The National Safeguarding Team commissioned Becca Faal (DSA Gloucester) to create a suite of resources designed to enable worshipping communities to communicate with children, young people and their parents and carers about safeguarding.
Nationally, 90 children and young people from a range of Church of England worshipping communities were consulted and contributed to the process.
The resources consist of a:
- Safeguarding Video - 3-minute animation designed to be shown to congregations, children, young people and their parents and carers.
- 6 leaflets - which detail how children and young people are kept safe in churches and are bespoke for different audiences i.e
- Lesson Plans - Interactive activity plans for worshipping communities to use with children and young people to communicate with them about safeguarding.
We suggest that you look through the resources and decided whether/which lessons or activities would be right for your children’s group, youth group etc.
Background to the development
These resources were developed following Becca’s dissertation which looked at the role of the Church in the delivery of protective behaviour education. Following this research, Becca ran two pilot groups. These groups went well, and a proposal was made to the Church of England for Becca to develop some resources with children and young people, for use in worshipping communities.
In developing the resources Becca worked with 90 children and young people, consulted with parents, leaders of groups for children and young people and clergy. These groups took place in a wide range of settings, to enable the resources to be of use across these settings. These included a youth group, Sunday school, all-age service, parish church, cathedral choristers and a diocesan youth and children’s forum.
With the groups, we discussed the format they wanted the resources to take and we developed, piloted and adapted the leaflets and activity/ lesson plans. The contents for the film was developed with the groups who were then shown six different versions of the characters and settings. They voted and the most popular style was selected. Following feedback leaflets were also developed for parents and careers to empower and educate them about safeguarding their children and young people.