Patriarhia Română
Mitropolia Ortodoxă Română a Europei Occidentale și
Meridionale Arhiepiscopia Ortodoxă Română a
Europei Occidentale
BISERICA ORTODOXĂ ROMÂNĂ “SFÂNTUL
CALINIC DE LA CERNICA” ÎN SOUTHAMPTON
The Romanian Patriarchate
The Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe
The Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Western Europe
Romanian Orthodox Church of “St Calinic from Cernica’’
in Southampton

SAINT CALINIC FROM CERNICA
Safeguarding Policy Statement Children and Vulnerable
Adults Safeguarding Policy Statement
General statement
Saint Calinic from Cernica Romanian Church and Sunday School is committed to
ensuring a safe environment for worship, study, work and entertainment for church
members, students, teachers, volunteers and visitor. It is the responsibility of all
members of the church committee, teachers and volunteers to take care of their own
safety and that of other members of the community, teachers / volunteers and
visitors, and to co-operate with the Executive Committee of the Church and its
officers to
enable it to carry out its responsibilities. In particular, teachers and volunteers have a
duty to:
 work safely, efficiently and without endangering the health and safety of
themselves, their colleagues or any other person who has a right of access to the
organisation’s premises at any time
 adhere to safety procedures laid down by the Saint Calinic from Cernica and
Sunday School from time to time, and conform to all instructions given by those
with a responsibility for health and safety
 no person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything
provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare.
 record all accidents, near-miss occurrences and hazardous situations in the health
and safety/accident book and report them to the next Parish Council.
All Parish Council members/trustees’, teachers and volunteers have a
responsibility to:
 read and fully understand the Saint Calinic from Cernica Church’s Health and
Sunday’s Church Safety Policy and the procedures to be carried out in the event of
an emergency; if there is any doubt about the meaning, staff must seek

clarification from the Parish Council or the School Co-ordinator.
 co-operate with the Parish Council and the Sunday School representatives, as
appropriate, to achieve a healthy and safe workplace and to take reasonable care
of themselves, the students and others whilst on school premises.
 report to the Parish Council within 24 hours of any accident occurring on the
premises or off the premises, while acting on behalf of the Saint Calinic from
Cernica.
 bring to the notice of the Chairmen / School Coordinator any potentially dangerous
circumstances that the staff/volunteer is unable to put right.
 The Chairman of the Church Committee, the School Coordinator together with all
teachers/volunteers are responsible for the clear explanation of the seriousness of
abiding by the health and safety rules of the school and to encourage all children to
take care of themselves and others at school.
 All teachers/volunteers must read carefully and understand the risks assessments
carried out on school premises from time to time and ensure that the children are
not exposed to these risks, through clear instructions and appropriate actions. All
children should be made aware of no-go areas and behaviour that could endanger
their health and that of others on school premises.
 All teachers/volunteers /children should be encouraged to identify near miss and
dangerous/hazardous situations and to report these to the head teacher/school
coordinator, who should enter them in the Accident and Near-Miss book.
Safeguarding Policy:
1. The following Safeguarding/Child protection Policy has been reviewed following a
meeting of the Parish Council and they recommend that it is deemed to be valid and
appropriate for adoption as the latest safeguarding Policy for the Saint Calinic from
Cernica.
The following designated persons have been nominated by the Saint Calinic from
Cernica to refer allegations or suspicions of neglect or abuse to the statutory
authorities.
1) Ovidiu Semerean: Priest in charge of the Saint Calinic Church
2) Andrei Manea: Father Deacon at Saint Calinic from Cernica and Safeguarding
Officer.
In the absence of the first two designated persons, the matter should be brought to
the attention of:
3) Claudiu Mocanu: Father Deacon at Saint Calinic from Cernica
Child Protection Officer Social services Tel: 0300 5551386 email
adult.services@hants.gov.uk
Child Services Tel: 0300 555 1384 email childrens.services@hants.gov.uk
The emergency number is: 999

