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Safeguarding

The Chapter have committed the Cathedral community to the support, nurture, protection and safeguarding of all, especially the young and the vulnerable.

We recognise that our work with children, young people and vulnerable adults is the responsibility of the whole church community, and we are fully committed to acting within current legislation, guidance, national frameworks and the Diocesan Safeguarding procedures.

Exeter Cathedral will also act in an open, transparent and accountable way in working in partnership with the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Children and Adult Social Care Services, the Police, Probation Services and other agencies to safeguard children and vulnerable adults.

We welcome staff and volunteers who are recruited in accordance with House of Bishops’ Interim Guidelines on Safer Recruitment 2015. This means we will ensure that those who are employed or who volunteer to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults are suitable for the role, that they know what the role entails and that they are supported in carrying it out.

The Ven. Nick Shutt holds responsibility for ensuring the Cathedral’s safeguarding policy is regularly reviewed and kept up to date with national guidance.  A list of Safeguarding Champions from across the Cathedral community (with contact details) is available to download below.

Social Care Institute for Excellence Report

Exeter Cathedral has recently received a visit from SCIE, The Social Care Institute for Excellence. This took the form of an audit of the Cathedral’s safeguarding arrangements. All Cathedrals in England are being inspected by auditors from SCIE which follows audits recently undertaken of the safeguarding arrangements in all Dioceses of the Church of England including Exeter.

Exeter Cathedral takes its responsibility for the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults very seriously and the Dean and Chapter are pleased that this was recognised by the auditors.  The audit took place in February 2019, and the report is available to download. The report concludes that the Cathedral has progressed well in the area of safeguarding and has the essential ‘building blocks’ in place to ensure continued progress. Other findings include:

  • Arrangements in place for the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer to work also as the Cathedral Safeguarding Adviser are effective
  • Liaison with Exeter Cathedral school, which provides choristers for the cathedral choir, is good as is the establishment of a Cathedral Safeguarding Management Panel.
  • The Cathedral has policies in place which are ‘understood and valued across the cathedral community’.
  • The cathedral communicates positively regarding safeguarding matters and the Dean and Senior Team ‘create opportunities to keep the safeguarding messages strong and relevant to all’.
  • Exeter Cathedral staff and volunteers are ‘highly experienced and skilled in their roles’.

Recommendations for the future include encouraging the Cathedral to develop a central database for safer recruitment, DBS checks, and training which auditors recognise is a challenge ‘because of the large numbers of clergy, staff and volunteers’. Furthermore, the increasing popularity of Exeter Cathedral as ‘a venue for events of all kinds will bring extra safeguarding responsibilities connected with these, of which the Dean and Chapter and other officers are fully aware’, the report says.

The report concludes that ‘Exeter Cathedral is well placed to meet these complex challenges, and to continue the progress it has made since 2016/17 by embedding the new safeguarding culture and practices to the benefit of all’.


Resources to download

Further safeguarding resources (including contacts, policies and guidance, safer recruitment, and information about training) are provided by the Diocese of Exeter’s Safeguarding Team.

If there is an immediate risk of harm to an individual you should dial 999 and report your concern to the police.
Detail of other advice and support services can be found on the contacts link above.