Elmdon Church is committed to ensuring that our church is a safe place for all to worship God and meet as a church family.  All forms of abuse are wrong and must stop.

While safeguarding in the responsibility of the whole church family, it is overseen by the Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator, Incumbent and PCC.

We want to do all we can to keep everyone in our community safe, and safer recruitment and safeguarding training is essential for all who work and volunteer with us.

If you have any current or historical safeguarding concerns, please do contact any of the following safeguarding contacts:

• Lesley Huss, Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator – safeguarding@elmdonchurch.org
• Sarah Leckie, Parish Domestic Abuse Contact – sarah@elmdonchurch.org
• Steph Haynes, Diocesan Safeguarding Officer – stephh@cofebirmingham.com, 07342 993 844

** If it is an emergency and you are at immediate risk of harm, or you believe a child or adult to be at immediate risk of harm, do not delay in calling 999. **

Our aim is always to respond diligently to any concerns regarding children, young people and vulnerable adults, taking steps to ensure the safety of the people involved by immediately following the House of Bishop’s guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) and statutory agencies immediately. You can view our Safeguarding Policy, our Domestic Abuse Statement and our Safeguarding Complaints Procedure on this website.

Sources of help outside the church

Police

• 101 – non-emergency number
• 999 – emergency number

Social Care Services

• Children’s Care Services – 0121 303 1888 (Birmingham), 0121 788 4300 (Solihull)
• Adult Care Services – 0121 303 1234 (Birmingham), 0121 704 8007 (Solihull)

Domestic Abuse

• National Domestic Abuse Helpline for women and children – 0808 2000 247
• Men’s Advice Line for male victims of domestic abuse – 0808 801 0327

Church-Related Abuse

• Safe Spaces helpline for anyone over 18 who has been abused by someone in the church or as a result of their relationship with the church – 0300 303 1056
• MACSAS for any adults who have been abused by church officers – 0808 801 0340

Housing

• Solihull Community Housing for people 25 and over, or 16-24 with dependent children, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness – 0121 717 1515
• St Basil’s for people aged 16-24 who are homeless or at risk of homeless – 0330 33 27 978

Mental Health

• Samaritans for people struggling to cope and needing someone to talk to – 116 123
• Shout for mental health text support – text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258

For further sources of support in Birmingham and Solihull, see The Waiting Room.