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Safeguarding Trust now has a dedicated website

Safeguarding Trust now has its own website www.sgt.ireland.anglican.org

You will find updates, information , contact details and links to AccessNI forms etc on the website. Please visit the site and become familiar with it. This is only the beginning!!

AccessNI News

  • The AccessNI Enhanced Disclosure application form has changed since 14th April 2014. There has been no indication that the previous form will no longer be accepted, however it would be best to always use the form which is currently on the AccessNI website. It is advisable to download the current form and to start using it.
    AccessNI Enhanced Disclosure application forms may be downloaded from:
    http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/accessni-application-forms
  • On Page 5, Section H2 of an AccessNI Enhanced Disclosure application form – ‘Position applied for’, the correct description is either ‘supervised worker/volunteer in regulated activity with children’ or ‘unsupervised worker/volunteer in regulated activity with children’. These descriptions cover all work with children in a parish, and are what is required by AccessNI, but the descriptions do not provide the Board of Education with required information. It would be useful therefore, if in future, the specific role could be stated on the Validation Form. The Validation Form has been amended to allow this and can be accessed from the SGT website.
  • AccessNI has removed the question at Field G1 on the Standard / Enhanced Disclosure Application Form, which currently prompts the applicant to declare if they have any convictions.

Old and minor convictions and cautions are now being filtered from Enhanced checks by AccessNI.

For any Standard and Enhanced applications received after 14 April 2014. AccessNI will:–

Consider all convictions, cautions, informed warnings and details of diversionary youth conferences held on criminal record databases for disclosure;

Apply the filtering scheme to this information;

Remove any convictions or cautions, etc that fall within the filtering scheme; and

Disclose the remaining relevant information on disclosure certificates – this applies equally to the Applicant’s copy and the Registered Bodies copy.

Point of Note [For Enhanced Disclosures only] : police may decide to include information about convictions and or cautions, etc that have been filtered by AccessNI on the basis that they “might be relevant and ought to be disclosed”. If this is the case the information will not be shown in the convictions or cautions section of the certificate but in the “other information” section of that certificate.

More information about the filtering process can be found at:
www.dojni.gov.uk/index/accessni/disclosures/filtering.htm

Holiday Clubs
Yes it’s rolling round to that time of year again when workers and volunteers will be being recruited for holiday clubs, camps, schemes and all sorts of other projects.
Given the volume of AccessNI checks which we process, it takes approximately 4 weeks from when we receive an AccessNI application form until a certificate is returned to a parish. Therefore all applications for holiday clubs etc must be received in good time. If your event is taking place in July the closing date for receipt of AccessNI applications is Monday 2nd June. Events taking place in August – closing date for receipt of AccessNI applications is Monday 30th June.

Applications for holiday events received after these dates will not be processed.

If someone has a position working with children in the parish, there is no requirement to recheck them for a holiday event.

Social Media and Internet Training Day with Jim Gamble at Church House Dublin
A number of Diocesan Youth Workers (DYWs) and Diocesan Communications Officers (DCOs) from across the Church of Ireland came together at Church of Ireland House, Dublin on Monday 31st March 2014 to focus on the opportunities and challenges of communicating through the internet and social media particularly with young people today. Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of INEQE and expert in child protection and contemporary communications, was the guest speaker and spoke about the need to embrace social media ‘while ensuring that credibility and reputation are assured through appropriate usage – knowing who you are, what you’re doing and why you’re doing it’.

The Revd Dr David Rock, Team Leader for the Irish Methodist Youth & Children’s Department, also spoke about developing effective guidelines at the training day and acted as facilitator for group discussion which focused on issues relating to the development of further guidelines for the Church’s work in these areas – these will now be progressed. The event was organised by the Church of Ireland’s Child Protection Officers, Renee English and Margaret Yarr, the Education Secretaries, Ken Fennelly and the Revd Ian Ellis, and the Church of Ireland Press Officer, Paul Harron.

Some of the DCOs and DYOs who attended the recent training
Some of the DCOs and DYOs who attended the recent training

Some of the DCOs and DYOs who attended the recent training event
Pic L–R: Amy Mc Crea, Jonny Phenix, George Walker, Annette McGrath, Jim Gamble, Renee English, Bishop John McDowell, Margaret Yarr, Rev Ian Ellis
(credit Paul Harron/Church of Ireland Press Office)

For further information, please contact

SafeGuarding Trust is The Church of Ireland Code of Good Practice for Ministry with Children.

Safeguarding Trust NI policy documents may be access on the link below:– www.ireland.anglican.org/SGT_NI

Safeguarding Trust RoI policy documents may be access on the link below:– www.ireland.anglican.org/SGT_RI

Dr Peter Hamill

Secretary to the Board of Education (NI)
Church of Ireland House
61?67 Donegall Street
Belfast
BTI 2QH
028 9082 8860

edunorth@ireland.anglican.org?Subject=From%20SGT%20Website

Ms Margaret Yarr

Child Protection Officer (NI)
Church of Ireland House
61?67 Donegall Street
Belfast
BTI 2QH
028 9082 8860

cponi@ireland.anglican.org?Subject=From%20SGT%20Website

Ms Claire Geoghegan

AccessNI Administrator
Church of Ireland House
61?67 Donegall Street
Belfast
BTI 2QH
028 9082 8860

claire@diocoff-belfast.org?Subject=From%20SGT%20Website

Dr Ken Fennelly

Secretary to the Board of Education (ROI)
Church of Ireland House
Church Avenue
Rathmines
Dublin 6
01 4125 609

ken.fennelly@rcbcoi.org?Subject=From%20SGT%20Website

Ms Renee English

Child Protection Officer (ROI)
Church of Ireland House
Church Avenue
Rathmines
Dublin 6
01 4125 662

cpori@ireland.anglican.org?Subject=From%20SGT%20Website

Ms Ruth Burleigh

Garda Vetting Administrator
Church of Ireland House
Church Avenue
Rathmines
Dublin 6
01 4125 624

ruth.burleigh@rcbcoi.org?Subject=From%20SGT%20Website

 

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