At CFC, we are committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for everyone. Safeguarding is not an add-on to our life together; it is a core part of how we live, serve, worship, and care for one another.
Our safeguarding practice is rooted in a robust theology of safeguarding, informed by trauma-aware principles, and delivered in line with the legislative and regulatory framework in Northern Ireland. We are committed to creating safe and brave spaces where people are treated with dignity and respect, and where anyone can raise concerns or seek help without fear.
We take safeguarding seriously across all areas of church life. All staff and volunteers are trained to an appropriate level for their role, with additional requirements for those involved in regulated activity. This includes safer recruitment processes, appropriate training, and ongoing review of practice and policy.
Our safeguarding approach seeks to ensure that:
The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a central priority at CFC. All children’s and youth activities operate within clear safeguarding procedures designed to promote safety, inclusion, and healthy development.
Anyone working regularly with children or young people is required to complete a safe recruitment process, including appropriate checks through Access NI, volunteer/staff application, references, and safeguarding training. Leaders and volunteers are supported to work confidently and safely, helping to create environments where children and young people feel protected, listened to, and valued.
We are committed to ensuring that our kids’ and youth spaces are places where children and young people can thrive, ask questions, develop their faith, and know who to speak to if something does not feel right.
Safeguarding at CFC also includes a clear commitment to safeguarding adults. We recognise that adults may experience harm, abuse, or exploitation in a range of contexts, including within relationships, families, communities, or faith settings.
Our safeguarding practice aims to support adults who may be at risk, ensure concerns are responded to appropriately, and promote environments where adults feel able to speak up, seek help, and be supported with dignity and respect.
CFC recognises that domestic abuse can occur within marriages and relationships, including within Christian contexts. Abuse is never acceptable and is not justified by faith, scripture, or theology. We are committed to responding to domestic abuse with seriousness, compassion, and clarity. Our safeguarding approach reflects recognised safeguarding and specialist practice, including understanding coercive control, emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, and the complex barriers that can prevent people from seeking help.
Further information and guidance on domestic abuse within marriage is available here. [Add link to Domestic abuse booklet here}
CFC has a designated safeguarding structure to ensure concerns can be raised and responded to appropriately. It does not matter if you want to raise something that is happening at present, recently or a long time ago (sometimes called historical safeguarding), you can contact the safeguarding team. Incidents should be raised in the first instance to:
Safeguarding Lead:
Leigh McFarlane
Tel: 07895 446091
Email: moc.cfcsisiht@gnidraugefas
The safeguarding phone and email are held by the Safeguarding Lead and are not seen by anyone else.
Site Safeguarding Deputies:
If your safeguarding matter is an emergency, i.e. it involves a serious risk of harm to anyone, call 999 immediately.
