St Mellitus College is committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of everyone within the College community.
Reporting abuse or raising a concern
If someone is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical attention contact the emergency services on 999.
If the situation you are reporting is not an emergency, please use the safeguarding contacts above.
Alternatively, and out of office hours, please contact the safeguarding team in the Diocese in which you live. Guidance on how to contact them can be found here.
You can also contact Thirtyone:Eight on 0303 033 1111 for advice.
We’d also like to really recommend Safe Spaces. Safe Spaces is a free and independent support service for anyone who has experienced abuse in relation to the Church of England, the Church in Wales, or the Catholic Church of England and Wales. You can contact the Safe Spaces team through their helpline (0300 303 1056), their live chat facility or by emailing safespaces@firstlight.org.uk.
If you have been affected, however long ago, Safe Spaces can provide you with support. You do not have to have told the police or the church authorities, and you do not have to still be involved with the church. Your information will not be shared without your consent unless you or someone else is in immediate danger.
Safeguarding Contacts
- Overall responsibility lies with the Dean and the Dean of Ministry.
- The safeguarding caseworker is Andy Goodwin (safeguarding@stmellitus.ac.uk). He is the Safeguarding Advisor for the HTB Group Safeguarding — HTB Church, which includes St Pauls Theological Centre. He can be contacted regarding any safeguarding concerns.
- The Governing Body Safeguarding Representative is Rev. Kate Wharton
- Training queries should be directed to the safeguarding administrator Phoebe Chevassut at smcsafeguarding@stmellitus.ac.uk
Safeguarding Principles
As a Theological Training Institution of the Church of England, St Mellitus College will*:
- Promote a safer environment and culture
- Safely recruit and support all those with any responsibility related to children and vulnerable adults within the Church
- Respond promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation
- Care pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons
- Care pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons
- Respond to those that may pose a present risk to others
These policy commitments are based on our five foundations:
- Gospel
- Human rights and the law
- Core principles
- Good safeguarding practice
- Learning from the past
In particular, St Mellitus College aims to:
- Reduce the risk of significant harm to vulnerable people (children and adults) from abuse or other types of exploitation, whilst listening to and supporting individuals
- Ensure safeguarding is everybody’s business, with this institution playing its part in preventing, detecting and reporting neglect and abuse
- Ensure arrangements are in place locally to protect those least able to protect themselves.
* St Mellitus College has adopted and adheres to the Statement of Safeguarding Principles of the Church of England
Prevent
The Prevent duty was introduced as part of the UK Government’s Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The Act created a statutory duty that specifies public authorities to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism’. Prevent is one of four strands of the government’s counter-terrorism strategy, and aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
Universities, including Alternative Providers, became subject to the Prevent duty on 18th September 2015 and required to assess how they meet their statutory responsibilities. As a Higher Education Alternative Provider, St Mellitus College has located its Prevent Duty under its ongoing Safeguarding responsibilities in a risk-aware approach to have due regard to our Prevent responsibilities.
Current students of the college can locate the college’s Safeguarding and Prevent Policy within our Moodle site. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the National Safeguarding Officer via the contacts listed above.