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The poster on the wall of the Swaledale Museum invited one and all to a ‘Shortest Day Celebration’ at Gunnerside Methodist Church on December 21st. An intriguing prospect four days before Christmas with its own message of new life and light. The poster dated from the mid years of the last century and can be found in this excellent small museum housed in the former Methodist Sunday School Room in Reeth, the largest village in this most northerly of the Yorkshire Dales. At one time each village in the dale boasted an impressive Methodist chapel, but despite its rich non-conformist heritage, only one remains in use today. Visitors are lured to Swaledale by its rugged beauty and grandeur, and on a long, warm summer’s day there is hardly a better place to be as experienced over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. But the midwinter solstice is likely to be characterised by very poor weather and transport problems. The nearby A66 is one of the first major roads to be hit by snowdrifts each winter and the Tan Hill pub, just up the road at 1,700 feet above sea level, prone to being cut off. So what is there to celebrate at this nadir of the year, especially with Christmas just around the corner? The museum offered no explanation, but other posters hinted at celebrations of the rhythms of rural life, springtime and harvest festivals for example, and so perhaps this celebration was about the certainty that things could only get better over the coming months. Our hymnology is full of references to light shining out of darkness and its promise of hope and joy. The image of a candle has been prominent in the presentations used to illustrate the learning from the Past Cases Review. One survivor likened the process to enabling some light to come into their world, offering a beacon of hope. Farmers in Swaledale could no doubt celebrate the shortest day, sure in the knowledge that the seasons would roll around again. Sadly for many who have experienced abuse, it’s not at all clear for them when that corner will be turned. Looking for lighter days remains a challenge.

Having committed myself to writing 300 words every week, it’s sometimes a challenge to find something in the news, or a new policy initiative, to write about that fits with or links to the Church’s safeguarding agenda. There was only one news story over the weekend* and arguably a defining moment of it was Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon. Electrifying and very relevant are hardly worthy adjectives to describe it, but his words spoke to very real truths and made people sit up and take notice. So what’s the connection to safeguarding? Well I scratched my head a bit and thought, well, everything really, if we progress his argument that the power of love is transcending. It can apply to any number of settings that safeguarders find themselves in from planning and delivering training to carrying out complex risk assessments. From offering support to a survivor to challenging unsafe practice. But the key thing was that Bishop Michael made people sit up and take notice and listen with care to what he was saying at so many levels. I’m not clear what the assembled guests were expecting, but it probably wasn’t what they got. When we come along to training courses or attend meetings where there is an item about safeguarding on the agenda, there is a probably a sense of thinking we know what’s coming and so we may start to zone out if we feel we have heard it all before. So the challenge for church leaders, trainers and local safeguarding officers is to find ways to make people sit up and take notice and think again about the topic. We may not be able to replicate Bishop Michael’s style but with fire in the belly (he mentioned other aspects of fire but not this one!), Pentecost yesterday and John Wesley’s conversion day this coming week, this is surely the time to think how we can capture the power of love to make the difference we want to see. *The Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

It’s Christian Aid week and the DVD that has been produced for showing in churches this year features Haiti, which has experienced both a devastating earthquake and a destructive hurricane in recent years. The film shows, amongst other examples, how Christian Aid funds have been used in one place to build resilient homes that were literally lifesavers to groups of people who had no other shelter when the hurricane struck in 2016. Earlier this year this blog referenced the safeguarding problems that some relief agencies have encountered relating to the reported shameful behaviour of small groups of their staff, some of whom were actually working in Haiti. The responsibilities of trustees to effect safe recruitment to posts that serve overseas is therefore again underlined, as we raise and entrust our money to these organisations so that they can ‘do all they can’. The new Advanced Safeguarding Course, launched in London District this week, has a more prominent section on safe recruitment than the previous Leadership Module course, and features a chilling account of the steps that some people will take to infiltrate organisations for the purpose of abusing children. Whether it’s at home or abroad, the key message must be that we should make it extremely difficult for potential abusers to obtain positions of trust in our churches, and by so doing we send out a powerful message about our culture that will discourage such people from applying in the first place. Stop press – at the BAFTAs on Sunday night Three Girls – the BBC drama mini-series based on true stories of sexual abuse and child grooming in Rochdale between the years 2008 and 2012 - won the top award in their category and Molly Windsor, who played one of the lead characters, won the best actress award. A remarkable achievement and so a film well worth watching – if harrowing – if you’ve not seen it already.