Taking Action if you are Concerned about a Child or Young Person Contact: Multi
Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH):
 phone 0300 555 1384 during office hours 8.30am to 5pm Monday to
Thursday, 8.30am to 4.30pm on Friday
 phone 0300 555 1373 at all other times to contact the Out of Hours service
A. Safeguarding Children and Young Adults
1. Objective
Our main objective is to ensure the personal safety of all attendees at the Church
and Sunday School with particular reference to children/young and vulnerable adults
attending the Church services and Sunday School by promoting child and young
and/or vulnerable adult protection awareness, good practice and sound procedures
and ensuring all committee members, teachers and volunteers are properly equipped
with the skills to safeguard children and vulnerable adults
2. Policy statement
Saint Calinic from Cernica is the organisation registered with the Charity Commission,
and is basically responsible for the running of the Church and Sunday School. We
believe that children/young and vulnerable people have the right to be treated
equally and to partake in church life and learn in a safe and friendly environment,
protected from maltreatment, abuse or bullying, physical or mental. We are
committed to providing a protective environment for their religious, educational and
emotional development and taking into consideration their views, wishes, feelings
and beliefs. Furthermore, the Saint Calinic from Cernica Church and Sunday School
encourages active participation by children and young adults in the life of the church,
education process and the decision making regarding the effective running of the
church and school, not only as a place of worship and learning but as a centre of
social and cultural interaction. We believe that this encourages children not only to
share views with their peers but also with their teachers. This general feeling of
participation and belonging is essential for understanding children’s’ behaviour and
knowing when something is not right with a child.
This policy is based on the following principles:
 the welfare of the child/young person is paramount
 all children/young people, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender,
language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual identity, have the right to
protection from abuse
 all suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to
swiftly and appropriately

 committee members, teachers/volunteer are trained to understand the nature of
abuse and to be alert to matters of concern
 committee members, teachers/volunteers working at the Saint Calinic from
Cernica and Sunday School have a responsibility to report concerns they may
have about abuse to children to the designated persons with responsibility for
child protection at the Church/School.
We aim to safeguard children/young people by:
 adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and a code of conduct
for staff/volunteers
• sharing information about child protection and good practice with
children/young people, parents/carers and staff / volunteers
• sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and
involving parents and children/young people appropriately
 following carefully the procedures for recruitment and selection of
staff/volunteers
 providing effective management for staff/volunteers through support and
training.
• reviewing our policy and good practice regularly.
The role of the designated person
Saint Calinic from Cernica Church has three designated child protection officers: the
priest, the Safeguarding Officer and Father Deacon, who undergo child protection
training. It is the responsibility of these persons to make themselves available for
consultation by committee members, teachers, volunteers, visitors and
children/young people and their families. The names of the designated persons and
information about their duties are displayed in the entrance of the church and the
school so that everyone
(including parents/carers) are aware of who to talk to if they have concerns.
The duties of the designated Safeguarding/Child Protection Officer include:
 ensuring that the Safeguarding Policy is implemented throughout
 ensuring that all necessary enquiries, procedures and investigations relating to child
protection are carried out
 reporting results of screening enquiries and preserving ‘need to know’ levels of
confidentiality and access to secure records
 ensuring that all confidential records relating to child protection matters are kept
secure
 liaising with social services at a formal and informal level on child protection
matters as well as the police

 reporting allegations and suspicion of abuse to the appropriate authorities
 ensuring that there is adequate training relating to child protection matters
 ensuring that each activity carried out by the school is sound in terms of child
protection as regards personnel, practices and premises
 checking all incident reports made by staff/volunteers, countersigning them and
making such reference to the appropriate authority as is appropriate.

3. Procedures: Good practice inside the school
The designated person (s) shall ensure that adequate child protection procedures are
in place, as follows:
Each parent must fill out an enrolment form providing for each child providing
personal details relating to name, age, address, contact details of parents, and any
health issues/medicines that would be useful for the school to know to safeguard the
health of the child. Signed consent is requested from the parents of each child /young
person attending the school, to provide emergency treatment to the child and/or to
call a doctor/ambulance, if this is required. An attendance register is kept of all
children/young people attending the school’s activities, including information about
arrival and departure times.
Teachers/volunteers are required to record any accidents or unusual events in the
accident/incident book and to inform the head teacher before the end of the school
day. Any incident that involves confidentiality must be reported to the Designated
Safeguarding/ Child Protection Persons.
The school recognises that physical touch between teachers and children can be
healthy and acceptable in public places, for comforting a crying child. However,
staff/volunteers will be discouraged from this in circumstances where an adult and
child/young person are alone together.
All volunteers should treat all children/young people with dignity and respect and use
appropriate behaviour, language and attitude.
Outings and trips
All vehicles hired for outings must be insured, roadworthy and fitted with seatbelts.
Children are always accompanied by parents, who must ensure orderly behaviour on
the coach and report any dangerous behaviour by the driver. All drivers, parents and
escorts should agree to abide by these guidelines.
A roll call will be taken at the start of a journey and again before beginning the return
journey; if the group is travelling in more than one vehicle, children/young people will
be encouraged to travel in the same vehicle there and back.

