Safeguarding
At St Peter’s, we are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. We want our church to be a safe place for everyone, and we follow the safeguarding guidance and policies of the Church of England and the Diocese of Chelmsford.
If you have a safeguarding concern, please contact our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Clare Reid, using safeguarding@stpeterscolchester.org. You can also contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser or visit the Diocese of Chelmsford safeguarding pages for further contact options.
If someone is in immediate danger, please call 999.
Safeguarding contacts
Parish Safeguarding Officer (Mrs Clare Reid)
Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser
Safeguarding policy documents
Our full Safeguarding Policy (last revised: February 2026) is available to download here.
Alternatively, the individual sections can be downloaded below:
[Download Part A: Overview]
[Download Part B: Children (ages 0-11)]
[Download Part C: Youth (ages 11-18)]
[Download Part D: Vulnerable Adults]
[Download Part E: Domestic Abuse]
[Download Part F: Safer Recruitment & People Management]
[Download Part G: Church Staff Team]
[Download Part H: PCC Policy on Recruitment of Ex-offenders]
Further information
Church of England safeguarding
Diocese of Chelmsford safeguarding
Safeguarding support and helplines
If you have a safeguarding concern about a child, young person, or adult, you can contact St Peter’s safeguarding team using the details on this page. You can also contact the relevant statutory services directly. You do not need to contact St Peter’s before contacting statutory services or the police if someone is at risk of harm.
Local safeguarding contacts — Essex
Concern about a child
Essex Children and Families Hub: 0345 603 7627
Out of hours: 0345 606 1212
If a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, call the Children and Families Hub and ask for the Priority Line, or call 999.
Concern about an adult
Essex Adult Social Care: 0345 603 7630
Out of hours: 0345 606 1212
National support and helplines
NSPCC Helpline — for adults concerned about a child
Phone: 0808 800 5000
Email: help@nspcc.org.uk
The NSPCC says its voice helpline is available Monday to Friday, with email available at any time.
Childline — for children and young people
Phone: 0800 1111
Free, confidential support for children and young people.
National Domestic Abuse Helpline
Phone: 0808 2000 247
A free, 24-hour helpline run by Refuge for anyone experiencing domestic abuse.
Safe Spaces — support for survivors of church-related abuse
Phone: 0300 303 1056
Email: SafeSpaces@FirstLight.org.uk
Safe Spaces is an independent support service for people who have experienced abuse in a church or religious context.
Samaritans — emotional support
Phone: 116 123
Free, 24-hour support for anyone struggling to cope.
NHS 111 — urgent mental health help
Phone: 111 and choose the mental health option, if available.
Use this if you need urgent mental health advice and it is not a 999 emergency.
St Peter’s cannot provide emergency safeguarding or crisis support through this website. If someone is at immediate risk of harm, please call 999.
Last updated: May 2026