5. Chichester Cathedral safeguarding procedure
5.1 Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility; therefore this procedure applies to all clergy, staff, volunteers, contractors and members of the congregations and Cathedral community.
a) In an emergency or if the vulnerable person is at immediate risk of serious harm, the person who has the safeguarding concern must phone the Police, using 999 or phone the relevant care services.
West Sussex Social Services ( August 2023): If your concern is about a child phone: 01403 229900 (Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 5.00pm)Outside office hours (5.00pm-9.00am weekdays) or at weekends and bank holidays, please call 033 022 26664.
If your concern is about a vulnerable adult phone:01243 642121 (between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm). Outside office hours, call the Adult Social Care out of hours manager on 033 022 27007.
b) Any safeguarding concern (including concerns about domestic abuse and any allegations against a colleague or clergy) must be reported to the Cathedral Safeguarding Lead, Canon Jack Dunn or any member of the Cathedral Safeguarding Team or the Cathedral Safeguarding Officers (Colin Perkins and Julie Gross) within 24 hours.
c) Any member of the Cathedral Safeguarding Team receiving a safeguarding concern of any kind must report this to the Cathedral Safeguarding Lead, Canon Jack Dunn or, in his absence, to the Chapter Safeguarding Lead, Canon Vanessa Baron. If both are absent, the Diocesan Safeguarding Officers, Colin Perkins and Julie Gross, should be contacted. This must happen within 24 hours of the report being made.
d) A written record of what happened, the person you spoke to, what was said and what you did should be made as soon as possible and emailed to the Cathedral Safeguarding Lead, Canon Jack Dunn via Safeguarding@Chichestercathedral.org.uk A copy should also be sent to the Cathedral Safeguarding Officer, Colin Perkins via colin.perkins@chichester.anglican.org (assuming neither person was implicated in your report).
e) The Cathedral Safeguarding Lead or, in his absence, the Chapter Safeguarding Lead is responsible for ensuring that any written records and any other related conversations and emails are recorded and stored in the Cathedral Safeguarding Records.
f) The Cathedral Safeguarding Lead will ensure that any concern is discussed with the Cathedral’s Safeguarding officers, Colin Perkins or Julie Gross. They may decide to refer the matter to the statutory authorities.
g) In the event of the police or the statutory authorities being involved in the case, Chapter and staff will follow the lead of the Safeguarding Officers, Colin Perkins and Julie Gross.
Under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, all authorised clergy, bishops, archdeacons, licensed readers and lay workers, churchwardens and PCCs must have ‘due regard’ to safeguarding guidance issued by the House of Bishops (this will include both policy and practice guidance). A duty to have ‘due regard’ to guidance means that the person under the duty is not free to disregard it but is required to follow it unless there are cogent reasons for not doing so. (‘Cogent’ for this purpose means clear, logical and convincing.) Failure by clergy to comply with the duty imposed by the 2016 Measure may result in disciplinary action. Taken from Promoting a Safer Church (2017), Church of England