At St Mary’s, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. It informs everything that we do, and we are committed to ensuring that St Mary’s is a safe environment for people of all ages. We are committed to following government and Church of England guidelines on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, and good working practice, including safer recruitment of volunteers.
Rhona Teale is the Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). She oversees our safeguarding policies, which can be found here. Rhona can be contacted at [safeguarding@stmaryswalney.church] or on 07821 849992. Any safeguarding concerns, including those regarding children, young people or vulnerable adults, should be reported to the Safeguarding Officer as soon as possible and will always be dealt with quickly and sensitively, with support from additional services as necessary.
Rhona Teale
Parish Safeguarding OfficerYou can also contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team for Carlisle Diocese by calling Joanna Van Lachterop (07458 016884) or email: safeguarding.adviser@carlislediocese.org.uk. Joanna’s working days are Monday - Friday.
If you are concerned about a vulnerable adult, please contact the Adult Social Care team at Westmorland & Furness Council on 0300 373 3301 or Out of Hours on 01228 526690.
If you are concerned about a child, please contact the Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Hub on 0300 373 2724.
If you believe a child or adult is in immediate danger or requires medical attention, please contact the emergency services on 999.
If you have a complaint about safeguarding in our diocese, we have a diocesan Complaints Procedure and a Whistleblowing Policy.
There is more information and support available on the Safeguarding section of the Church of England website.
