We are delighted to announce that Elizabeth Folarin has been appointed as Chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP).
All dioceses have a DSAP to provide strategic oversight of our safeguarding function and operations. In her role as Chair, Elizabeth will bring her wealth of expertise in safeguarding from a range of different sectors to the Panel, helping to provide a robust independent perspective on how we resource this vital area of our work and ministry.
Elizabeth said, “I’m really pleased to be taking on the role of Independent Chair of the DSAP and am looking forward to working alongside everyone.
“By way of introduction, I’m a social worker by background and have spent much of my career working across safeguarding, social care and mental health, with a particular focus on ensuring that the voices and experiences of people who use services, families and carers genuinely influence how organisations work.
“As part of my safeguarding leadership experience, I have also held the safeguarding portfolio for an NHS Trust, providing strategic oversight and leadership across safeguarding practice and working with senior colleagues and partners to strengthen assurance, learning and accountability.
“I’m also a Christian myself, and my own connection with the Church of England goes back to attending a Church of England school. Because of that, taking on this role feels particularly meaningful to me. I felt called to the DSAP Chair role because it brings together my professional commitment to safeguarding with values that are personally important to me – compassion, accountability, listening to those whose voices may not always have been heard, and ensuring that people are treated with dignity.
“I’m particularly passionate about making sure that the voices of victims and survivors are genuinely heard and that learning leads to meaningful change, rather than simply sitting within policies and processes.
“As I begin the role, I’d really value prayers for wisdom, openness and good relationships – that I listen well, ask the right questions and provide both support and constructive challenge where it is needed.”
