A NEW scheme to protect Muslim children from abuse has been launched in East Lancashire.

The Safeguarding Our Children policy aims to encourage mosques and Muslim schools to protect children who may be vulnerable to child abuse.

Blackburn with Darwen Council joined with the Lancashire Council of Mosques for event to launch a consultation on the strategy.

Gladys Rhodes, the council’s deputy director of children’s services, said: “We need to understand what we can do to help support families to bring their children up safely and ask for help when they need it in a way that is appropriate for that community.

"It’s important that people are not suspicious of the services that are here to help.

“We can’t do this on our own, we are relying on every single person in Blackburn with Darwen to be part of our team.”

Nasrullah Anwar, LCM director, said: “Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people is everyone’s responsibility and we support this partnership, community led approach.

"We recognise that our Mosques and Madaris play a leading and responsible role in educating future generations and that they must have arrangements in place to safeguard and protect all.”

The Safeguarding Our Children scheme looks at ways of protecting children in the black minority ethnic (BME) community.

It sets out definitions and signs of abuse, safeguarding standards, guidelines for responding to allegations of abuse and child protection procedures for recruiting new workers.

The programme aims to bring together professionals who jobs" target="_blank">work with young people and representatives of local BME communities with the message,‘safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility’.

A consultation on the draft policy runs until August 10.