At St Mary’s Church Eastham, the Church Centre in Eastham Rake and at St Peter’s Chapel we have a robust and thorough approach to safeguarding. We work hard to maintain a safe environment for all.
Safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults is the responsibility of everyone. It is central to our mission and ministry as a church and Diocese. As a church, we have rigorous safeguarding policies and procedures which we follow to ensure the safety of all children and adults involved in church life and those visiting us.
We are committed to implementing the House of Bishops’ safeguarding policies and good practice guidance.
If you have any safeguarding concerns regarding St Mary’s Church Eastham, St Peter’s Chapel or The Church Centre you should contact our parish safeguarding officer in the first instance.
pso.saintmaryseastham@gmail.com
Our Parish Safeguarding officer is: Nikki Matthews
Our safeguarding officer is supported by the Diocese of Chester Safeguarding Team.
The Diocesan Safeguarding Team can be contacted at safeguarding@chester.anglican.org or on 01928 643442
Out of Hours Support
The Diocese of Chester partners with Thirtyone:eight and you can access their Safeguarding Helpline if the Diocesan Safeguarding Team is unavailable. Thirtyone:eight can be contacted on 0303 003 1111.
This also includes any safeguarding queries outside of office hours on weekdays and weekends. An Information Sharing Agreement between the two organisations will allow the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser to receive a copy of the advice Thirtyone:eight may offer the caller.
In the case of an emergency
If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Service.
Helplines
- Child-line: 0800 1111 (lines free and open 24 hours).
- Parent Line: 0808 800 2222
- National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (lines free and open 24 hours).
- Samaritans Helpline: 116 123 (open 24 hours).
- Action on Elder Abuse Helpline: 080 8808 8141 (freephone Monday to Friday 9-5pm)
More Details about St Mary’s Safeguarding Policies
You can download our church policy documents below
On Sunday 19th of November 2023, we held a safeguarding service to make sure that our regular congregation are aware of the high priority we place on safeguarding at Saint Mary’s.