The Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf is committed to safeguarding within its community, ensuring that everyone, particularly vulnerable individuals, finds a place of care and support. The diocese has established a Diocesan Safeguarding policy that includes guidelines for recruitment, bullying, and harassment, as well as resources for pastoral care.

Additionally, the Anglican Cathedral of St Christopher, Bahrain and Awali Church has a safeguarding policy that emphasizes the importance of a safe church culture and addresses concerns related to exploitation of vulnerable individuals.

For more detailed information, you can visit the official Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf website or the specific church's safeguarding policies: https://cypgulf.org

The Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor is Linda Balfe: linda.balfe@cypgulf.org 

As we seek to safeguard the integrity of creation, so we seek to ensure a sustained community of care where everyone—particularly the most vulnerable—finds a place of pastoral care, love and support. On this page you will find the Diocesan Safeguarding Policy, along with its Safeguarding and Bullying and Harassment policies, as well as guidelines and links to resources to help us provide that place of care, love and support in all of our churches. 

Safer recruitment helps to ensure that only suitable individuals are appointed to roles involving contact with children and vulnerable adults.

The Church of England Safeguarding Portal offers core Safeguarding courses, including one on Safer Recruitment and People Management that looks particularly at the recruitment of volunteers, providing excellent guidance applicable to any church or organisation (visit the section Toolkit Pathways). Please note, you may need to set up an account to access.

Click on the links below to access useful documents: notes from the online Safer Recruitment and People Management course, as an aide-memoire; and templates to structure and safeguard the whole recruitment and management process. Templates can be used as they are or modified to suit local situations (e.g. some refer to bodies not directly relevant to the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, such as the DBS—Disclosure and Barring Service). Amended or not, these templates offer useful guidance, and the same principles apply.

Volunteer role description template  
Volunteer application form
Example interview questions
Volunteer reference request template
Disclosure and barring (UK)
Risk assessment template
Volunteer appointment letter template
Volunteer induction checklist
Volunteer support meeting agenda template
Safer recruitment people management (notes)
Safer recruitment record-keeping template