Safeguarding at Immanuel

Safeguarding Officer:
Annette Lawrance–Owen

Annette Lawrance–Owen is the safeguarding officer at Immanuel. Annette is ably supported by Shane Morton who is the deputy safeguarding officer. Together with our minister, Rev’d Matt White, Annette and Shane form Immanuel’s safeguarding team. If you have any safeguarding concerns or queries, please contact Annette and the safeguarding team via the email address* below:

safeguarding@immanuelchichester.com

*PLEASE NOTE: All correspondence sent to the email address above will be seen by our safeguarding officer (Annette Lawrance–Owen), our deputy safeguarding officer (Shane Morton), and our minister (Rev’d Matt White).

The Diocese of Chichester’s Safeguarding Team is led by Colin Perkins and can be contacted by phoning 01273 425792 or by emailing safeguarding@chichester.anglican.org


You can view Immanuel’s Safeguarding Policy Statement here.

We take safeguarding incredibly seriously at Immanuel and we are fully committed to doing all that we can to make our church as safe as possible for everyone—children and adults alike. We are also fully committed to adhering to the Church of England’s Safeguarding Policy for children, young people and adults which you can read here.

Safeguarding Resources

Safeguarding Training

Safeguarding training is essential for anyone who is involved in activities with children or vulnerable adults, and is hugely valuable to all who take part in church life.

In keeping with the Diocese of Chichester’s recommendation, we encourage everyone who calls Immanuel home to complete at least the introductory safeguarding course and we aim to make this training as easy as possible for people to access.

Please click here to go to our Safeguarding Training page where you will find links to various safeguarding training courses provided by the Church of England.

Safeguarding is not just about training…
Working towards being a Safer Church is deeply rooted in the gospel imperative to love, care for, and protect the vulnerable.
At Immanuel, we recognise that healthy safeguarding culture and practices are essential in order for people to flourish and we are fully committed to following the Guidance from the Diocese of Chichester’s Safeguarding Team

Contacts For Statutory Agencies

You can also contact the following statutory agencies if you have any safeguarding concerns:

  • Sussex Police

  • Children’s Services

    (This will take you to the relevant advice on the “What Do I Do If?” section of the Diocese of Chichester’s Safeguarding website which has links to the Children’s Services reporting pages for East and West Sussex, as well as Brighton and Hove. Please choose whichever applies to your parish).

  • Adult Services

    (This will take you to the relevant advice and guidance on the “What Do I Do If?” section of the Diocese of Chichester’s Safeguarding website which has links to the Adult Services reporting pages for East and West Sussex, as well as Brighton and Hove. Please choose whichever applies to your parish).

Safeguarding Policies & Documents

Immanuel Church’s key policies and documents regarding matters of a safeguarding nature are below:

Safeguarding Policy Statement

Domestic Abuse Statement

Whistleblowing Statement

Behaviour Code For Work With Children

You can also read key diocesan and national Church of England safeguarding documents and guidance below:

Parish Safeguarding Handbook

Chichester Diocese Video On SQP For Safeguarding

Promoting A Safer Church (2017) House Of Bishops