Governance - the nuts and bolts of Eldership
This part of the course looks at the specific
and legal responsibilities which fall to the Elders' meeting.
3. What are Elders responsible for?
3.1. Safeguarding
The serving Elders of United Reformed Churches are responsible for overseeing all aspects of safeguarding as they relate to all vulnerable people, children and adults.
These duties include responding appropriately and quickly
to any incidents of abuse/alleged abuse, ensuring appropriate and sufficient
pastoral care and support is in place, overseeing children’s, youth and
community work, assessing risks and implementing and following safer
recruitment procedures – basically ensuring everyone who engages with the life
of the local church is kept safe.
The URC's safeguarding guidance is enshrined in Good Practice 6 which offers full details of how to respond to safeguarding issues.
The URC safeguarding team has produced foundation-level safeguarding training course that is available to everyone here on the URC Learning Hub.
You are encouraged to look at these materials. The course can be accessed by clicking here or from the Safeguarding tab on your Hub dashboard.