Safeguarding Newsletter

A special Newsletter from our Safeguarding team at Clifton Diocese to give advice and guidance whilst we adhere to the current lockdown situation
We have lots of information and some great resources for safeguarding on our website: www.cliftondiocese.com/departments/safeguarding

We would really like to encourage as many volunteers as  possible,  to take this opportunity to   engage with the EduCare  E Learning  modules. All members of the Catholic community have free access to this thought provoking material, that may just be the  information that enables us to recognise a concern and make the difference to   enable it to be resolved. There is an expectation by the Charity Commission that all those who perform a  voluntary role which necessitates DBS clearance, should  have  a minimum standard of Safeguarding training.  To  gain access to this free resource email Safeguarding@cliftondiocese.com and  we will add you to the system, you should  then be able to access the material within a couple of days. The Silver Line is a   free confidential helpline providing information, friendship and advice to older people, they have now joined forces with Age Uk. Together they are available 24  hrs a day.  With an aging population and therefore parish, we hopefully know who are our vulnerable people, particularly those who live alone. Some, including those who  have taken up the mantle to provide additional support may wish to have someone  speak to someone not connected with their parish. This may be a valuable resource. www.thesilverline.org.uk A national long-standing charity for children. Felling stressed, sad, angry, confused. Are you worried, upset, confused or lonely? Childline is there for you. There is also a message board where you can share your experiences and get support from others in a similar position. www.childline.org.uk Domestic Violence Many of you will have heard about the rise of Domestic Abuse during the current challenging circumstances. Relationships that were under strain may be pushed  to breaking point and even the most stable of partners may act completely out of character. Here you will find information about where and how to report domestic abuse and get help. Phone the Police if you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are in danger and unable to talk on the phone, call 999 and listen to the questions from the operator and if possible, respond by coughing or tapping the head set. If prompted, press 55 to Make Yourself Heard and this will transfer your call to the police. (NB Pressing 55 only works on mobiles and does not allow police to track your location.) When 999 calls are made from landlines, information about your location should be automatically available to the call handlers to help provide a response. Seek help Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge 0808 200 0247 www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk Live Fear Free helpline (Wales) 0808 80 10 800 www.livefearfree.gov.wales Men’s Advice Line 0808 801 0327 www.mensadviceline.org.uk Rape Crisis (England and Wales) 0808 802 9999 www.rapecrisis.org.uk Respect phoneline 0808 802 4040 www.respectphoneline.org.uk Galop (for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people) 0800 999 5428 www.galop.org.uk Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline 0800 027 1234 sdafmh.org.uk Scottish Women’s Aid 0131 226 6606 www.scottishwomensaid.org.uk Women’s Aid Federation (Northern Ireland) 0800 917 1414 www.womensaidni.org Karma Nirvana Karma Nirvana runs a national honour-based abuse helpline. Telephone: 0800 5999 247 Email: support@karmanirvana.org.uk Hestia Hestia provides a free mobile app, Bright Sky, which provides support and information to anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or those concerned about someone they know. Chayn Chayn provides online help and resources in a number of languages about identifying manipulative situations and how friends can support those being abused. Imkaan Imkaan are a women’s organisation addressing violence against black and minority women and girls. Southall Black Sisters Southall Black Sisters offer advocacy and information to Asian and Afro-Caribbean women suffering abuse. Stay Safe East Stay Safe East provides advocacy and support services to disabled victims and survivors of abuse. SignHealth SignHealth provides domestic abuse service support for deaf people in British Sign Language (BSL). Telephone: 020 3947 2601 Email: da@signhealth.org.uk Shelter Shelter provide free confidential information, support and legal advice on all housing and homelessness issues. Sexual Assault Referral Centres Sexual Assault Referral Centres provide advice and support services to victims and survivors of sexual assault or abuse.   Mental Health – 020 8519 2122 or  www.mind.org.uk A national charity supporting those with mental health concerns.   They also have a specific helpline for parents concerned about a young person youth section – Parents Helpline – call 0808 802 5544   Young Minds -Young person looking for help and support   Text the YoungMinds Crisis Messenger, for free 24/7 support across the UK if  you are experiencing a mental health crisis.    If you need urgent help text YM to 85258   All texts are answered by trained volunteers, with support from experienced clinical supervisors Texts are free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus. Public Health England, in partnership with the NHS has launched Every Mind Matters, a new way of empowering people to manage and improve their mental health. Every Mind Matters aims to help people take simple steps to look after their mental health, improve their mental wellbeing and support others Internet Safety Undoubtedly there will be many families where their  normal  ‘rules’ regarding children’s screen time will have been relaxed  or potentially gone completely out of the window as you wrestle with keeping them occupied. Amidst the wealth of amazing facts and experiences however there will still be some people using the situation for illegal  and unsavoury  activities.  There is a host of Internet Safety material available and  two particularly useful sites that I have personal used are as follows; www.thinkuknow.co.uk Thinkuknow is the education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP. Thinkuknow aims to empowers children and young people aged 4-18 to identify the risks they may face online and know where they can go for support. They have  created a package children and their families over the coming weeks and months. #OnlineSafetyAtHome. NSPCC The NSPCC have a hole host of really useful videos, very brief, often only  a  couple of minutes,  regarding various areas of child safeguarding issues. www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety The Clifton Diocese Safeguarding Team are still able to operate  well from their homes and remain here to help.  We can pick up messages left on our office phone, 0117 954 0993 or email us on Safeguarding@Cliftondiocese.com   Recognise, React, Respond and Report.