Ben Goodhind has been appointed as the new Safeguarding Manager for the diocese. He replaces Glenys Armstrong, who leaves the diocese next week after eight years, during which she has served both the diocese and the national safeguarding team.
Ben joins us from the Probation Services Public Protection Team, where he was a Senior Probation Officer based in Wiltshire. The last four years has seen him seconded as a prison governor for two prisons in Wiltshire and Dorset. Ben has spent 20 years working in public protection, working with Sexual and Violent Offenders, court settings and in multi-agency settings, for example working with the police, psychology and social services. Ben also has a background in Residential Childcare and working with Autistic Children.
Ben says regarding his desire to move to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team, “I worked closely with the chaplaincy team during my time at Erlestoke Prison and with various faith groups during my career and have always been impressed with the work they do within the criminal justice system and supporting vulnerable people more generally. The faith community are often the last line of support for people and also protect individuals and their communities by removing the isolation that would otherwise prevail for people with complex issues. When I saw the opportunity to apply for this role I felt it would utilise my skills and experience and I spoke to our Anglican chaplain who encouraged me to apply and that I would really love working for the diocese of Bath and Wells”.
“I am really pleased to take on the role. We have a really strong team here with skills drawn from a range of backgrounds, including the police and prison service, and I know they provide a great service to parishes. My hope is to be a visible presence across the diocese and ensure parishes know where to come for support and have confidence in the support they will receive. I really look forward to meeting as many of you as possible and establishing really positive relationships.”
Ben’s colleagues in the Safeguarding team are: Andrew Duncan, Safeguarding Adviser; Helen Humphreys, Assistant Safeguarding Adviser; Cameron McConnell, PCR 2 Caseworker; Emma Parslow, Safeguarding Trainer and Samantha Gunning, Safeguarding Administrative Assistant.
For more information on the work of the safeguarding team visit www.bathandwells.org.uk/safeguarding