In Our Parishes If you have any concerns please contact either our Parish Priest or Safeguarding Officers: Revd Sudharshan 01205 369515 or John Marshall 01205 723097 or Mike Sharp 01205 350410 Abuse is the violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person or persons. Abuse is always harmful. Not everyone can protect themselves from harm. Safeguarding is the term we use to describe the action taken to promote the welfare of individuals who are vulnerable and the action we take to protect them from harm and abuse of all kinds. Safeguarding is a term that is applied in relation to both children and adults. It requires a proactive approach and places equal importance on the promotion of welfare and protection from abuse. It is essentially an approach that states we all have the right to feel safe all of the time and that an individual’s safety should be guarded well. Further it implies that we have a responsibility to each other in promoting safety and in challenging and preventing abuse. Please remember that if you have a serious concern about a child or adult at risk, you should contact the Police or the local authority safeguarding team in your area without delay! You do not need to speak to the diocesan safeguarding team first if the matter is urgent! Most of the time at church we are like a big happy family! However even in very happy families people can have a bad day and even people we know and trust can upset us. We want to help everyone have good days all of the time. We try to make sure that people who have jobs in the church always behave well and in a way that is helpful to you. We never want anyone or anything in church to frighten you, confuse you or worry you. It is important that you tell us if something is upsetting you or if you are feeling worried about something that’s happening or something somebody is doing. We have specially trained people who you can talk to and who you can ask for help. These people are good at safeguarding. This means they look after everyone’s safety. Caring for people is a very important part of our Christian life. The people who can help you are the parish priest or the parish safeguarding officer. Contacts details at top of this page. If you wish to speak to someone outside the church you can contact the diocesan safeguarding team – their contact link is opposite. There is also information there about other places from where you can get help or advice. You can pick up a copy of our quick reference Safeguarding Pocket Guide in church - or click below to open and save a pdf copy.

Are you are having thoughts about suicide? Talk to someone you trust about it. Until retirement, John Marshall was previously an accredited Safetalk Trainer and is a community Suicide Alert First Aider and may be able to help you.

If you are concerned that someone you know or meet, may be having thoughts of suicide. Don’t ignore it and get some help if needed. You may have noticed that someone has become withdrawn, careless, moody, or is behaving differently. Tell them what you have noticed and directly ask: “Are you thinking about suicide?” Listen to the response and if he or she is thinking about suicide, offer to talk through the situation with them. It is serious. They may have other issues but you are concerned about their risk of suicide. Stay calm and tell them that you wish to help them keep safe. Offer to connect them with a friend, family member, G.P. church minister, or someone else they trust who can give further support. You may find the Livingworks website useful. Safetalk is a course to enable you to learn more and gain in confidence when dealing with situations. ASIST is a more in depth 2 day suicide First Aider course.

Samaritans: For everyone; call 116 123 anytime. Papyrus HOPELineUK: For people under 35; call 0800 068 41 41 or text 07786 209697 (M–F, 10:00 am—5:00 pm and 7:00 pm—10:00 pm; S–S 2:00 pm—5:00 pm)

Domestic Abuse Awareness and Support

Click or touch any image to open or download as a pdf poster or document

‘A Blue Monday?’ Click or tap the links below for reflection.

FREE! SUICIDE AWARENESS ONLINE TRAINING. 20 MINUTES THAT COULD HELP YOU SAVE A LIFE! (printable Certificate upon completion)

NHS Guide to Mental Health Wellbeing

Lincolnshire