In June of this year the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church agreed that from 1 January 2005 all new volunteers, leaders, teachers, and staff members working with children, young people and vulnerable adults within the Church must be PECS checked. The Pre-Employment Consultancy Service is offered by the Department of Health and Social Service and Public Safety. This is a strictly confidential service which will be used by the Church to protect children and young people attending organisations by ensuring all workers are appropriate for leadership.
The PECS check will require new leaders to complete an application form, providing information about their date and place of birth, previous surnames, National Insurance number, record of cautions or convictions and two referees. The form should then be sent to the Presbyterian Board of Social Witness in Church House to be processed.
No existing leaders will be checked under the new procedure, as this is a strictly pre-appointment service. Churches must carry out the PECS check even if the person concerned is being checked by another organisation, as each appointment is treated separately. The process will take between four and six weeks to complete and it is recommended that any individuals changing their areas of responsibility within a church after 1 January 2005 should be treated as a new leader and undergo the new procedure. No new leader should have unsupervised contact with children and young people until they are approved by PECS.
Lindsay Conway, Director of Social Service for the Presbyterian Church highlights the importance of the new guidelines, "It is essential that every Presbyterian congregation and church based organisation follow this process. These procedures are in place to protect the children and young people we work with as well as all adults who work and come into contact with them."
"These new procedures, together with the launch of our new handbook ėTaking Careķ, will assist us greatly in creating a safer environment for the children and young people we serve."
For more information please contact the Presbyterian Board of Social Witness, Tel: 028 9041 7234 Email: bsw@presbyterianireland.org
Issued by Sarah Harding, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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