Frances McGraw
Child Protection in Westwood Parish Church
As with every congregation in the Church of Scotland we have a Safeguarding Coordinator. It is my responsibility to ensure that any person volunteering to work in the Sunday Schools, Crèche or any group involving youngsters is placed on the register of Personnel Working with Children and Young People.
Since 2005 it has become a legal requirement for volunteers to be vetted by the Police. As a result, the Church of Scotland has set down procedures to be followed to ensure identity and suitability of all volunteers; then Police vetting proceeds. Once this process has been carried out, Disclosure Scotland proceed with the vetting. A disclosure certificate is then sent out and it is then down to the Safeguarding Office of the Church of Scotland to decide if this person is suitable to be placed on the register.
It is hoped that in taking these steps we will keep our children safe. If you have any enquiries regarding safeguarding I can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Frances McGraw