Safeguarding and the Baptist Church

Safeguarding and supporting the vulnerable is a vital mission of today's church. Policies produced by the Baptist Union are excellent and well thought through. So what happens when these policies are actually put into practice, and why can people be so badly hurt by it all?

First, you need to be aware that good policies do not necessarily equal good practice. The Baptist Church has been shown to use a single template when it enters into safeguarding agreements, which is relevant only for someone at the most serious end of the offending spectrum. Hence, if you have had a false allegation made against you, the approach the church will take can be draconian. Even if there is no police investigation or any charges of any kind, and you have many people who will vouch for you, you may find yourself being banned from sitting next to friends and family, the church may ask things which may not be compatible with your rights under GDPR and you may find yourself being asked to sign things which are not true or are extremely misleading or hurtful. They may ban you from attending church at a time when you most need support and will make it clear that your views are not wanted or appreciated. There appears to be little understanding of a graded approach, and they may be more concerned about their own reputation than about supporting a church member.

If you write to appeal about the way you are treated, the default position may be to refuse to answer your letters, so be prepared for a refusal to engage or talk to you.

So what about your local church? Any safeguarding agreement will usually be in their name. However, most local churches may well be completely phased by safeguarding allegations as it is not something they are likely to come across very often. They will naturally seek advice from the central Baptist Safeguarding Team, as your regional area may well do too. This is where your problems will begin. Your local church will feel bound to abide by advice they are given, and will no doubt believe it to be good advice. Sadly, again this is likely not to be the case. I hope you have a church with strong common sense and experience who may see beyond this and be welcoming and understanding. However, it is a lot to ask them to ignore advice from central authorities.

So, if you do face a safeguarding allegation, seek legal advice at once, and comply with any requests made of you by any authorities. They have a right to investigate. However, be very careful about how and when you alert your local church. This may well go against all your natural instincts, but be aware that once you do this, processes could be put in place which will be damaging to both your and your families mental health. When something has been proved in law, then you should alert your church, but otherwise please be very careful.

So what of those who have been victims of abuse? Again, the church has a clear responsibility to support and help and above all, to protect them from further harm. You can be reassured that good policies are in place, but as you may gather from the details above, there is no guarantee that those dealing with you will understand a situation or know enough to make the right call in situations you may be faced with.

In any of these scenarios, Christian friends are vital at such traumatic times, and I believe you will find many Christians in your local church will be incredibly caring and supportive. However, do not expect much from formal structures beyond individual people. Until the Baptist Church learns to listen and understand these issues, and learn from those it hurts, you are well advised not to rely on them.

#Injustice #Baptist #Safeguarding