St John’s is committed to providing a welcoming, respectful and safe environment for all, including children and adults who may be at risk of abuse and neglect. The care and protection of children, young people and adults involved in church activities is the responsibility of everyone who participates in the life of the church community. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) takes the requirement to ensure the safety of everyone extremely seriously. 

If you have a safeguarding concern, please raise it immediately with the Parish Safeguarding Officer or the Vicar.

Safeguarding Policies

In February 2017, the House of Bishops approved the Promoting a Safer Church Policy Statement outlining six safeguarding commitments for implementation in dioceses and parishes. These commitments now form the foundation for all current and future safeguarding policies and practice guidance documents. We have adopted the Church of England safeguarding policies.  These are also available via the Guildford Diocese website.

Every year, at the first meeting after the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, the PCC re-confirms its commitment to the Policy Statement, national policies and Practice Guidance.

Support for survivors

If you have suffered from, or are aware of, church-related abuse then please read this notice (PDF download) from Guildford Diocese.

The national Church of England has launched Safe Spaces, an independent service supporting survivors of church-related abuse.

This service offers support to survivors of church-related abuse whether or not a report has been made. This independent service is run by the charity Victim Support and funded by the Church of England together with the Catholic Church in England and Wales and the Church in Wales. It is free to access via telephone, email or webchat.

– Telephone: 0300 303 1056 (answerphone available outside of opening times).
– Email: safespaces@victimsupport.org.uk
– Webchat: via the Safe Spaces website, click the Live Chat button.