At St Mary’s, Burley in Wharfedale, we take safeguarding matters very seriously and adhere to the policies and requirements of the Diocese of Leeds for the care of children and vulnerable adults. As a parish church we have adopted the House of Bishops ‘Promoting a Safer Church’ policy.
Link to Promoting a Safer Church
Link to Promoting a Safer Church Poster
Link to St Mary’s Safeguarding Policy
We are therefore committed to:
- Promoting a safer environment and culture;
- Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the Church
- Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation
- Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons
- Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.
- Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others
If you have any concerns or enquiries regarding safeguarding, please contact our safeguarding officer.
Parish Safeguarding Officer: Richard Holdsworth
Email: safeguarding@burleyparishchurch.org.uk Phone: 07757 281999
Or you can contact our vicar: Revd Phil Bishop
Email: vicar.phil@burleyparishchurch.org.uk Phone: 01943 864492
Concerns may also be raised with the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Juliette McLelllan, and the Diocesan Safeguarding Team can be contacted at safeguarding@leeds.anglican.org or on 0113 3530257. Further safeguarding information and resources can be found on the Diocese of Leeds website here.
In the case of an emergency
If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police on 999 and/or the local authority Children or Adults Service.
For Bradford MDC, this is:
Child: 01274 437500 Out of hours 431010
Adult: 01274 435400 Out of hours 431010
Help & Support
We understand reporting abuse may be very difficult. Please be assured that we will treat any disclosures sensitively and appropriately. However, we recognise that not everyone may want to contact us or the Diocesan Safeguarding Team directly. Below is a list of other agencies that are available to assist offering specialist helplines and services:
Safe Spaces provide free and independent confidential support and advice on 0300 303 1056 https://safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk/.
NSPCC Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are worried about a child.
Child-line: 0800 1111 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are a child or young person and are worried about anything.
National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are experiencing domestic abuse.
Samaritans Helpline: 116 123 (open 24 hours). Phone if you feel you are struggling to cope and need someone to talk to.
Action on Elder Abuse Helpline: 080 8808 8141 (free phone Monday to Friday 9-5pm).