Wednesday 2 March 2016: Jim McBain: Keeping Churches Safe
Club member, Jim McBain began by regretting that discussion about keeping churches safe for children and vulnerable adults was necessary, but news reports in recent times showed that it was now a concern for all church communities. Speaking as a member of the Methodist Church he described how each Methodist Church now had a “Designated Person” to ensure compliance with the law on safeguarding and child protection and the implementation of church policy. However all denominations were now committed to making churches safe with everyone – honest about the unpalatable possibility that congregations can house both Abusers and the Abused. Using training materials prepared by the Irish Methodist Youth and Children’s Department he examined the issues which this created and went on to demonstrate how volunteer youth workers were trained. This covered health and safety on church premises, interacting with children and the duty of care of adult leaders. He concluded by listing the questions which have to be asked to ensure that the church is a safe place for everyone. Jim was thanked for his talk by Probus President, Paul Gallagher, not least because he had stepped in at very short notice for a speaker who had been due to attend.