We are committed to the best practice in safeguarding

The Deanery of Guernsey is committed to providing a safe place for everyone within our church community - and especially children, young people and vulnerable adults.

TheGuernsey Church Safeguarding Handbook can be foundhere.

The  Deanery Safeguarding Officer is the Reverend Jon Honour. He has responsibility for ensuring that all people in our parishes who are undertaking work or having any unsupervised contact with children and vulnerable adults are trained in accordance with the requirements of the Church of England. In this he is is supported by a team of experienced trainers based in Guernsey, and arranged regular training courses. His contact details are in the 'contacts' panel.

More information about the Church of England's commitment to safeguarding can be foundhere. 

Clickhere for information about reporting concerns or sources of help and support. 

For information about the Guernsey Police Public Protection Unit, clickhere.

If you are concerned about a child in Guernsey or Alderney, contact the Islands Safeguarding Children Partnership.

Salisbury Diocesan Safeguarding Advisers

In ensuring high standards of practice in safeguarding, we are supported by the Diocese of Salisbury's safeguarding team, who work closely with the Guernsey Police and specialist staff of the States of Guernsey Committee for Health and Social Care. 

The Diocesan Safeguarding Advisers are qualified and experienced social care practitioners who can provide advice and guidance to parishes and others in the diocese on child and adult protection. They can offer advice, discuss any protection matters and clarify anything in the Deanery Guidelines. They are always ready to work with you to plan a detailed response to any  protection issue, taking into account all aspects of your particular situation. Please do not hesitate to contact them; they are always very ready to help.

In the Diocese of Salisbury, there are two Diocesan Safeguarding Advisers (DSAs), who work together in a job-share arrangement, providing safeguarding cover throughout the week. These are Jeremy (Jem) Carter and Suzy Futcher.

Jem Carter has responsibility for the Deanery of Guernsey and will have general oversight on all matters relating to the Island. In in his absence you should speak to Suzy Futcher, who will have full access to relevant safeguarding records and will also provide advice in line with this handbook about any safeguarding incident or query.

Jem Carter works 9 am - 5 pm, Tuesday - Friday inclusive, either from Church House, Salisbury or from home.  Jem is also the dedicated Safeguarding Adviser to Salisbury Cathedral.  Jem can be contacted by email on [email protected].  He is also available via mobile phone on 07469 857888. An on-line discussion can be arranged if necessary.

Suzy Futcher works 9 am – 5 pm, Monday - Wednesday inclusive, either from home or Church House, Salisbury. Suzy can be emailed on [email protected] or contacted via mobile phone on 07500 664800. Again, an on-line meeting can be arranged if needed.

 On call service

The Diocese of Salisbury also provide a limited ‘on call’ DSA service from Monday - Thursday inclusive, until 9 pm.  After 9 pm, it is likely that any situation will be an emergency one, in which case the Police should be contacted. Call provision is shared between Suzy and Jem as below:

• Monday and Tuesday evenings: Suzy Futcher 
• Wednesday and Thursday evenings: Jem Carter

Weekend cover 

After 5 pm on a Friday, an external provider ‘thirtyone:eight’ is contracted to provide an out of hours safeguarding service until 9 am the following Monday.They should be contacted in respect of any concerns over this period via their helpline – tel 0303 0031111.  They will provide initial advice and direction and send an alert to the DSAs, for their attention and follow-up action when they return to work after the weekend. Further information regarding ‘thirtyone:eight’ can be found on their website https://thirtyoneeight.org/ which also contains a wealth of generic advice on safeguarding issues.

[The thirtyone:eight helpline operates between 7 am and midnight. Between midnight and 7 am, urgent matters of concern should be referred to the emergency services; less urgent matters should be referred to a Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser during operational hours or, during a weekend, to thirty one:eight during operational hours.] 

For safeguarding information from the Diocese of Salisbury, click here.

Training

It is essential that all holding positions of responsibility in our churches are trained to the approriate level. Details of the requirements, and the courses offered (both in Guernsey and online), are availablehere. 

Past Case Review 2

The Church of England published the national report on the past cases review 2 (PCR2) on Wednesday 5 October 2022.

The media release from the Deans of Guernsey and Jersey can be found here. 

The local report for the Channel Island deaneries can be found here, with an executive summary here. 

Safe Spaces

For information about Safe Spaces, a new service providing support for survivors of church-related abuse, please clickhere.