Parents and volunteers accompanying trips will carry the contact numbers for
emergency services in the event of an alert being necessary.
If a child/young person goes missing while on a trip, parents/volunteers should
instigate an immediate search. If the child/young person cannot be found within half
an hour, the police should be notified and both parents of the child informed. The care
of the remaining children/young people is paramount. It is imperative that they return
to the church site as quickly as possible, while a parent/volunteer remains at the visit
site to co-ordinate contact between security staff/volunteers and the child’s/young
person’s parents/carers.
Safe recruitment
The Sunday School carries out safe recruitment checks on everyone who works with
children. All roles require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and references
before the individual joins us. Anyone interviewed for a post with our school, will need
to show an understanding of safeguarding that is relevant to the role that they are
applying for.
All staff/volunteers will:
 be given a clear role description, setting out expectations for their work and
conduct
 fill in a form on first appointment to provide their personal details, previous and
current work/volunteering experience and qualifications
 supply the names of two referees, who will be contacted personally
 be taken through the school’s child protection policy and procedures and
encouraged to participate in safeguarding courses, organised by the school.
 be supervised by the school’s co-ordinator.
4 Procedures: Good practice inside the Church
 All Committee members should support the priests in their role as spiritual fathers
and in furthering their duties and responsibilities.
 All committee members have a duty to ensure the safety of all church attendees
with particular emphasis on the elderly, disabled, children and vulnerable adults.
They should always be available to offer assistance to anyone in need.
 All gang ways and fire exits should be clear of any obstructions and easily
negotiable by all particularly disabled persons.
 The ramp entrance to the church should be easily accessible with no cars
obstructing the entry of wheel chairs.
 The Priests, given their regular contact with children, should undergo a DBS
check.
 The priests should consider asking for someone to be present in the church,
somewhere at the back of the church, during confessions of venerable adults.
Alternatively, the in-house CCTV can cover the area used for confessions.

 When children are brought in by the school to take part in the Holy Liturgy and to
receive the Holy Communion, they should be accompanied by their parents/ carers
at all times until they return home
5. Safeguarding training
We are committed to ensuring that all Parish Council members/teachers/volunteers
understand their safeguarding responsibilities and keep their knowledge up to date.
They are encouraged to complete a safeguarding training package within 3 months
of taking up post, and after that at 3-yearly intervals. There will also be regular
refresher training on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, including on
specific areas of risk and safeguarding practice.
6. Responding to allegations of abuse: Procedures:
i) Concerns about children being abused should be referred by the church’s
Designated Persons to the children’s social care department of the local authority
where the child lives. Similarly, concerns about vulnerable adults should be referred to
local authority adult services. Any parish member/volunteer who is in doubt about
what to do should consult the priest/safeguarding officer/ school’s coordinator.
ii) Allegations against a Parish Council member /volunteer:
The Parish Council will fully support and protect anyone who, in good faith, reports
their concern that a colleague is, or may be, abusing a child/young person/vulnerable
person. Where there is a complaint against a visitor/volunteer, there are three stages
in the investigation: a) the designated persons will discuss the matter and if there is
sufficient evidence, b) call upon the services of the safeguarding authority and upon
their advice, c) seek the involvement of the police.
iii) Concerns about poor practice
If, following consideration, the allegation is clearly about poor practice, this will be
dealt with as a misconduct issue. If the allegation is about poor practice by the
Church/school’s designated persons, or if the matter has been handled inadequately
and concerns remain, it should be reported to the chair of the Church Committee, who
will advise how to deal with the allegation and whether or not the Church/school
should initiate disciplinary proceedings.
iv) Internal enquiries and suspension
The designated person will make an immediate decision about whether any individual
accused of abuse should be temporarily suspended, pending further police and social
services inquiries. Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries,
the school will assess all individual cases to decide whether a member of staff or
volunteer can be reinstated and how this can be handled sensitively. This may be a
difficult decision, particularly where there is insufficient evidence to uphold any action
by the police. In such cases, the church/school must reach a decision based upon the
available information. Where on a balance of probability, it is more likely than not that
the allegation is true, the welfare of the child/young person must remain of paramount

