SafeGuarding
Safeguarding Statement
St James is committed to providing a culture of safety, welcome and love for all those who come through our doors. With the support of the Scottish Episcopal Church we have a particular responsibility for safeguarding the well-being of children, young people and protected adults, and we are committed to taking all steps within our power to keep people safe from harm, abuse or neglect - be it physical, sexual, emotional, financial, psychological or spiritual.
We adhere to the Scottish Episcopal Church's Safeguarding Policy , and we follow the SEC good practice guidelines for children and protected adults on how to respond to concerns or allegations of harm. Our Safeguarding Coordinator reports each month to Vestry in relation to volunteers, training, concerns, as well as wider conversations around the culture of being a safe church.
As a mandatory requirement, all our St James volunteers who work with regulated groups do so after undertaking the steps of recruitment which includes reference and PVG checks. Our volunteers undertake important work for us, we train them and we trust them to know how to use their role and influence wisely and well, and we hold them accountable for this. All external or collaborative users of our Hall are required to sign a Safeguarding declaration and follow Safeguarding procedures that are relevant for the kind of event(s) they hold on our premises. All this is monitored by Vestry (i.e our trustees).
If you have any concerns at all about your own or another person's well-being - or a more general question or suggestion - please do not hesitate to contact our safeguarding coordinator Elizabeth, or our Rector Iain.