No coercion
Practical assistance must not be exchanged for worship attendance, religious commitment, political support, publicity or personal loyalty.
Safeguarding
Help must never create
new vulnerability.
People seeking assistance may be under stress, displaced, ill, isolated or dependent on others. That makes boundaries, dignity and clear responsibility essential.
Public standard
The baseline for every project represented here.
Minimum data
Collect only the personal information needed for the task. Avoid moving sensitive documents through informal chats or public channels.
Extra care with children
Children and vulnerable adults require clear supervision, lawful consent, appropriate professional practice and safe reporting routes.
Boundaries matter
Clergy, volunteers and professionals should act within their role. Pastoral care is not a substitute for emergency, medical, legal or specialist social services.
Use the local emergency, child-protection, safeguarding or law-enforcement route where the person is located. A website inbox is not an emergency reporting system.
Concerns about Diakonia representation
Verify first. Report concerns through the Church’s public office.
If someone claims to represent AOC Diakonia and asks for money, documents, access to a child or other sensitive information, verify the person and project through an official AOC channel before proceeding.
Report a concern