them.

Safer working practices

The church is committed to providing an environment that is as safe as possible for children and adults at risk and will adopt ways of working with them that promote their safety and well-being.

A safer community

The church is committed to the prevention of bullying. The church will seek to ensure that the behaviour of any individuals who may pose a risk to children, young people and adults at risk in the community of the church is managed appropriately.

Safeguarding contact points within our church

The church has appointed the following individuals to form part of the church safeguarding team:

Jane Graham, Designated Person for Safeguarding (DPS)
They will advise the church on any matters related to the safeguarding of children and adults at risk and take the appropriate action when abuse is disclosed, discovered or suspected.

Phone number: 07703 173 222 Email address: safeguarding@qbc.org.uk

Mel Thwaites, Deputy Designated Person for Safeguarding (DDPS)
They will assist the Designated Person for Safeguarding (DPS) in helping the church on any matters related to the safeguarding of children and adults at risk and take the appropriate action when abuse is disclosed, discovered or suspected.

Phone number: 07951 030 521 Email address: safeguarding@qbc.org.uk

Jane Graham, Safeguarding Trustee
They will raise the profile of safeguarding within the church and oversee and monitor the implementation of the safeguarding policy and procedures on behalf of the church trustees.

Phone number: 07703 173 222 Email address: safeguarding@qbc.org.uk

Our church minister is also an important part of the Church Safeguarding Team. Where possible, the Church Safeguarding Team will work together if and when issues arise. However, each person has a responsibility to report allegations of abuse as soon as they are raised.

(Further definitions of these roles can be found in Appendix 4 – Safeguarding Roles and Responsibilities)

Putting our policy into practice

A copy of the safeguarding policy statement will be displayed permanently on the church noticeboard and church office and is available on our church website.
Each worker with children and/or adults at risk will be given a full copy of the safeguarding policy and procedures and will be asked to sign to confirm that they will follow them.
A full copy of the policy and procedures will be made available on request to any member of, or other person associated with the church.
The policy and procedures will be monitored and reviewed annually, and any necessary revisions adopted into the policy and implemented through our procedures.
The policy statement will be read annually at the church AGM, together with a report on the outcome of the annual safeguarding review.

Click here for our full policy
November 2023

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the church building on Queensberry Street (details here) for our Sunday Service. Our car park can be accessed via Blankney Street. The service starts at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access via our car park entrance on Blankney street, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets just inside the entrance.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10:30am with a warm welcome from our service leader, and will finish sometime between 11.45-12noon.

You can expect the service to include times of sung worship, prayer, readings from the Bible, a talk and time to reflect on how we apply what we're learning to our every day lives. We will also share updates, news and notices to help everyone keep up to date with what is happening in church life.

Our sung worship will be lead by a group of musicians and will include a mix of hymns and more contemporary worship songs. Sometimes a person might pray out loud, read a passage from the Bible, or share something they believe God is saying to the whole church community. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God.

We believe the Bible plays an important role in learning more about who God is and what it means to follow him. So each week we take time to explore a passage of the Bible together, usually by listening to a talk from one of our church team. We want what we're learning to impact our everyday lives so we'll spend some time thinking about how we can put what we've heard into practice.

We will spend time praying together, for our own needs, as well as local, national and international events. There is also an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

We share communion together once a month, usually on the second Sunday of the month.

We want people of all ages to feel welcomed and included in church life. Find out more about activities for children and young people here.

Getting Connected

Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our home groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. If you are interest in joining a group, we can put you in touch with a home group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.
Click here for serving opportunities

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.