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The Diocese of Arundel & Brighton Safeguarding Office is a safe point of contact for victims and survivors of abuse within the Catholic Church. We support victims and survivors who were abused when they were children or as adults. We recognise that speaking about abuse may be very difficult and distressing and all calls will be dealt with professionally, compassionately and with sensitivity. You will not be asked to share any information that you are not comfortable with. We will listen in a non-judgemental way and endeavour to support you in any way we can. We will discuss with you our reporting procedures and how we can keep in touch and update you. Together we can consider the best pastoral support for you.
It is our policy to refer all disclosures of abuse to the relevant statutory agency (the police, children or adult services) in line with Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency guidelines. We do this to protect other children and adults from harm as, even if you were abused a long time ago, your abuser may still be working with children or adults, and we want to make sure they are not put at risk.
Referrals to statutory agencies will be discussed with you and, if you are an adult, you will be able to choose whether or not you consent to your personal details being shared. It is our policy to refer the details of any children (a person under 18 years old) to the relevant statutory agency.
If you do not want to speak to the Safeguarding Office at this time, Safe Spaces is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal, and safe space for anyone who has been abused by someone in the Church or as a result of their relationship with the Church of England, the Catholic Church of England and Wales or the Church in Wales.
Safe Spaces’ opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am-9pm, Saturday 9am-1pm, and Sunday 1pm-5pm (excluding bank holidays). You can contact them on T: 0300 303 1056
You can find out more about the services and support Safe Spaces offers on their website. Information and resources about other services you might choose to access can be found here
If you want to contact the Safeguarding Office, our contact details can be found here.