importance and the person accused must be suspended until the authorities complete
their investigations.
v) What to do if you suspect that abuse may have occurred
a) You must report your concerns immediately to the designated person at your
church. Suspicions will not be discussed with anyone other than those named above.
b) The designated person will:
– obtain information from witnesses, children/young people or parents/carers
who have child protection concerns and record this information
– assess the information quickly and carefully and ask for further information, as
appropriate
– consult with a statutory child protection agency such as the local social
services department or the NSPCC to clarify any doubts or worries
– ensure that the parents/carers of the child/young person are contacted as soon
as possible, following advice from the social services department
– make a referral to a statutory child protection agency or to the police without
delay.
c) If the school’s designated person is the subject of the suspicion/allegation, the
report must be made to the chair of the Church Committee, who will refer the
allegation to social services.
d) It is the right of any individual to make direct referrals to the child protection
agencies. If, for any reason, you believe that the designated people have not
responded appropriately to your concerns, then it is up to you to contact the child
protection agencies directly.
e) If a child or vulnerable adult makes a disclosure of abuse:
 make notes as soon as possible (ideally within one hour of being told)
 write down exactly what the child/young person or vulnerable adult has said,
what you said in reply and what was happening immediately before you were
told (for example, what activity was taking place)
 record dates, times and when you made the record
 keep all your handwritten notes secure
 report your discussion to the designated person as soon as possible
 if the designated person is implicated, you need to report to the second
designated person
 if both are implicated, report to social services
 do not discuss your suspicions or allegations with anyone other than those
nominated above
 the designated person must consider carefully whether or not it is safe for a
child/young person to return home to a potentially abusive situation, and, if

necessary, they should take immediate action to contact social services in
order to discuss putting safety measures into effect.
iv) Allegations of physical injury or neglect
If a child/young person has symptoms of physical injury or neglect, the designated
person will:
 contact social services for advice in cases of deliberate injury or concerns about
the safety of the child/young person, but they must not inform the parents/carers
seek emergency medical attention if necessary
 in other circumstances, speak with the parent/carer and suggest that medical
help/attention is sought for the child/young person
 if appropriate, encourage the parent/carer to seek help from social services
 if the parent/carer fails to act, seek advice from the Local Safeguarding Children
Board
v) Allegations of sexual abuse
In the event of allegations or suspicions of sexual abuse, the designated person will:
• contact the social services duty social worker for children and families directly, but
must not speak to the parent or to anyone else
• seek advice from the Local Safeguarding Children Board
• collect and clarify the precise details of the allegation or suspicion and provide this
information to social services, but should not attempt to carry out any
investigation into the allegation or suspicion of sexual abuse
• while allegations or suspicions of sexual abuse should normally be reported to the
designated person, their absence should not delay referral to social services.
7) Responding to a child making an allegation of abuse. Follow the “6 R’s:
RECEIVE, REASSURE, REACT, RECORD, REFER, and REFLECT.
RECEIVE: If a child wants to talk to you, never ask them to come back later.
 Ask them what they want to talk to you about and, if you are concerned about
their welfare, give them the time to speak to you.
 Never promise confidentiality, inform the child that you are happy to talk to
them but if they tell you anything that you believe may be putting them at
harm that you will have to talk to someone. Do not make any promises you
cannot keep.
 If you have any concerns that the child has been, or is at risk of harm, you
must tell them that you will speak to someone to get help.
 Listen carefully to the child. Do not stop a child who is freely recalling
information.
 Where a child is visibly upset or has an obvious injury, it is good practice to ask

a child why they are upset or how an injury was caused, or respond to a child
wanting to talk to you to help clarify vague concerns and result in the right
action being taken.
REASSURE:
 Ensure that the child is aware that they have done the right thing in talking to you
and that they have not done anything wrong.
Helpful statements to make:
I believe you (showing acceptance of what the child/young person says).’
Thank you for telling me.’
It’s not your fault.’
I will help you.’
REACT:
 If you need to clarify information, ask open-ended questions e.g. “Is there
anything you'd like to tell me?", “Can you explain to me…”, “Can you describe to
me….”
 Never ask leading or suggestive questions e.g. “Did he/she do anything that they
shouldn't have done?”
 Never ask 'accusing' questions e.g. Do not say: ‘Why didn’t you tell anyone
before?’, ‘I can’t believe it!’, ‘Are you sure that this is true?’, ‘Why? Who? When?
Where?’
 Never criticise the alleged perpetrator, it may be someone that they will continue
to live with.
 Never ask the pupil to repeat their disclosure for any other member of staff, it is
your responsibility to share the information. This may compromise enquiries that
need to be made later by children’s social care or Police.
RECORD:
• Make notes as soon as possible afterwards using the words that the child has
used.
• Be factual: record just what you heard and saw, do not record your assumptions
and interpretations,
• Do not destroy original notes even if you later write things up more neatly and
fully.
• Record the date, time and place of the disclosure.
• Sign any written records and identify your position in the church setting.
• Do not ask a child to write an account or sign any of your documentation as this
may compromise enquiries that need to be made later by Children’s Services or
Police.

