Our commitment
New Inn Congregational Church is committed to the safeguarding and protection of all children, young people and adults at risk who are part of the life of the church or who come into contact with it. This commitment flows from the church’s own calling. Every person bears the image of God and is to be treated with dignity, care and respect.
We are committed to:
- The care and nurture of, and respectful pastoral ministry with, all children, young people and adults.
- The safeguarding and protection of all children, young people and adults when they are at risk.
- The establishing of a safe, caring community which provides a loving environment where there is informed awareness of the dangers of abuse.
We will carefully select and train those with responsibility within the church, in line with safer recruitment principles, including the use of criminal records disclosures.
We will respond without delay to every concern raised which suggests that a child, young person or adult may have been harmed or may be at risk of harm. We will cooperate with the police and social services in any investigation.
We will seek to offer appropriate pastoral care to anyone who has been affected by abuse.
We will seek to challenge any abuse of power, particularly by anyone in a position of trust.
We also recognise that our duty of care extends to those who serve on the church’s behalf. They are entitled to clear guidance, supervision that protects them from foreseeable risk, and a fair procedure if a concern is ever raised about them.
In all of the above we will follow legislation, statutory guidance and recognised good practice.
Who to speak to
You can speak to any of these three:
- Safeguarding Lead: Mr Matt Fawcett
- Pastor: Rev Gordon Cooke
- Safeguarding Elder: Mr Stephen Boraman
A concern about one of them? Speak to either of the other two.
You can also email the Safeguarding Lead:
You will receive an acknowledgement within 24 hours of your message being read. The Pastor and the Safeguarding Elder are reachable through the church in the usual way.
You do not need to be part of this church to raise a concern with us. A concern may come from anyone. That includes a neighbour, or a member of the public who knows someone connected to the church. It includes someone who would rather not be involved any further. We welcome those concerns and we take them seriously.
What happens when you raise a concern
You will not be left wondering. This is what the church does.
- It is written down. The Safeguarding Lead makes a written record of what was said or seen, the date, and who raised it.
- It is assessed. The Safeguarding Lead decides whether the concern should be referred to Torfaen Social Services or the police. Where there is any doubt, advice is taken from the local authority duty team or from Christian Safeguarding Services before deciding not to refer.
- It is referred where it needs to be. A concern about a child goes to Torfaen Children’s Services or the police. A concern about an adult at risk goes to Torfaen Adult Services or the police. The church cooperates fully with any investigation, and with any multi-agency process under the Wales Safeguarding Procedures.
- It is kept, whatever the outcome. A concern that does not meet the threshold for a referral is still recorded. It is reviewed alongside anything else on record, because a pattern can meet a threshold that single events do not.
- It is handled sensitively. The Safeguarding Lead decides who, if anyone, should make contact with the person concerned, and how.
Confidentiality. Every concern is taken seriously, recorded, and shared only with those who need to know in order to keep people safe. That will include the statutory services where a referral is due. We will not promise to keep a safeguarding concern secret. We may not lawfully be able to keep such a promise, and it would be wrong to make one.
If you told us about abuse that happened to you as a child, it is treated with the same care as anything happening today. However long ago it was makes no difference. Your wishes are respected so far as they can be alongside our duty to protect other people.
You do not have to come through the church
You may go straight to Torfaen Social Services or the police at any time, whether or not you have spoken to anyone at the church. That right is always yours and nothing in our procedures reduces it.
- Children’s Services: 01495 762200
- Adults’ Services: 01495 762200
- Out of hours: 0800 328 4432
- or the Police on 999
Both services are Torfaen Social Services, open 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm Friday, closed on bank holidays. The out of hours number is freephone and covers evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
You do not need to be certain that abuse has happened before raising a concern. If something does not feel right, say so.
If someone is at immediate risk of harm, call the police on 999. Do not wait for the church.
If you think we have not acted properly
Tell Torfaen Social Services or Christian Safeguarding Services directly. You may have raised a concern with us and believe it has not been acted on properly. You do not need our permission to take it further. We would not expect you to ask for it.
Our policies
The church has a written Safeguarding Policy, adopted by the officers on 28 July 2026 and reviewed every year. It is written for the Welsh safeguarding framework and covers children, young people and adults at risk. It follows the Wales Safeguarding Procedures and the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. It sets out how we recruit safely, train our people, handle concerns, keep records and work with statutory agencies.
It also sets out what the church does if it becomes aware that someone attending may pose a risk to others. There is an honest conversation with them, a formal risk assessment, and a written agreement worked out with them and with the statutory services. The agreement records the support the church will give and the limits they accept.
The policy’s own position is this. No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace and the gospel. The church has a duty of care to everyone in its congregation. Both can be held together only by an explicit, honest, documented arrangement.
Everyone who serves the church signs a Code of Conduct. The church is a Gold member of Christian Safeguarding Services, who process our criminal records checks and advise us.
A copy of the Safeguarding Policy, or of any other policy of the church, is available on request from the Safeguarding Lead.
