Birmingham Cathedral Chapter place the safeguarding of all who worship at and visit Birmingham Cathedral as their highest priority. This particularly includes children and at risk adults.
As a Church of England Parish Church Cathedral we work closely with our Diocesan Safeguarding colleagues, which ensures our practices and policies are providing a safe environment for all.
The Cathedral Safeguarding Team is made up of both staff and volunteers, who meet quarterly to review best practice, policy and to ensure that safeguarding remains at the forefront of all our work and mission.
In 2016 Chapter commissioned an independent safeguarding audit, evidencing their commitment to ensuring safe practices. That audit formed the basis for an action plan which is an integral part of the Cathedral team’s review.
Safeguarding policies and documents
- Safeguarding Policy
- Safeguarding Policy Statement
- Complaints Policy
- Complaints Procedure
- Privacy Notice
- Policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders
- Parish Safeguarding Policy statement
- Safeguarding audit
- Audit action plan
- Safeguarding Children leaflet
Who to contact with safeguarding concerns
Any Safeguarding concerns should be reported to the Church of England Diocesan Safeguarding team.
Our cathedral safeguarding contacts are:
Steph Haynes
Cathedral Safeguarding Officer
07342 993 844
Anna Pitt
Deputy Cathedral Safeguarding Officer
0121 262 1847
Alternatively, you can complete an online referral form or go direct via Safe Spaces
For Out of Hours and Weekend Emergencies please call 0845 120 4550.
This number will take you through to Thirtyone:eight. We have an information sharing agreement, so that any details given will be passed to the Diocesan Safeguarding team. You can choose to remain anonymous if you wish.
If you have immediate concerns relating to the safety of any individual please report to the police by calling 999.
Other useful contacts
More about us
Education Guide Volunteers
Our education visits are some of the best opportunities to engage with the children and young people of the city, and our education guides are instrumental in this goal. We can usually run visits on Tuesdays and Thursday, from either 10am-12pm or from 1pm-3pm. We can accommodate up to 60 children at any one time, however we will typically split them into at least 3 groups.
Our volunteers work in alignment with the ethos of the Church of England, although many are not practising Christians themselves.
What this volunteering opportunity will provide you with:
- Knowledge of the international significance of the windows, the artists Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris and their links to Birmingham.
- Experience working with people from a diverse range of backgrounds.
- Opportunity to work with children and young people in an educational context.
- Insight into the workings of the cathedral, and experience working in a sacred building and place of faith.
- The opportunity to practice speaking in various foreign languages dependent on the nationality of visitors you encounter.
- Opportunities to volunteer in further roles in the cathedral team.
- Experience working alongside a team of skilled and knowledgeable individuals both clergy and non-clergy
- Safeguarding and ACT training (this is a requirement)
Depending on the nature of the volunteering role you undertake with us, we may need to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure in accordance with the Disclosure and Barring Service Rules.
All information provided by volunteers with be held in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation within the Data Protection Act 2018.