Safeguarding Risk Assessments

Introduction

The following quote is from Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Guidance for the Methodist Church, July 2023 (SPP & G, July23):

‘While the Church recognises that it is not possible to avoid all risk when working with vulnerable groups, it is possible to try and minimise those risks. This can be achieved through careful planning and preparation and by providing a written record of the thought processes and action taken.

Activity risk assessments should be undertaken before any activity takes place, approved by the event leader/minister and retained securely in case they need to be seen at a later date (e.g. as a result of an accident taking place)’.

In the model Methodist Church Safeguarding Policy (2023), under Good Practise, the following point is made:

Activity risk assessments will be undertaken before any activity takes place to minimise the risk of harm to those involved. Approval will be obtained from the event leader/minister. A written record of the assessment will be retained securely.

Further into the policy specific expectations are stated relating to ‘Events with church groups off the premises’:

Adequate staffing, a risk assessment and notification of the event will be given to the church safeguarding officer PRIOR to the agreement for any event or off site activity. Notification of the event will be given to the church council secretary:……………………(name of church council secretary).

If the activity is unusual or considered to be high risk the church safeguarding officer will contact the circuit safeguarding officer for ratification and to discuss any uncertainties.

By following this, we will not only be protecting the vulnerable but also our workers, volunteers, our churches for both on and off-site activities.

What is a risk assessment?

A Risk Assessment is looking at an activity / environment to identify potential risks or hazards (things that could cause harm or go wrong) for vulnerable groups (and others) and then thinking about what will need to be put in place to eliminate or reduce the identified risks. There could be things in the environment that can cause harm e.g. Trailing electrical wires, plugs that are accessible to small fingers or badly stacked chairs; or risks within parts of an activity, especially off site e.g. Crossing roads, transport arrangements. Some things will be a higher risk than others and it’s the high risks identified that must be addressed first as these have the potential to cause the greatest harm.

When will we need to do a risk assessment?

A risk assessment should be carried out for all activities which involve vulnerable groups before they take place. If an activity is regular, it should be risk assessed at the outset and then at regular intervals to ensure continued safety (at least annually). For one-off activities a risk assessment should be carried out well in advance. If the activity is to take place off site, part of the assessment should be to visit the venue so that all potential risks both on the journey and at the venue can be identified effectively.