Safe Church

Awareness and Policy

In ICF-Noord we ensure that the theme of 'Safe Church' is regularly discussed in church services, among leadership and within teams. This way we remain aware of what is needed to create a safe community together.

We also have in place an official Safe Church Policy which is regularly reviewed and updated. This is informed by guidance agreed upon by the Protestant Church Netherlands (PKN) network, of which ICF-Noord is a member. You will find the policy below.

Safe Church Policy

Code of conduct

As a member of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), we follow a shared code of conduct that states how we interact with each other. Alongside this we have codes of conduct in place for specific volunteer roles for those serving children and vulnerable groups. These codes of conduct are discussed with everyone who fulfills a volunteer task within ICF-Noord and are subsequently signed. These are available below:

• Children's and Youth Minstry Code of Conduct
• Pastoral Ministry Code of Conduct
• PKN Code of Conduct

Declaration of Conduct (VOG) and References

We ask volunteers and professionals who work with children and vulnerable people for a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG). With a Certificate of Good Conduct we know that the volunteer has never been convicted of crimes that are relevant to the role of the volunteer. In addition to this we request two references following a strict criteria to ensure their legitimacy.

Safe Church Advisor

We will soon appoint a Safe Church Advisor who will be responsible for leading our Safe Church initiatives and can be approached if you have any concerns on this subject. They will be fully trained and can be spoken to in confidence.

We are urgently looking for someone to fill this role. If you are interested in taking it up, please find out more here.

Confidential Counselors

If you encounter undesirable behavior within our church community, you can also contact our confidential counselors. This applies to members and non-members, man or woman, young or old. You can also contact them if you are not involved yourself but suspect undesirable behavior. Even if you think that you have behaved in an undesirable manner, you can contact the confidential counselors. They will help you think about what is best to do and follow up with any necessary next steps.

The first of these confidential counselors is our Safe Church Advisor (position to soon be filled). If you would prefer to speak to someone outside of ICF-Noord there is also a committee of four people, of which there is at least one woman and one man, who are not affiliated with ICF-Noord.

They are all fully trained and can be spoken to in confidence.

You will soon find the names and contact details of these confidential counselors here.

Sexual Abuse in Pastoral and Authority Relationships (SMPR)

SMPR is the reporting point for sexual abuse in the church of the PKN This involves abuse of power or trust by a minister, pastor or church official towards a church member in the form of sexual acts or innuendos or invitations to sexual contact or other intimidating behavior , often under pressure of confidentiality. This therefore not only concerns transgressive behavior of pastors or pastoral workers in the church, but also all those who hold a position in the church, such as church council members, district contact persons, choir conductors, sextons/administrators and youth workers.

If you have been confronted with sexual innuendos or sexual acts in a contact within the church and you want to talk to someone about it, you can contact one of the confidential counselors mentioned above or you can contact this Hotline. This can also be done anonymously. There you will also find confidential counselors who are willing to listen, guide and offer help. Guidance can be provided by email, telephone or by making an appointment to meet. Visit  www.smpr.nl/  or call 030-3038590.