Domestic Violence/Family Violence

Domestic violence covers many areas of people’s behaviours. Examples are physical, verbal, psychological abuses. It can also cover sexual violence, economic and social abuse by one’s husband or wife or partner.

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Our aim as a Christian charity, is to reduce domestic and family violence among families in new emerging communities by raising awareness, knowledge ability of migrants in accessing the required services. We have noticed that there are barriers to many African migrants not seeking help when they are abused by their partners because of their cultural backgrounds. As migrants, they are always afraid that reporting their partner’s conduct will result in the involvement of the law enforcement authorities and this may lead to the aggressor’s deportation. This is where we come in to help.

Freedom Christian Church acknowledge children’s and adults at risk of harm’s rights to protection from abuse, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, and beliefs. We believe that safeguarding is preventative, and that it involves protecting children and adults at risk’s safety and wellbeing by encouraging children’s natural healthy development: academically, physically, socially, and emotionally and maintaining or improving adults at risk’s wellbeing, promoting their independence, and protecting them from abuse, harm, and neglect.

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Our safeguarding policies have a person-centred approach with the wellbeing of the child and the adult at risk of harm, at the heart of every action we take. We have put in place procedures that need to be followed if there is concern of abuse of a child or an adult at risk of harm. 

We have noticed four main categories of abuse, namely: emotional, physical, sexual, neglect. We also include bullying, cyberbullying, trafficking, human trafficking, forced labour, FGM as abuse. We train our staff to have a clear knowledge of our safeguarding policies.

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We seek to establish a caring environment in which there is an informed vigilance about the dangers of abuse. We implement, maintain, and regularly review the procedures outlined in our policies which are designed to prevent abuse. We have appointed a Safeguarding Co-ordinator who is the person to whom all concerns or allegations are addressed to. We organise activities in such a way as to promote a safe environment and minimise the risk of harm to children and adults at risk of harm. 

We follow a safer recruitment process for the selection and appointment of people to work with children and adults at risk of harm, whether voluntary or paid. We are committed to providing support, resources, and training to those who work with children and adults at risk of harm. We cooperate with statutory authorities in any investigation, follow multi-agency decisions and maintain confidentiality of any investigations to those directly involved. 

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