REFER:
 Immediately inform the Designated Person/School Coordinator who will be
responsible for following the appropriate procedures. In the absence of anyone being
available in church, contact the Local Authority Safeguarding Team.
REFLECT:
 Ask yourself if you have done everything you can within your role.
 Refer any remaining concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Persons. e.g. any
knowledge of siblings in the school, or previous contact with parents.
 Dealing with disclosures can be difficult and disturbing: you should seek support for
yourself via colleagues from within your church or an alternative source but be
aware of principles of confidentiality. Whatever the nature of your concerns, discuss
them with the Designated Persons.
 If you still have concerns, you or the designated person(s) should refer to Children’s
Services for further advice.
Call the Hampshire Children's Services at 0300 555 1384.
Address: Children's Services Department, Hampshire County Council, Elizabeth II
Court North, The Castle Winchester, SO23 8UG
 If you believe a child is in immediate danger, always call the police on 999.

B. SAFEGUARDING ADULTS
1. Our church promotes and encourages team working and joint responsibility for
the safeguarding of all of us including adults. We believe that it is the
responsibility of all stakeholders in the Saint Calinic Church, the trustees,
volunteers, parents and children to help safeguard each other. We are
committed to providing a safe and secure environment, not only for children,
but staff, parents and visitors too. We are all equally responsible for preventing
physical harm and the abuse of adults just as we are for children and to act
positively to report any abuse.
2. We promote a climate where volunteers will feel confident about sharing any
concerns which they may have about their own safety or the well-being of
others.
3. Any concerns raised, including any concerns relating to any member of the
volunteer’s team, will be investigated thoroughly and confidentially by the
designated persons and the outcome of the investigation will be reported back
to the person who raised the issue, in confidence. If the concern relates to the
School Coordinator it should be reported to the Priest. If is relates to the Priest
it should be reported to the local authorities.
4. No person will be victimised or prejudiced for raising a matter under this
procedure. Victimisation of an individual for raising a qualified disclosure will be

a disciplinary offence. In the event where misconduct is discovered, as a result
of any investigation under this procedure, our disciplinary procedure will be
used, in addition to any appropriate external measures.
5. To deliver our commitment to the physical and mental safety of all our
stakeholders: children, volunteers, parents and guests we undertake the
following:
o We ask all church workers to attend courses on safeguarding within three
months of joining our church and to update every 3 years.
First aider? First aid box?
o We ensure all accessible areas are free of obstructions and hazardous
objects. The premises are always kept clean and tidy. All fire exits are kept
clear and we have regular checks of fire alarms, emergency lights and fire
extinguishers.
C. Support for Dealing with the Aftermath of Abuse
Consideration should be given to the kind of support that children/young people,
parents/carers and volunteers may need. Use of help lines, support groups and open
meetings will maintain an open culture and help the healing process.
The Hampshire Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (HACP) HACP
Administration, 23 Coulbourne Close, Bransgore, Christchurch, BH23 8BW, tel: 01425
673564, email: info@hacp.co.uk
D. Consent for photographic images and videos online
 Photographs that include children/vulnerable persons will be selected carefully
and will endeavour to prevent children/vulnerable persons from being easily
identified.
 Children's/vulnerable people full names will not be used on the website in
association with their photographs.
 Permission will be sought before any images are taken or displayed and images
will only be used for the specific purpose for which permission was sought for
and how the image will be stored if not destroyed. If the intention is to use an
image on the internet this must be clearly stated and further permission must be
acquired if an image is to be used in a way not originally stated.
 Use of images will reflect diversity of age, ethnicity and gender of the activity.
 Live streaming of events must be clearly advertised in advance and where
children are involved permission should be sought in line with the photographic
guidelines.
 Church workers and volunteers should be vigilant at all times regarding people
unknown to the community using cameras or videos within the church during
services and at events or activities which involve children, young people and
vulnerable persons.
8. Learning and improving
We are determined to keep improving our knowledge and understanding of how best

to protect children and vulnerable adults. We will review our own practice regularly to
check that we are placing the right emphasis on safeguarding in our work.
We will carry out in-depth reviews of our actions in cases where children /vulnerable
adults suffer serious harm while under our care. The main purpose of the reviews is
to learn lessons about when our systems need to improve to protect these persons
better in future. We will also promote a culture in which we are able to highlight and
review near misses to learn and improve our practice.
9. Review Dates:
The policy was last reviewed on 7 th November 2025 and adopted by the Trustees on
… November 2025
Signed by Trustees
Parish Priest Revd. Fr. Ovidiu Semerean
Secretary Dan Costin Dinca
PC Member Marius Grumazescu
Date 07.11.2025

Registered Charity Number 1191640; Tel 07703 671507
Date implemented 15 th December 2022
Reviewed 07.11.2025
Future review dates
November 2026