Beacon Hill URC is committed to the safeguarding of vulnerable adults and children and follows the URC national guidelines for volunteers and staff. All our volunteers and staff working with children and vulnerable adults are DBS checked.
Our Safeguarding Policy, updated in 2022, is available to view at Church or can be downloaded by clicking on the link below. This is currently under review.
Safeguarding Co-ordinator: Karen Smith
Deputy Safeguarding Co-ordinator: Christine Allen
Contact details are on the Home page of this web site
Safer Recruitment
The Charity Commission requires that the appointment of volunteers and paid staff should be done through a process of safer recruitment. This is a framework that uses a range of measures to both deter and prevent unsuitable individuals from working (either paid or volunteers) with vulnerable people. Mistakenly, some believe that carrying out a Disclosure and Barring check (DBS) is all that is needed when recruiting workers. Whilst it can be tempting for churches to take short cuts when people are willing to help out, are a familiar face and there are gaps in the rotas, it is important to be aware that a DBS check is only part (albeit an essential one) of a safer recruitment process. This process should be carried out prior to people engaging in roles working with children or young people and adults at risk.
The safer recruitment process for Beacon Hill URC is as follows:
Safer Election of Elders
The URC announced in November 2021 that a Safer Election of Elders paper had been accepted by Mission Council, which lays out the requirements to consider before accepting a calling to be an Elder and the process in general. We will introduce this to the church when anyone who feels called to stand as an Elder comes forward and they will know and can see the process.
Please see the current leaflet on Eldership below:
Beacon Hill United Reformed Church 