Child Protection

All Child Protection casework is dealt with by the Inter-diocesan Child Protection Adviser, Su Foster who can be contacted on 01704 540516 (0784 951 7351 out of hours and emergency use) or by e-mail sufoster@fsmail.net.

Vetting and Barring Administration for people who work with children and vulnerable adults is processed by Church House, Manchester. Please contact Lesley Whittaker on 0161 828 1403.

General procedural queries, and ordering of resources, are dealt with by the Children's Officer, Revd Steve Dixon on 0161 828 1433.

Safeguarding Children

Handbook of Policy and Procedures 2009 

This diocesan handbook provides the latest policies, principles and resources for good procedures and practice which must be taken up at all levels in the diocese.

Safeguarding Children is designed for use by parishes in order to support their work in safeguarding children and young people.

The purpose of this document is:

  • To set out the policy of the Church of England and the Diocese of Manchester.
  • To guide workers about what to do if a child says s/he has been harmed or they believe that a child has been harmed.
  • To highlight good procedures and practice especially in the recruitment, selection and support of staff and volunteers who work with children.
  • To provide templates, resources and links to help parishes in these tasks.

All templates and sample forms are available to download in the Clergy and Parish Handbook.

For a hard copy of Safeguarding Children, please contact Lesley Whittaker on 0161 828 1403.

Download Safeguarding Children

Vetting and Barring

New Government legislation comes into force in Autumn 2009. Increased safeguards will be introduced, further enhancing protection of children and vulnerable adults.

For the latest timetable on vetting and barring, and for information on what these changes will mean for you, download the Frequently Asked Questions sheet.

Download Guidance for Parishes Part 1, October 2009

Download Guidance for Parishes Part 2, October 2009

Government Guidance on the Vetting and Barring Scheme, October 2009

Download deanery Vetting and Barring ISA PowerPoint presentation.

Protecting All God's Children

'Protecting All God's Children' (3rd Edition), the House of Bishops' Child Protection Policy (the document on which all parish and diocesan policies are based) can be downloaded from www.cofe.anglican.org/info/papers/.

A copy is also be available for loan from the Resources Centre at Church House, Manchester (see 'Resources - Child Protection' for a review).