Here’s a reminder as summer breaks out and church family events start to take place out of doors, to make sure that you and your church leaders are clear about your policies and practice in respect of taking photographs. Not only of children but adults as well, and the issues involved relate to consent, how the photos are used, and crucially as we countdown to GDPR, how they are stored. On Saturday I enjoyed a walk over local heathland near our church, led by one of our congregation whom I never knew was such an environmental activist. She has inspired people who live near her to get involved in clearing paths, building wooden seats and learning about the wildlife of the area. As someone born and brought up in the town, I’m ashamed to say that I never really knew much about the space before – I thought it was derelict land - but it’s been transformed into a green oasis on the edge of suburbia. When we got back to her house for the obligatory tea and cake, her husband started to take photos of this distinctively mature group of walkers – not a person under 55 in sight. It seemed the most natural thing to do, to take out the camera and record the scene for posterity – or more likely for one Facebook page or another. I suppose it’s my safeguarding sixth sense but as I smiled for the camera, the issue of consent loomed large in my mind. Many of us are shy of cameras for all sorts of reasons and so I don’t know if all present were happy – but there did not seem to be any dissent and it was a great afternoon for all. But the key message is to make sure that all people – children, parents and adults - are content with being photographed at church events, that they are aware of how the images will be used, and how they are able to decline politely their inclusion. We also need to make sure that visitors attracted to what we have on offer also abide by our requirements. If you need help with reviewing your policies and procedures, follow this helpful link from the NSPCC. The new Connexional Safeguarding Policy echoes this guidance at sections 6.5.7.2 and 6.5.7.3.

From Ruislip to Romford, Enfield to Epsom and all places in between, one aspect of effective safeguarding practice is to know the community in which you live and worship. This helps when you need to know whom to contact about an issue that needs to be brought to the attention of statutory authorities, but it’s also about knowing the stresses and strains of the communities which our churches serve. The District Safeguarding Conference in March 2018 emphasised our responsibilities to look beyond our walls to identify local safeguarding concerns. But for me it’s also about the travel between settings I visit for the various meetings I attend. I’ve explored some parts of London that I’ve never previously visited and on a recent visit to the Barking, Dagenham & Ilford Circuit I managed to visit a top fish and chip shop recommended by the Waitrose magazine! The chance to travel on several forms of public transport is also a joy because it allows for looking out of the window, people watching and hearing the odd snippet of conversation that makes you want to know more about the lives of the people sitting nearby. It’s often the odd comment you hear or the thing you see that makes you sit up and take notice. In churches it can be over coffee at the end of service, or during the course of a meeting or a chance conversation at a social event. For safeguarders this is about having our antennae tuned to what’s happening in our churches so that if we need to we can respond swiftly and appropriately, and as a result of our training, with a sense of assurance.

Can you tell your Manet from your Monet, your Cezanne from your Pissaro? French Impressionist art is extremely popular, as evidenced by the high demand for tickets when a blockbuster exhibition is in town. I’m sure many of us can recognise a few famous paintings from the late nineteenth century when Impressionism emerged as a fresh artistic force, even if we can’t always be sure who painted them. The pictures are generally light and vibrant, and many feature land and seascapes of undeniable beauty. Alfred Sisley, who came to Britain to escape the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 even painted three pictures of Molesey Lock and weir, a stone’s throw (well a few hundred metres) from our local Methodist church in East Molesey and remarkably the scenes look little different today. You can see one copy in the Louvre in Paris. Paul Gaugin was a later member of this group of highly talented painters, and in the 1890's he went much further than Molesey in his quest for ‘purity’ and inspiration. He travelled to Tahiti in the South Pacific, a French colony at the time. There he painted many pictures of the local people, including at least one 13 year old girl who was not only his muse but also his lover, and who bore him children. He also reportedly gave her and others syphilis and his lifestyle has been described as ‘despicable’ by some commentators and questions asked about whether we should admire his art at all, given the context and subject matter. Despite this dilemma, Gaugin has been described as a master post-impressionist and his art commands significant attention and critical acclaim. His behaviour is referenced in descriptions but the art is still shown. The question remains if he were alive today and producing undeniably great art whether his work would be on show at all? How often are we blinded by our appreciation of a highly talented individual or do we turn away from an uncomfortable reality about the person? Do we minimise the behaviour or set it to one side because we like what the artist, musician or author produces? What’s to be our safeguarding response when we encounter a situation that echoes the contradictions of Paul Gaugin’s South Seas experience and find churches in thrall to an individual with widely appreciated and remarkable skills, but whose behaviour is concerning?

