City Life Int'l Church

Safeguarding Policy

Our Commitment

The Safety of Every Child Is Our Priority

At City Life International Church (CLIC), we are committed to the safety, protection, and well-being of all children and young people in our care. This policy sets out the procedures we follow to safeguard every person who participates in our activities.

Designated Persons

The Church Trustee(s) have designated the following Life Group leads to receive any report, suspicion, or allegation of abuse. They will assess information and pass all reports to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and/or Senior Minister — they will not investigate independently.

Life Group	Lead(s)
Sunday School	Abbi Pinnock & Donna Pinnock
Creche	Rebecca Cartledge
Youth	Zoe & Steve Hardy
Make Lunch / Pre-Loved Uniform	Ps Terence & Vivienne Williams

Senior Minister: Ps Jim Master. In his absence, all matters are passed to Chris Thompson.

If an allegation involves the Designated Safeguarding Lead, it must be reported directly to the Senior Minister. If the allegation is against a minister, Assemblies of God procedures must be followed and head office informed. Where necessary, consultation with the Sheffield Children's Safeguarding team and a formal referral to Social Services or the Police will be made.

Responding to Concerns

The individual raising a concern speaks to the Life Group Lead, who passes all written concerns or allegations to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Parents should normally be contacted and their agreement sought before Social Services is contacted.
Parents need not be contacted if doing so would put a child at increased risk of harm, interfere with criminal enquiries, or place a team member at risk — the Designated Safeguarding Lead must agree.
All notes must be signed and dated. Original notes must never be destroyed, even if a subsequent write-up is made. All notes and referral information must be kept securely in the church office.

Important

Report concerns as soon as possible to the Safeguarding Lead. The Senior Minister must be contacted before any outside agencies are involved. Suspicions must not be discussed with anyone other than those nominated above.

Recognising Signs of Abuse

Some signs may not indicate abuse in isolation, but linked to a sequence of other incidents could give serious cause for concern. Consider whether there is a pattern of unexplained injury, inconsistent explanations, spontaneous disclosures, or a sudden change in behaviour.

Physical Abuse

Bruises to eyes, mouth, or ears; fingertip or outline bruising
Bruises of different ages in the same place
Bruising on non-mobile babies
Burns or scalds with clear outlines; small round burns (cigarettes)
Clear tooth impressions or bite marks
Fractures in children under 1 year
Signs of shaking; facial petechiae (small blood spots)

Neglect

Not receiving adequate food
Exposed to injury through lack of supervision
Exposed to inadequate, dirty, or cold environments
Abandoned or left without appropriate adult supervision
Prevented from receiving medical advice or treatment

Sexual Abuse

Sexually transmitted diseases
Recurrent urinary infections
Genital and rectal itching and soreness
Bruising in the genital region
Sexually explicit behaviour or language inappropriate to the child's age
Young children with an inappropriate level of sexual knowledge

Emotional Abuse

Abnormally passive, lethargic, or attention-seeking behaviour
Severely delayed social and speech development
Excessively nervous behaviour such as rocking
Low self-esteem or unusual aggression
Specific habit disorders (e.g., faecal smearing)

General Indicators

These may occur in any form of abuse and are especially important in sexual and emotional abuse where outward signs may not be present: onset of enuresis (day or night), sleeping and eating disturbance, recurrent abdominal pains, social withdrawal, restlessness, poor trust or secretiveness, running away, self-harm, hysterical fits or faints, and a child confiding in a trusted adult.

Dealing with Incidents & Allegations

Each Life Group Leader is responsible for keeping a mental note of anything significant — a confrontation, sensitive concern, or unusual remark — and reporting it to the designated persons. All incidents should be recorded and discussed with the designated persons who will decide whether to inform parents.

If the incident or allegation is against a worker:

1
Report to the Life Group Lead as soon as possible, away from the children.
2
The Life Group Lead makes a written, dated record including the time.
3
The Senior Pastor listens to the allegation and decides whether it is a Code of Conduct issue or a safeguarding matter.
4
A written record of any discussion and action is made.

If a child discloses to you:

Stay calm and listen carefully — do not overreact.
Do not promise to keep secrets. Explain the information will need to be shared, but reassure the child they have done the right thing.
Allow the child to continue at their own pace.
Ask questions only for clarification. Avoid questions that suggest a particular answer.
Tell the child what you are going to do next and who you will share the information with.
Record in writing, as soon as possible, what was said using the child's words. Note time, date, and any names mentioned. Sign and date the record.
The Life Group Lead then informs the Designated Safeguarding Lead and/or Senior Minister, who decides on the relevant action.

Keeping Children Safe — Best Practice

Always ensure there is more than one adult present during activities with children and young people, or that you are at least within sight or hearing of other adults. The following practices are strongly discouraged:

Spending excessive time with individual children away from their peers and other leaders.
One-to-one meetings with an individual child or young person.
Taking a child alone on a car journey, even a short one, unless express parental permission has been given.
Meeting with children outside of organised activity or session times.
Horseplay or unnecessary physical contact that may be misunderstood.

Should any of these situations arise unavoidably, inform the leader in charge and/or the child's parents. Any one-to-one contact must take place in an environment open to being observed.

Safe Recruitment

At CLIC, we are committed to recruiting safely. A minimum of six months' attendance at City Life is required before any involvement with children will be considered. All workers with direct access to children must submit a Self-Declaration form. Where appropriate, references are taken up. All workers are checked through the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS), including existing workers.

Enhanced DBS Checks apply to:

Senior Pastor
Church Council / Trustee(s)
Children's Leaders, Workers & Volunteers

Working with offenders / ex-offenders

Anyone with a previous offence against children will not be accepted as a member of a children's team. Where a conviction does exist, the Senior Pastor and Life Group Lead will review circumstances, relevance, and dates before any decision is made. There will be an agreed probationary period, supervision, and clear boundaries.

Children & Personal Care Needs

Some younger children may need help with personal matters. It is important to consider which adults on the team are most appropriate to assist, and to consult with parents. Adults should never assist with personal care if the child can do it themselves. Parents should always be informed if their child required help with personal care on a particular day. Please speak to the Designated Person if there is any concern.

Get In Touch

Have a Concern or Question?

If you have a safeguarding concern, please speak to one of the designated persons or contact the church office. We take every concern seriously and will respond with care and confidentiality.