John Wesley’s New Room Safeguarding Policy

Date of Issue: 25 Feb 2026

Review Date: Feb 2027

Relevant contact details can be found at the end of the document.

1. Purpose of policy

John Wesley’s New Room (JWNR) is committed to creating a safe, welcoming environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults who visit and/or have interactions with our buildings and charity.
This policy sets out how we (JWNR) work to prevent harm, respond to concerns and promote safety across all areas of our organisation. This policy is reviewed on an annual basis to ensure it is fit for purpose.
John Wesley’s New Room is part of the Methodist Church and this policy is intended to align with the Methodist Church’s values, as well as best practice for charities and museums.
The Methodist Church, along with the whole Christian community, believes each person has a value and dignity which comes directly from God’s creation in God’s own image and likeness. Christians see this as fulfilled by God’s re-creation of us in Christ. Among other things, this implies a duty to value all people as bearing the image of God and therefore to protect them from harm.

2. Scope of policy

This policy applies to:

employees.
volunteers, including those in ministerial and pastoral roles.
trustees.
contractors.
visitors.
anyone representing the organisation.

It applies to all activities happening on-site at John Wesley’s New Room and at Charles Wesley’s House, 4 Charles Street. It also applies to any offsite visits or activities happening elsewhere under our organisation’s name.

Statement of Principles

It is the Methodist Church’s intention to value every human being as part of God’s creation and the whole people of God. At the heart of the Methodist community is a deep sense of the place of welcome, hospitality and openness, which demonstrates the nature of God’s grace and love for all.

Principles

Safeguarding is about the action the organisation takes to promote a safer culture and is everyone’s responsibility. This means JWNR will:

promote the welfare of children, young people and adults.
work to prevent abuse from occurring.
seek to protect and respond well to those that have been abused.

We are committed to:

the care and nurture of, and respectful pastoral ministry with, all children, young people and adults.
safeguarding and protecting all children, young people and adults when they are vulnerable.
establishing safe, caring communities, which provide an environment where there is informed vigilance as to the dangers of abuse.

In order to achieve this we will:

carefully select and ensure training for those with any responsibility within the organisation, in line with safer recruitment principles, including the use of criminal records checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
respond without undue delay to every safeguarding concern, working in partnership with the police, social services and other services as appropriate, following JWNR’s procedures.
display JWNR’s Safeguarding Policy and essential contact information where it can be easily seen.
seek to challenge any abuse of power, especially by anyone in a position of trust.
comply with our Health & Safety obligations and ensure activities are suitably risk assessed.
support risk assessment of those who present a safeguarding risk within an environment like ours. We will ensure appropriate pastoral care is offered and measures are taken to address identified risks including referral to statutory agencies, suspension and the use of safeguarding contracts to allow everyone to be part of our community without undue risk.
follow JWNR’s Photography Process when taking, storing and sharing images and films.
follow data protection legislation and guidance when recording, storing or processing personal data.

3. Definitions

The terms used in this document can be defined as follows:
Safeguarding: Protecting a child or vulnerable adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. Child: This is defined by law as anyone under the age of 18. Vulnerable adult / adult at risk: Under The Care Act (2014) is someone over 18 years old who

has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs),
is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
as a result of those needs is unable to protect themself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

Types of abuse: Physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, financial, spiritual abuse, discriminatory abuse, domestic abuse, grooming, online exploitation, radicalisation. Abuse and neglect may occur in a family, a community or an institution. It may be perpetrated by a person or persons known to the child, young person or vulnerable adult or by strangers; by an adult or by a child. It may be an infliction of harm or a failure to prevent harm.

4. Roles & Responsibilities

The Trustees of JWNR have overall responsibility for safeguarding. They commit to:

reviewing safeguarding policies and processes annually to ensure they are fit for purpose and being followed.
undertaking suitable training.
appointing a member to act as Safeguarding Lead for the Board.
ensure robust policies, training, and resourcing.

