Area Meeting Safeguarding
 
As Area Meetings are all separate charities they each need to set their own policy and procedures although we do give advice from Friends House including a draft model document which has the main considerations you’ll need to cover. (We also have some good examples from other area meetings we can share.) We are starting the process of reviewing these documents and making revisions and we’d welcome your comments on any of them as part of that review.
 
Each Area Meeting has appointed a Safeguarding Co-ordintaor for the area meeting and we will mail you on a regular basis with updates and guidance. We are recommending that you share this information with relevant Trustees and local meeting safeguarding reps.
 
Information about the AM SC role can be found here: http://www.quaker.org.uk/our-organisation/quaker-roles/safeguarding-coordinators and information about policies and procedures for working with children in a Quaker context can be found here: http://www.quaker.org.uk/children-and-young-people/work-quaker-setting/policies-procedures.
 
This ‘Meeting Safety’ document (available here) gives an outline of duties. If you are an Area Meeting Trustee we think you would want to ensure that:

1. Your AM safeguarding policy is up to date and includes your responsibilities to adults at risk of harm and well as to children (we have a sample to help redrafting).
2. Any variations in a local meeting policy relate solely to the context of the local government/ council/authority in which they are based (as reporting processes vary) and in all other details are consistent across the area meeting.
3. You know who your AM Safeguarding Co-ordintor is and have confidence they will share outline details of any sagefuagrding matters that arise (and in my current experience this seems to relate much more to adults rather than children).
4. You are confident that the AMSGC is supporting local meetings – preferably meeting in person or by skype at least once a year and providing a brief written report to Trustees.
5. Local meetings know how to do DBS checks (and understand all new clerking appointments need to be notified to updates@quaker.org.uk so our records and your verifiers are up to date)
6. You know the Area Meeting is signed up to CCPAS based in Kent (or similar) for 24/7 access to safeguarding advice and training offers etc. It costs about £90 per annum. CCPAS can be reached on info@ccpas.co.uk or by phone 0845 120 4550.
7. You are aware that the AM Safeguarding Co-ordinator (or if more appropriate local reps or Trustees) can email us on safe@quaker.org.uk and we will try and support and advise in the Quaker context. Or they can phone on 020 7663 1017 or 020 7663 1192.

Applying for DBS checks

For many years we have used CAS to administer our DBS checks but as many of you know CAS is closing at the end of the year. We have started the process to appoint a new organisation so just to reassure you that this is in hand and we will keep you updated through the autumn of progress. We hope the process with the new organisation will mirror the process with CAS or at least have minimal changes.

Follow the current procedures (on our website) to make applications through CAS until the end of November. If you’re not signed up to the update service, think about making a new application through CAS soon and sign up to the update service. This will probably save time and effort in the future as you won’t need to keep making new applications every three years and can simply do a quick online update instead.

Help with frequently asked questions

One of the most common questions we get asked about DBS is on eligibility. You may feel that anyone connected with safeguarding will need checking but that might not be the case and, in fact, the authorities have placed tight controls on who is eligible. You do need checks for anyone who works regularly with children in the meeting or anyone who may be supporting adults at risk. You don’t need checks for safeguarding co-ordinators, local meeting safeguarding reps or verifiers – these roles are not eligible by themselves. (Clearly, many of us hold more than one role so you may qualify by holding one of the eligible roles.)

Another common question is around verifying. CAS can only send codes to verifiers if we have the latest lists from meetings. Anyone who is serving as a local or area meeting clerk or assistant clerk, and this has been notified to us at Friends House via updates@quaker.org.uk, will be sent codes to verify. You can also request other people in your meeting to be made verifiers and given codes – also through informing the same email address. Friends House maintains a list of verifiers and updates this with CAS every month. If there’s a different problem regarding verification, contact CAS directly on 020 7467 5216 or cas@methodicstchurch.org.uk

We're happy to help with any questions to email safe@quaker.org.uk.