This policy sets out who may join SoulConnect, and how WAMI protects those who do.
The age rule, in short
- Core and Plus: open from age 16. These tiers deliver teaching one way — emails, a journal, a certificate. There is no group, no call, and no contact between members.
- Academy: 18 and over only. Academy includes a private community group and one-to-one mentoring, and that is a different undertaking entirely.
Age is asked at checkout. Anyone found to be under the stated age will be refunded in full and removed.
Why the line is drawn there
A 16-year-old receiving a daily devotional email is in much the same position as a 16-year-old reading a book. The risk is low and the benefit is real, so we welcome them.
A 16-year-old placed in a group chat with adults they have never met, or on a private video call with one adult, is in a materially different position. That requires vetting, supervision, consent and oversight that WAMI has not yet put in place for online work — and until it has, the honest answer is not to admit minors to that tier.
This is a deliberate decision, not an oversight. It can be revisited once the safeguards below are in place, and not before.
What would have to be true before Academy admitted 16 and 17 year olds
- A safeguarding policy written for online work, not adapted loosely from a policy written for a church building.
- Parental or guardian consent, recorded, before any young person joins.
- No one-to-one contact of any kind between an adult and a young person — no private messages, no solo calls. A second vetted adult present, always.
- A named Designated Safeguarding Person with a published route for raising a concern.
- AccessNI enhanced checks for anyone mentoring or moderating, if the role requires them.
Concerns about an adult member
Adults can be at risk too. If anything in the community group or a mentoring call suggests that a member is being harmed, or is at risk of harming themselves or someone else, the person who becomes aware of it must tell the Designated Person the same day.
Nobody is asked to investigate, and nobody should promise to keep a disclosure of harm secret. Listen, record what was said in the person’s own words, and pass it on.
Where a concern is serious
- Risk to life, or someone in immediate danger — call 999.
- A child at risk in Northern Ireland — the Gateway Service at the local Health and Social Care Trust, or the PSNI.
- A child at risk elsewhere in the UK — the local authority children’s services, or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.
- An adult at risk of self-harm — Samaritans, 116 123, free at any hour.
Conduct expected of anyone leading
Everyone teaching, mentoring or moderating on behalf of SoulConnect agrees to:
- Keep contact within the agreed channels. No private messaging outside them.
- Never be alone with a member in a call or a chat where no record exists.
- Never use a pastoral relationship to seek money, favours or influence.
- Raise a concern rather than manage it privately.
Policy control
Designated Safeguarding Person
- Rev. Wisdom O. Akinpelu
- revwisdom@wamiministries.org
- +44 7706 963557
Deputy Safeguarding Person
- Rev. Mrs Abiodun Akinpelu
- Admin@wamiministries.org
- +44 7706 963557
Version 1.0 · Adopted 27 September 2026 · Next review due 27 September 2027
This policy is reviewed annually, and again after any incident or any change to how SoulConnect operates. A copy is given to everyone who teaches, mentors or moderates on behalf of SoulConnect, and their agreement to it is recorded.
Last updated 27 September 2026. If anything here is unclear, write to Admin@wamiministries.org and a person will answer you.