The Trustees of John Wesley’s New Room have appointed the Director as Designated Safeguarding Lead. They are the first point of contact for any concerns and will lead the response, liaising with internal and external contacts as required. The Trustees will support them in this role, which is to:

provide support and advice to staff and volunteers in fulfilling their roles with regard to safeguarding.
ensure that a suitable, signed safeguarding policy is available along with names of current safeguarding officers, national helplines and other suitable information. This must be renewed annually.
record all safeguarding issues that are reported to the DSL, according to Methodist safeguarding policy. Ensure this is done appropriately and securely, in line with data protection legislation.
identify and inform those who are required to attend safeguarding training and maintain records of attendance.
attend training and meetings relating to the role
work in partnership with others including staff, volunteers and hirers to promote good safeguarding practice. This may include gaining written confirmation that hirers of the premises are aware of the safeguarding policy or are using an appropriate policy of their own.
check that safeguarding is included as an agenda item at all Board and Staff meetings.
inform all those with responsibility for recruitment, whether paid or voluntary, of their obligation to JWNR’s safer recruitment procedures.
advise the Regional Officer for Safeguarding of any issues with compliance with safeguarding training, policy or safer recruitment requirements and respond promptly to any request from them about audit of safeguarding activities.

In the event the DSL is unavailable, or their response is not deemed satisfactory, the Chair of the Board can be contacted. If the matter is still not resolved satisfactorily it can be escalated to the Regional Safeguarding Officer.
All staff and volunteers are required to undergo training appropriate to their role and make considerations for safeguarding in all aspects of their work. They should report any concerns immediately to the DSL, no matter how small.

5. Responding to Concerns or Disclosures

Where concerns or disclosures arise we will respond using the following framework:

1. Listen, reassure, do not promise confidentiality.

2. Record the concern factually (who, what, where, when).

3. Report immediately to the DSL

DSL decides whether to refer to:

• Children’s Social Care

• Adult Safeguarding

• Police (if immediate danger)

5. If the concern involves a member of staff/volunteer, the DSL informs Trustees & safeguarding authorities as required.

We will respond without delay to any allegation or cause for concern that a child or vulnerable adult may have been harmed or may suffer harm, whether on the premises or in another context.

6. Confidentiality & Information Sharing

Any confidential or personal information will only be shared on a need-to-know basis. Records will be stored securely and will only be accessible to appropriate person(s). Sharing, processing and storage information will be done in compliance with the GDPR and our data protection policy.

7. Recruitment & Training

All staff, volunteers and trustees are recruited in accordance with the Methodist Church’s Safe Recruitment guidelines and undergo suitable training for their role(s) which will be refreshed on a three yearly basis.

8. Code of Conduct / Safe Working Practices

Staff and volunteers must conduct themselves in an appropriate and professional way by:

avoiding being alone with a child or vulnerable adult where possible. If it is unavoidable, they should ensure they are within an area covered by CCTV and others on-site are aware.
using clear, respectful language.
not initiating physical contact with children or vulnerable adults.
avoiding personal communication (e.g. private social media messages) with children or vulnerable adults.
following JWNR’s photo and filming policy.
following lone working protocol.
taking suitable measures to ensure the chapel, museums and café are safe environments for visitors, such as reporting H&S concerns and being aware of CCTV blind spots.

9. External Users

Any person or group hiring or using our spaces (including the chapel, museum, visitor centre, outdoor spaces and Charles Wesley’s House) must either provide their own safeguarding policy and suitable procedures, or sign to agree to follow our policies for the duration of their activities.

10. Whistleblowing

Any member of staff, volunteer or other user of our spaces can raise concerns about unsafe practice or misconduct without fear of reprisal. Anyone wishing to raise a concern should contact the Chair of Trustees of John Wesley’s New Room in the first instance. If the Chair is involved, or the response received is not deemed satisfactory, the concern should be raised with the Regional Safeguarding Officer.

11. Managing Allegations Against Staff

In the event of an allegation against any employee or volunteer:

the DSL will notify any appropriate authorities immediately.
the DSL will decide on an appropriate course of action and follow this process through to a satisfactory conclusion.
the individual may be suspended from their duties pending investigation.
support will be provided to all parties during and after the process as required.

12. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually by the Trustee Board and updated according to new legislation, guidance or organisational changes.

Approved by:
Name: Clifford Friend (Chair) on behalf of the Board
Date: 25 Feb 2026

Contact information

Miranda Payne
Designated Safeguarding Lead
safeguarding@newroombristol.org.uk

Clifford Friend
Chair of Trustees
chair@newroombristol.org.uk

Jade Woodhouse
Regional Officer for Safeguarding (Methodist Church)
woodhousej@methodistchurch.co.uk

Alison Corner
Regional Safeguarding Manager (Methodist Church)
cornera@methodistchurch.co.uk

External Contacts

In an emergency, call 999

Childline: 0800 1111 ┃ https://www.childline.org.uk/

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000 ┃ help@nspcc.org.uk

Mental Health Crisis: NHS 111 and select option 2

National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247

This is not an exhaustive list. Contact details correct at time of last approval.