CCPAS holds church officials accountable
The Churches Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS), in response to the Government’s proposal to make public sector officials liable for the neglect of children, has called for this to be extended to church officials. CCPAS said they were aware of cases where known abusers were moved within organisations rather than reported, in order to protect the reputations of churches and denominations.
Also this month, CCPAS warned that DBS checks alone are not enough when recruiting workers and volunteers. The group warned churches that abusers could get into these positions as churches are not taking references, holding interviews or writing full job descriptions. Justin Humphreys, CCPAS’s head of safeguarding, said: ‘Far too often, churches are under the impression that all they have to do to ascertain that somebody is safe to work (either in a paid or voluntary capacity) with children or vulnerable adults is to carry out a disclosure check. Nothing could be further from the truth. Disclosure checks should be obtained only at the very end of the process, after all the other necessary safer recruitment practices have been completed. A DBS check, on its own, is simply insufficient to ensure children’s safety.’
Boys’ Brigade appoints new CEO
The Boys’ Brigade has named Andrew Johnston as its new chief executive. Andrew has previously worked for the Methodist Church and Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Andrew said: ‘The Boys’ Brigade plays a vital role in transforming the lives of children and young people, and making a difference in the communities it serves, and it is an immense privilege to be able to be part of this.’
Schools scrap ‘Prayers for Places’
Complaints about parents attending church purely to get their children into specific schools have led to a change in selection policy. From next year St Luke’s primary school, in Kingston-upon-Thames, will admit children living closest to the school; previously worshippers at St Luke’s church or other local churches were given priority. Father Martin Hislop said: ‘For quite some time now I have been very uncomfortable with aspects of the admissions criteria for the school. Both the requirement for recorded attendance and the cynicism about attendance do not contribute to a positive and affirming atmosphere for the nurture of faith.’
Wealthier children have bigger brains
Pupils from richer families achieve higher grades because of differences in their brain, according to research. The research indicated that richer pupils have a thicker brain cortex in areas associated with visual perception and knowledge accumulation. John Gabrieli, from the Institute of Technology, said: ‘There’s a real cost to not living in a supportive environment. We can see it not only in test scores, in educational attainment, but within the brains of these children. To me, it’s a call to action.’
Teach children about sexual abuse
A leading academic has said that primary school children need more education on how to avoid sexual abuse. This follows a global study which suggested that children who have been on abuse prevention programmes are more likely to report abuse. Dr Kerryann Walsh said that this report supported, ‘the need to inform and protect children.’ This follows the Education Secretary’s announcement last month that all children would be taught about sexual consent from the age of 11.
Scripture Union gathers together
With a theme of ‘Community in mission’, different aspects of ministry were highlighted, such as ‘It’s your move’, holidays, mission during the upcoming Rugby World Cup, as well as ‘Guardians of Ancora’, SU’s new Bible engagement app for children.