The preacher at my church yesterday started his sermon by waving his passport, and then went on to talk about identity and using it to prove who we are. By extension he went on to speak about knowing and recognising the identity of the risen Christ as He appeared to his disciples. In my newspaper this morning there was a feature about older people from the Caribbean who travelled to this country in the 1950's as children with their parents but who now find themselves unable to prove that they have a right to work or claim state benefits as they lack the necessary documentation such as a passport. This recent development is clearly very worrying for those affected and diplomats from Caribbean countries intend to press their case at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference taking place this week, just next door to our office in the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre. When someone offers to do a job in the church that involves children or young people, or vulnerable adults, we are normally extremely grateful and especially if we know them well, we probably don’t give a thought to asking to see proof of their identity when they first come forward. We’ve known them for year and grown up with them in some cases. When someone new to the church volunteers, I expect that we don’t generally ask to see their passport or some other form of identification either. But knowing that the person offering to work in the church is who they say that they are is an important aspect of safe recruitment, hence the importance of the DBS verification process which is about seeing physical proof of who you are and where you live. If you don’t have a passport or driving licence which seem to be the most popular forms of ID, there are, of course, many other ways to prove identity often through documents that demonstrate a person’s significant contribution to society in general, perhaps through taxation or to their local community through council tax payments. Some disciples asked for proof of the resurrection and Jesus offered it in very concrete way. As safe recruiters we will always need to ask the right questions about identity but equally recognise that the means to show this will vary according to circumstances.

London has seen a significant spike in serious youth violence since the turn of the year culminating in a number of fatal stabbings, particularly this last week or two. Many of our more central Methodist communities will have been deeply affected by these serious and tragic incidents and, like so many others, they will be looking for solutions as well as asking the question 'why?' The church's regular safeguarding arrangements do not, at first glance, lend themselves readily to being a primary means of tackling this current situation, yet as our conference last month showed there is far more to our safeguarding mission than being inwardly focused on our policies and procedures. Keeping our churches safe places remains our top priority, but thinking outside our collective boxes does allow us to consider applying our learning in our streets and neighbourhoods. The 'recognise, respond, record and refer' mantra is one that challenges us not to walk by on the other side when we see or learn about something that concerns or even shocks us. At the same time our District goals remind us about the importance of social and civic action and perhaps here to remedy matters that could be seen as contributing to or failing to prevent serious youth violence. Becoming safeguarding activists in the widest sense is one way to use our collective learning about keeping people safe along with our commitment to inclusion and justice, to contribute to local networks striving to bring about the changes that will have a positive impact on the lives of all our young people. Let's pray for no more killings.

Some of you know that from time to time I frequent a certain South London football stadium. I'm not always sure why as the experience does not often do much for my emotional well-being. January 13th 2018 was the last time I came away reasonably happy. Near to where my son and I sit, and just down on the side of the pitch there is often a steward who is identifiable by his blue hi-vis jacket, standing out from the usual yellow or orange clad stewarding team. On his back the letters spell out his role -SAFEGUADING STEWARD. Of course this always catches my eye and I wonder what the job involves and how he got selected for it. Dressed in yellow, he used to meet and greet us at the top of the stairway leading to our seats, and so becoming the safeguarding steward may be a promotion. I don't really know. In his former role he would seek to shake the hand of all the supporters who passed him and make the general enquiry 'you alright?' We always said yes but I wonder if in his new role if we said 'er, no, not really' he might pause and ask us why not. In an idle moment - and there are a few in any game - I try to imagine how blue jacket might operate on match days. Is he trained to look out for incidents that might significantly impact on the well-being of children or vulnerable adults? Does he have a protective role towards the ball-boys who collect the ball when it goes out of play? I've witnessed two occasions where ball-boys have been harangued by visiting managers for their over-promptness or delay in returning the ball to players depending on how the match is going. If next time he passes nearby within speaking distance, I think I'll ask him about his blue jacketed role. It's reassuring that the football club has invested in someone with a public match day safeguarding profile, but I'd still like to know more. But I think if he was standing in his old place when we leave at the end of a disappointing game I'd quite like him to shake my hand, ask me if I'm alright before setting off for home, and I could reply 'er, no not really - but thanks for asking. I think I'll get over it!' However as Bill Shankly that famous Liverpool manager in the 1960's once observed 'Some people think that football is a matter of life or death - it's far more serious than that'.

