6. Safeguarding
Taking good care of the children and young people with whom we work should be our top-most priority.
With disturbing stories of child abuse in church settings, and the negative connotations which some as a result place on the church’s ministry among children, it is easy to be put off working with children at all. Requirements on safeguarding structures and training can also make the job appear more challenging to deliver.
If we approach safeguarding as a positive and vital contribution to our work – providing safety and wellbeing for all – not as something to fear or negatively worry about, we will ensure the children we work with are safe, happy and thriving. Then the practical steps we need to take to do this should never appear unachievable, but become an embedded bart of our thinking and culture.
Safeguarding as a positive
Despite the focus in recent years on the evil of child abuse within church settings (among many others), safeguarding should be seen as a far broader – and more positive – issue. It is about providing an open, transparent, positive, safe, nurturing and empowering environment for our children and young people. This is an aim we should all aspire to – we should want those we work with in church music to have the most positive experience possible. They should at all times feel safe, valued, respected, listened to and cared for. In short, we should strive to promote their well-being. This is neither ‘too much to ask’ nor ‘too difficult to achieve’.
Safeguarding as everyone’s responsibility
Taking care of young church musicians is not the sole responsibility of the music leader. It is the responsibility of the whole church to ensure the proper environment in which to work positively and safely with children. So start any consideration of what policies you need with a conversation, involving other key players such as your church safeguarding lead, clergy, churchwardens, and the leaders of any other church groups involving children. Ensure the ambition of involving children in your church’s music is supported by all, and its consequences and any constraints fully understood, so that everyone approaches the issue with a ‘can do’ attitude – looking for effective, practical, proportionate and deliverable approaches which all can help to implement.
Policies and guidance
Your church safeguarding lead can provide valuable advice, and point you in the direction of relevant requirements, guidance and templates. These will vary to an extent between Churches and between dioceses or areas within Churches, and individual churches may have built upon or adapted these in their own official policies. Don’t try to ‘do it yourself’: start with existing guidance and learn from others around you. If existing policies seem inappropriate or impractical in your circumstances, be open about the challenges, talk it through with your safeguarding lead and others, and come up with sensible, effective and practical approaches which can be incorporated into your church’s overall safeguarding policy.
Elements of good safeguarding practice
You will need to take your own expert advice in developing appropriate safeguarding structures, policies and practices, starting with a conversation with your Safeguarding Lead. Among the aspects you will need to consider are:
- What are the appropriate levels of DBS clearance and training required by each person involved in supervising your children and young people?
- What are the appropriate levels of supervision – ie How many suitably cleared and trained volunteers will you need to ensure good safeguarding?
- Are the spaces in which you work with your children and young people appropriate, and do they ensure their safety and security?
- What information and consents do you need to collect from parents or guardians to work safely with their children?
- What protocols do you have in place regarding the drop-off and collection of children, to ensure that they are appropriately supervised at all times?
Good safeguarding practice is not just a requirement imposed upon us; it should be central to what we want to achieve with the children with whom we work – to see them grow in faith, happy, safe and empowered, within the love of God. If we always approach our work with that mindset, good safeguarding practice will never seem ‘too much’ or ‘too difficult’. We cannot allow it to be.
Safeguarding at the RSCM
Safeguarding at the RSCM – Our Policy
Thirtyone:eight
Thirtyone:eight is an independent Christian charity, working with central government departments, statutory agencies, local churches and church denominations, other faith groups, charities and businesses, as well as victims of abuse, survivors and their families.
You might find it helpful to contact Thirtyone:eight, if you’re concerned about a person or situation, you work with children or adults and need safeguarding advice or if you’re a safeguarding lead or professional and need information or support.
Their helpline is staffed by trained professionals who provide safeguarding advice and guidance – Safeguarding Helpline