How safe are children at your church? - CFN Newsletter Week 126

CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK NEWSLETTER 126

> What are the lessons for the Church from the Bichard Inquiry into the Soham murders?
> News:
> Major award for Church Army youth project
> Christian charity leader on his bike for drugs education cash
> Parents go hungry to feed their families, says survey
> Sites:
> Help for children hurting through divorce
> Apologetics Q&A - how to answer your non-Christian friends
> Marriage MOT:
> You've got to laugh: Allergic? Ask the Doc
> Members' Zone latest

> OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS WEEK

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> FROM THE EDITOR

Trust and safety play a big part in our latest update, with a look at what churches can learn in the aftermath of the Bichard Inquiry into the Soham murders, and a take on the controversy surrounding the Government's flagship sex education programme.

Max Lucado examines our tendency to label people on surface appearances, while columnist Elisabeth Corcoran admits she falls short on practising what she preaches.

Eric Spellmann examines the blogging phenomenon (the craze for online diaries), and there's plenty of news, humour and great websites to visit.

Enjoy the sun - when you can find it!

Russ Bravo
Christian Family Network
info@cfnetwork.co.uk
http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk

PS Christian Family Network is here to direct you to the best in parenting, marriage and family resources; to link you up with other Christian families up and down the UK; and to help you make the most of life as a follower of Christ - at home, at work, at school and college, at play and online.

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> CHURCH, SAFETY AND YOUR KIDS

Would your church hire an Ian Huntley?

• AS the Bichard Inquiry into the Soham murders closed, DAVID PEARSON looked at the lessons that the Church could learn from the tragedy
  

The failures of Ian Huntley's former employers to carry out adequate checks echoed with the results of recent research by CCPAS.

Ian Huntley did complete an application form for his Soham job, but somewhat alarmingly only four out of 10 churches follow this procedure. Tragically, the headteacher of Soham Village College did not check Huntley's references before appointing him, even though the caretaker's predecessor had been dismissed for having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

CCPAS findings show that the average church is likely to have made the same mistake, as only a third bother to check references. At least Ian Huntley was interviewed, which would only have happened in about two-fifths of churches, with Baptists, Methodists and The Salvation Army being more likely to do so than other churches.

Sadly the headteacher did not explore any child protection issues beyond asking how a candidate would react if a student developed a crush on them. Would your church have fared any better? When it came to voluntary disclosure forms for declaring offences and cautions, churches did rather better, with two-thirds requiring these. Larger churches were three times more likely to follow this procedure than smaller ones.

However, that would not have told us much in regard to someone like Ian Huntley because he had not been cautioned or convicted. He therefore had nothing to declare even though a police report in 1999 suggested he was a 'serial sex attacker'. When it came to investigating the criminal records checks that had been made on Huntley, we know there were serious failings because this information ('soft' intelligence) had not been kept by the police, and it was this that triggered the Bichard Inquiry.

Nearly nine out of 10 churches responding to the survey use criminal records checks for new workers and some three-quarters were undertaking retrospective checks on existing workers.

We know from our own disclosure service that churches have benefited from police information revealed in criminal records checks, and children in churches have been protected as a result. Some 87% of churches use criminal records checks for new children's workers, and 73% check existing workers. However, these checks, essential as they are, are no panacea because we know that most offenders are not caught and therefore other aspects of the recruitment process are, if anything, more important. Research by Cawson et al found that only a quarter of people who had experienced sexual abuse as a child told anyone at the time; another quarter told later; but 31% had not informed anyone by early adulthood.

• Why, when 96% of church leaders are aware of their denomination's child protection policies, do only one-third of churches carry them out? Find out in the rest of this article in our Resources section at http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/resources.asp

> THIS WEEK'S NEWS

> Major award for Church Army youth project

The Borders-based In2Venture Grafted project managed by Church Army’s Paul Little has won the "Empowering Communities Achievement Award”.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> Christian charity leader on his bike to raise funds for drug education

Hope UK Director George Ruston is cycling the scenic route from London to Edinburgh to celebrate the charity's 150th anniversary, his 20th year as director - and to raise thousands for drug education.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/resources.asp for the full story

> Parents go hungry to feed their families, says survey

Half of all parents (46 per cent) on a low income have gone short of food over the last year to feed someone else in their family, reveals a survey by leading children's charity NCH.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> MARRIAGE MOT

> Check out our archived marriage tips in the Members' Zone, plus stacks more marriage resources at http://www.2-in-2-1.co.uk

Love is …. patient!

In today’s world of fast food and e-mails, we’re not used to being patient. It’s easy to expect everything to be available or sorted out at once. We can’t run our relationships like that …

Some people need time to get used to change or to think something through. It takes our teenagers time to get round to opening up and talking to us – they don’t always do it when it’s convenient for us.

In marriage, too, we have to learn to be patient – to give our loved one the space they need to think something through or to find the words to say what they want. We may want them to change their behaviour, but even when they’re willing to change it may take time – are we willing to wait?

Patience involves generosity of spirit and heart, allowing our loved one to be who they are, to handle life the way they find best. It involves setting aside our desire to have things sorted or “closed out” at once. It involves laying aside our anger and desire for our own way and to leave space for the one we love to be who they are.

When we love, we are willing to be patient.

How patient are you?

> EVENTS

> YOU'VE GOT TO LAUGH ...

"Because of an ear infection, my young son, Casey, had to go to the pediatrician. I was impressed with the way the doctor directed his comments and questions to my son.

"When he asked Casey, "Is there anything you are allergic to?" Casey nodded and whispered in his ear. Smiling, the pediatrician wrote out a prescription and handed it to me. Without looking at it, I tucked it into my purse.

"Later, the pharmacist filled the order, remarking on the unusual food-drug interaction my son must have. When he saw my puzzled expression, he showed me the label on the bottle.

"As per the doctor's instructions, it read: 'Do not take with broccoli.'"

http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

> CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK THIS WEEK
(MEMBERS' ZONE) - http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/default.asp

> Advice

> Kate's Marriage advice -
> Eric Spellmann looks at 'blogging' - the craze for online diaries

> Resources

> Could your church have hired an Ian Huntley? Church child protection analysis from expert David Pearson
> Controversy over Government sex education programme leaves Christians divided
> Platform wit - genuine train announcements overhead in London ...
> It's time my words and my deeds matched, admits Elisabeth Corcoran
> Max Lucado on the dangers of judging people on first impressions

> News

> Major award for Church Army youth project
> Christian charity leader on his bike for drugs education cash
> Parents go hungry to feed their families, says survey

> News extra: 'Costly love is vital' playgroup leaders told

> Top sites this week

> Help for children hurting through divorce
> Apologetics Q&A - how to answer your non-Christian friends
> You can fix your own printer!
> Tumbling teddies - bring out the child in you!

> Events: What's on near you

> Webwatch index: more than 700 sites categorised at your fingertips

> Site Search Engine: the easy way to trawl our 1,000-page plus archives

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