‘Safeguarding’ is a pretty familiar term in churches these days, but when you hear that word what springs to mind?
Often we think of safeguarding in terms of DBS checks and ticking off a list of bureaucratic processes. For some, safeguarding advice represents a hurdle to their organisational aims, but for others it’s sensible practice. But have you ever considered safeguarding as a foundation to Christian life? As a Christian organisation we believe it is.
Safeguarding literally means ‘to protect from harm’, a principle frequently seen in the Bible. For a start, our name - ‘Thirtyone:eight’ - is taken from Proverbs 31:8 “Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of vulnerable people.” But beyond this verse, caring for vulnerable people is at the heart of the Scriptures. As Christians we’re encouraged to remember the orphans, widows, strangers, and children. In fact, there are over 2,000 references to matters of justice and injustice; of which the principles of safeguarding are included.
Safeguarding as culture
Churches, charities and organisations that support vulnerable people are unique. They are places where all people can come to feel welcomed and supported. But with that openness comes responsibility to protect the vulnerable people in our communities.
It’s easy to think that abuse and neglect won’t happen on our watch. But the sad truth is that it does happen. And failure to safeguard people from abuse has devastating and long-lasting consequences on people’s lives.
Thanks to the brave people who have experienced such abuse and spoken out about it, we're now much more aware of the risks. Today, many organisations are working hard to get these things right and safeguarding is a familiar word to most people who work and volunteer in ministry and charities especially. Usually someone is appointed to be responsible and administrate safeguarding duties. But for the future, we must move beyond a mindset of safeguarding being a designated person’s responsibility, or just a series of processes and training, and recognise that for our organisations to be safe, our whole culture must be safe – physically and psychologically.
For all organisations the fact remains, to truly create places that are safer for all, we need to create open cultures where abuse has nowhere to hide. To help organisations cultivate and maintain a safe culture we have created the ten standards a unique framework of ten safeguarding standards to help organisations feel confident in putting in place all the things they need to make their environment safer all.
For Christian organisations we have developed a Theology of Safeguarding which we recommend you engage with purposefully and wholeheartedly. We should see that theology reflected in the attitudes and actions of our leadership, ministries and communities, and the systems and structures that underpin them.
Theology of Safeguarding
To help us prioritise creating safe cultures it’s helpful to recognise the mandate, motivation and mission that the Bible sets out for us. Thirtyone:eight CEO, Justin Humphreys developed the Theology of Safeguarding with Dr Krish Kandiah exploring these themes:
The mandate: Every generation must play its part in caring for vulnerable people.
The motivation: Every leader must pursue God’s purpose and priorities for vulnerable people.
The mission: Every means must be employed to keep vulnerable people safe, heard and noticed.
In the Theology of Safeguarding we see that the Bible offers us guidance to ensure that those who are or may be vulnerable are heard and defended, and then treated appropriately. It’s not intended to be an exhaustive commentary, but rather assist people to understand what motivates and inspires the vision of Thirtyone:eight. Importantly, it unpacks the premise that safeguarding is not merely as set of processes or activities, but is in fact wisdom.
God has a heart to protect the most vulnerable in society. It’s His wisdom that those who are in need are confident that we understand them and know how to care for them. Our cultures should reflect that wisdom –creating places where people feel, and are, safe.
So what can I do next?
If you want to cultivate a heart for safeguarding and be part of creating a safe culture in your organisation there are a number of resources Thirtyone:eight can offer you:
- Website: There are numbers of free resources on our website, from practical ‘how to guides’, to news articles, blog and videos. You can also download the full Theology of Safeguarding for free.
- Training: We offer a range of training and webinars for all types of groups.
- Membership: It’s possible your church is already a member of Thirtyone:eight, but if not, why not consider becoming a member? You get access to our specialist Knowledge Hub with over 200 additional resources, bespoke support, discounted training, and access to our award-winning helpline.
If you have safeguarding concerns, please call our helpline on 0303 003 1111.