The parish of St Michael’s is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO).
Key people
The Diocese of St Albans’ safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including further contact details for the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) and the team which supports him. You can also find more information from the national site of the Church of England.
If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm, please contact our Parish Safeguarding Officer or the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (tel. 01727 818107 or 07867 350 886).
If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police (tel. 999 in an emergency). You can also contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) at Hertfordshire Children’s Services (tel. 0300 123 4043) or, if an adult is at risk, Hertfordshire’s Adult Health and Social Care team (tel. 0300 1234042). To report abuse without having to say who you are, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Our safeguarding policies
You can read or download our current parish safeguarding policies using these links:
Help & support
Here you can find some links to groups which may be able to help you or someone you know. There are more links listed on the diocesan safeguarding pages.
Advice for young people
Abuse is never ‘ok’. Follow the links below to find out about the different types of abuse, signs of abuse, and where to go if you need to talk to someone about what you’re going through.
Call Childline on 0800 1111 if you’re under 18 and want free, confidential advice, or access their service online.
The Children’s Society is a charity working to help and support young people.
Abuse of children
Barnardos 0800 008 7005 – Barnardos protect, support and nurture the UK’s most vulnerable children.
NAPAC 0808 801 0331 – Offers support and advice to adult survivors of childhood abuse. Support line open Mondays to Thursdays 10am-9pm; Fridays 10am-6pm.
NSPCC 0808 800 5000 – For adults concerned about a child. Helpline free and open 24 hours.
Stop It Now 0808 1000 900 – Preventing child sexual abuse. Helpline free and open Mondays to Thursdays 9am-9pm; Fridays 9am-5pm.
CEOP Police – Child Exploitation and Online Protection command
Childline 0800 1111 – Phone if you are a child or young person and are worried about anything. Helpline free and open 24 hours.
Help for Adult Victims of Child Abuse provide a number of resources, many of which are freely available and written by survivors for survivors.
The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) provides some online advice addressing common concerns that many survivors have. They also provide some freely-accessible reading on various topics for survivors.
Domestic abuse
Mankind 01823 334244 Helping men escape domestic abuse. Helpline open weekdays 10am to 4pm.
National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247 – Phone if you are experiencing domestic abuse. Helpline free and open 24 hours
Restored Relationships 0203 9063 930 Equipping the Church to make a difference and supporting women experiencing domestic abuse.
Womens Aid helpline@womensaid.org.uk Supporting women and children survivors of domestic abuse.
There are Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) and those who specialise in both domestic and sexual violence (IDSVAs) available at some survivor support organisations.
Survivors Trust website information about ISVAs & IDVAs and how to access them.
Sexual abuse
The Survivors Trust 0808 801 0818 Support, information and advice for survivors, family, friends and others affected by sexual abuse. Helpline free and open Monday to Wednesday 10-7.30pm; Thursday 10-6pm; Friday 10-2pm.
Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) SARCs are specialist medical and forensic services for people who have been raped or sexually assaulted. Their services are free of charge and provided to women, men and children, regardless of whether the victim/ survivor wishes to report the offence to the police or not.
Find a Local Sexual Assault Referral Centre on the NHS website
Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) can:
- Provide a range of specialist support to victims/ survivors to look after their needs.
- Offer information about how the criminal justice system works, but there is no expectation that by contacting an ISVA a victim/ survivor will be expected to report any offence to the police.
- Provide information to make sure victims/ survivors make the right decision for them.
- Be available at some SARCs and some other specialist support agencies.
Survivors Trust website information about ISVAs and how to access them.
Helplines Partnership holds a database of helplines that may be suitable for victims/ survivors. The search tool allows for a keyword search and for helplines to be filtered by topic and region.
Survivors UK provides support to adult males who have experienced any form of sexual violence. They have web and text chat services as well as individual and group counselling in London.
One-in-four provide a page full of resources focusing on support and self-care for survivors to download and work through at their own pace.
From Report to Court is a downloadable handbook for adult survivors of sexual abuse and violence. It is produced by the organisation Rights of Women, but as the handbook focuses on the process of reporting sexual abuse all the way through to a criminal trial, it is usable by both men and women
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has also produced a booklet on wellbeing including some ideas about how to look after yourself.
Church-linked abuse
Safe Spaces 0300 303 1056 email: safespaces@victimsupport.org.uk – Support to survivors of church-related abuse whether or not a report has been made.
Spiritual Abuse – Spiritual abuse recovery resources.
Minister And Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors (MACSAS) MACSAS supports women and men who have been sexually abused, as children or adults, by ministers, clergy or other church officers. Their website offers useful resources and they also have a helpline for victims and survivors and their relatives.
