The Safeguarding Board for the Church of Ireland has created a new-look website, which has been launched today by Archbishops John McDowell and Michael Jackson. The website can be accessed directly at www.sg.ireland.anglican.org  or through the main Church of Ireland website atwww.ireland.anglican.org/safeguarding

Archbishop John remarked: ‘I am delighted to officially launch the new Safeguarding website for the Church of Ireland. Safeguarding is a key priority of the Church and we are always looking for means to improve how we communicate this priority.  It is our intention that this website will be widely used to help with the protection of adults at risk and children with whom parishes work.’

Archbishop Michael said: ‘Safeguarding lies at the heart of our public and our private work as the Church of Ireland. Safeguarding builds trust, and trust builds confidence in who we are and what we do as the people of God and as the Church of today for others every bit as much as for ourselves. As we now try to find ways forward from the strict lockdown of Covid-19, Safeguarding is more important than ever. I welcome this resource and commend it to everyone with heartfelt thanks to those who have worked tirelessly on its content and its presentation.’

The website covers policies and resources for working with both Adults at Risk and Children. There is a new section – ‘Getting It Right’ – with supporting information to help to ensure that your parish complies with Safeguarding policy, and additional resources for risk assessment and social media use.  All policy information is now available on mobile-friendly web pages and relevant forms and resources can be easily downloaded and adapted for local use.  A news section will also communicate the latest Safeguarding news and updates.

Dr Peter Hamill, Secretary to the Safeguarding Board, commented: ‘The site is more interactive and user-friendly than before. There are more resources available than before and we would welcome feedback on how the site can be improved further. As we all adapt to a new way of working, we will soon be launching a series of online training events and details will be posted on the website in the near future.’

To celebrate the launch of the new website, parishes and youth groups are invited to take part in a competition to create a 1-minute video on ‘Why Safeguarding is Important’.  Videos should be submitted by 5pm on Friday, 2nd October.  Details about this competition will be available in the coming days and applications are welcome from across the Church of Ireland.