Safeguarding
At Emmanuel, our desire is to build a culture marked by love, care, honesty and openness, and, above all, to ensure that everyone who walks through our doors is kept safe. We are also mindful that churches have not always got this right. We know that without genuine vigilance and careful attention, mistakes can happen and people can be hurt. We are committed to guarding against that.
The safety and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults particularly matters to us. Jesus himself welcomed children and warned in the strongest terms against anyone who would cause a little one to stumble (Matthew 18:6), and we take that responsibility seriously in everything we do.
Our safeguarding lead
Our designated safeguarding lead is Abi Evans. Abi brings a wealth of expertise to this role. Alongside her husband Jon, she is a director of iQualifi, a safety and safeguarding training provider that develops accredited courses used across education and Christian residential settings, including work specifically on camp and residential safety. She is a qualified Designated Safeguarding Lead. Safeguarding at Emmanuel isn't an afterthought bolted onto a website; it's overseen by someone who does this professionally.
If you have a concern, however small, you can email Abi directly at safeguaring@emmanuelexeter.org.
DBS checks
Everyone who works with children or vulnerable adults at Emmanuel, including our Sunday children’s groups, youth work, or elsewhere, is DBS-checked before they begin serving, in line with our safeguarding policy.
Our policy
Emmanuel follows the safeguarding policy and procedures recommended by Christian Safeguarding Services. You can read our full safeguarding policy below.
Raising a concern
If you're worried about the safety of a child or vulnerable adult, whether connected to our church or not, please contact Abi. If a child or adult is in immediate danger, please contact the police on 999. You can also contact Devon's Children's Social Care team on 0345 155 1071 or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.
As a tenant of Thomas Hall School, we also work within the school's own safeguarding arrangements while we meet there.