The United Reformed Church’s (URC) Safeguarding team will launch the denomination’s five-year safeguarding strategic plan with an online conference on 9 October.
The symposium, which brings together those who oversee and lead safeguarding in local URCs and synods, takes place from 12.30pm to 2pm via Zoom.
The purpose of the online event is to discuss how the safeguarding strategic plan (2020-2025) will strength the life of the Church. The event will establish the best collaborative ways to promote safeguarding, prevent abuse and protect everyone within the URC.
The annual denominational safeguarding report 2019 shows that the Church has made major improvements in the area of safeguarding. Over the next five years, the safeguarding strategic plan requires all parts of the URC – it’s people, councils, committees and groups – to work together on six key objectives to ensure the Church provides a sustained community of care where everyone, particularly the most vulnerable, can find a place of love, pastoral care and support.
Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility in the URC. Mission Council reinforced this on 10 July when it passed resolution 29.
“When our responsibilities increase so does our commitment to our community,” Ioannis Athanasiou, the URC’s Safeguarding Adviser said. “No single worker of the Church can have a full picture of a child’s needs or a vulnerable adult’s circumstances, and if children, young people, families and adults at risk are to receive the right protection at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has to understand their role and the role of others.
“The Covid-19 crisis has brought unprecedented challenges for churches and society. However, we have been humbled by the faith and community spirit in our communities across the country, as well as the spirit of creativity and collaboration in the Church. From neighbourly acts of kindness to online collective worship, the Church has shone light to the power of its people to overcome challenges and remain resilient at difficult and traumatic moments for everyone.
“Drawing upon URC’s Christian tradition, we always discern things better together than anyone ever could on their own. This online symposium aims to recognise and value the collaborative and active thinking that makes church life in our denomination unique and essential in the safeguarding arena.”
To take part in the event, please email Matthew Baxter, Assistant Safeguarding Administrator, no later than 1pm on 8 October to register your interest and receive the Zoom details. Please say which synod you are in when registering.
The programme of the symposium is shown below:
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12:30 |
Welcome and Introductions Penny McGee, URC Safeguarding Training and Development Coordinator Greeting on behalf of the Safeguarding Advisory Group Elizabeth Gray-King, Education and Learning Officer |
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12:35 |
Safeguarding: Protecting the local church from itself Shelley Moss, Safeguarding Coordinator, Flavel Church, Dartmouth |
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12:45 |
Implementing the Safeguarding Strategic Plan: Challenges, barriers and opportunities Ioannis Athanasiou, URC Safeguarding Adviser |
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12:55
13.10 |
Break Out Room Discussions: Safeguarding Strategic Plan Objectives Attendees will split in six discussion groups. Facilitated by a Synod Safeguarding Officer, each group will share thoughts on what currently works and what should be improved in delivering the strategic plan. Donna Gordon: West Midlands and East Midlands Belinda Nielsen: Thames North/Southern Matt Knowles: Yorkshire, Northern and Scotland Jan Murphy: South Western and Eastern Sharon Barr: Wessex and Wales Julie Rafferty: Mersey/North Western
Feedback |
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13:20 |
Break |
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13:30 |
Collective trauma and new vulnerabilities in the churches Carla Grosch-Miller, URC theologian and minister, St Andrew’s Monkseaton |
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13:40 |
One Body, one Church John Bradbury, URC General Secretary |
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13:50 |
Questions and reflections |
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14:00 |
End |
Image: Sumita Roy Dutta/Wikimedia CC4.0
Published: 2 September 2020