Being confident about your role as a church or circuit safeguarding officer is a real asset, as you may be the key person whose job it is to convince others in the church about the value and benefits of operating a robust safeguarding policy. It’s a bit like delivering a successful sales and marketing strategy, which convinces you about a product and its quality, why you need it both now and in the future and the wide ranging benefits that will accrue as a consequence. I spent last weekend in Spain with two old school friends. We had not been together for 31 years and it was great catching up with all that had happened to each of us. Both my friends are former senior international marketing managers and on a Sunday morning ramble high above the Mediterranean I asked them each for one key piece of advice that they would give to those trying to sell products. One immediately said about believing in yourself and the product, whilst the other spoke about an approach that emphasised future benefits to potential consumers. This caused me to reflect on how we strive locally to make sure that the leaders in all our churches really get the benefits for all that are derived from good practice and widely accepted and understood policy. Perhaps, then, there is something we can learn from marketing theory that we can apply to make sure the safeguarding product is understood. So how can we enhance our own belief in good safeguarding practice, and convince others that this is something they can’t do without? The Past Cases Review showed us the historic consequence of not getting things right in the past, and so provides evidence of the path we want to avoid. Our new policies are the tools we have at our disposal. The stories of survivors and how some churches have taken positive steps to address concerns they have identified can be the inspiration that reminds us of the importance and privilege of what we do. We are not about selling baked beans or luxury cars. We are however about taking pride in what we do to keep our churches safe, letting everyone else know that in the long run safeguarding is a product we can all trust to bring benefits to all.

I’m never sure what my postman makes of it, or ever notices in fact, but every two months a green publication entitled ‘Child Abuse Review’ drops through my letterbox wrapped in clear plastic. ‘Child Abuse Review’ is the official journal and research publication of the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (BASPCAN) of which I am a member. The latest edition contains an article titled ‘Reporting sexual abuse in religious settings’. One of its co-authors is an Anglican colleague, Colin Perkins, who is the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser in Chichester, a diocese that has arguably seen more than its share of reports about church based abuse over the last twenty years or more. This article in part has a focus on the psychological challenges pushing against the recognition and reporting of child sexual abuse faced by those described as ‘onlookers’ who may observe what is going on in a particular place. ‘Recognise and refer’ are two of the ideas we promote strongly at all our Creating Safer Space training, so this article tries to help us understand more about how allegiances to individuals or organisations, and the emotional attachments people have with their church, can be powerful restraining factors that may limit reporting. It is not suggested that there are often deliberate or carefully reasoned acts of omission at work, but because of a range of understood psychological factors and theories, there is ‘a lesser propensity to believe allegations of child sexual abuse in (church) settings’ (Harper and Perkins, 2018). In response to these findings, and in summary, this article suggests that we would do well to pay more attention to the psychological processes at work that can impact on reporting. With a deeper understanding of personal circumstances and organisational contexts, and by better planning and styling of our communications about reporting, the church should be better prepared to prevent abusers operating in future. Some useful food for thought as we start the roll out of our new Advanced Level Module to church leaders across the District. Reference: Harper C, Perkins C 2018. Reporting Child Sexual Abuse within Religious Settings: Challenges and Future Directions. Child Abuse Review Vol 27: 30-41 (2018)

Some people are great at keeping their personal and professional records in good order, whilst others, like me, struggle to find that important piece of paper that we put somewhere safe just the other day. We can get in an awful tizz with ourselves until we find it, and then when we find it the relief is palpable. It’s not just knowing where something is that’s important but what is written on the piece of paper, or electronic file, is equally important or even more so. It’s the information on it that will make the difference and enable us to confirm something or enable us to progress an issue. When we hold information about someone else though this take us into a new and much wider realm of data protection and its appropriate use. Like all other organisations that hold information about people, the Church is going to be strongly impacted by the General Data Protection Regulation that comes into force on May 25th. The Church as a whole is taking steps to ensure that it is compliant in all things from membership and pastoral lists to prayer requests. Each church and circuit will no doubt be taking steps just now to be ready. In safeguarding we not only hold biographical data, but also sensitive personal information about behaviour, concerns or complaints which in turn means that we will have to give considerable care and attention to what information we hold, why we hold it, whether the person who it concerns is aware that we hold this information and how we store it. There is no space in this blog to go into the detail of what this new regulation means for us as safeguarders at every level in the church, but over the coming weeks we will be posting items on the website about not only best practice, but required practice so as to avoid the significant sanctions that can be applied for non-compliance. So now is a good time for a spring clean of your church safeguarding records – are they up to date, are they ‘neat and tidy’, are they stored safely and who has access? Getting all our papers in order will greatly help the Church to be re-assured about its readiness for GDPR.