Policy and practice guidance

All the policy and practice guidance on this page has been approved by the House of Bishops and must, where relevant, be followed by all Church Bodies* and Church Officers**.

Please note under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016*** all authorised clergy, bishops, archdeacons, licensed readers and lay workers, churchwardens and PCCs must have 'due regard' to safeguarding guidance issued by the House of Bishops (this will include both policy and practice guidance). A duty to have 'due regard' to guidance means that the person under the duty is not free to disregard it but is required to follow it unless there are cogent reasons for not doing so. ('Cogent' for this purpose means clear, logical and convincing.) Failure by clergy to comply with the duty imposed by the 2016 Measure may result in disciplinary action.

*Church Bodies includes PCCs, diocesan bodies, cathedrals, religious communities, theological training institutions and the National Church Institutions. This policy will apply to the whole of the provinces of Canterbury and York (including the Diocese in Europe subject to local variations/modifications). There is also an expectation that the policy will apply to the Channel Islands and Sodor and Man unless there is specific local legislation in a jurisdiction that would prevent adoption.

**A "Church Officer" is anyone appointed/elected by or on behalf of the Church to a post or role, whether they are ordained or lay, paid or unpaid.

***The Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 applies to the whole of the provinces of Canterbury and York (including the Diocese in Europe subject to local variations/modifications), with the exception of the Channel Islands and Sodor and Man. In order to extend the 2016 Measure to the Channel Islands or Sodor and Man legislation will need to be passed by the relevant island jurisdictions in accordance with section 12 of that Measure.

Practice Guidance

• Parish Safeguarding Handbook - order a hard copy from Church House Publishing
• Safer Environment and Activities
• Code of Safer Working Practice

For templates and resources relating to safeguarding policy and practice guidance, including those referenced in the Parish Safeguarding Handbook and Safer Working Practice, please see here. 

• Key roles and responsibilities of church office holders and bodies practice guidance (2017)

Past Cases Review 2 (PCR2)

• PCR2 Protocol and Practice Guidance
• PCR2 Background and Overview
• PCR2 Full Appendices for Practice Guidance

Responding Well

• Responding to Safeguarding Concerns or Allegations that relate to Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults practice guidance (2018)
• Responding to, assessing and managing concerns or allegations against church officers practice guidance (2017)
• Responding well to domestic abuse practice guidance (2017)
• Responding well to those who have been sexually abused practice guidance (2011)

Safer Recruitment

• Safer recruitment practice guidance (2016)
• Safer recruitment FAQs (to be used alongside the safer recruitment practice guidance document above)
• Safer Recruitment – Permission to Officiate

Training

• Learning and development practice guidance (2021)

Serious Incident Reporting

The Church has worked with the Charity Commission to agree bespoke guidance for DBFs, PCCs and Religious Communities on how to identify and report a safeguarding Serious Incident.  

All individual Serious Incidents must be reported to the Charity Commission using the new online form, which can be accessed on their website. 

The Church of England’s bespoke guidance on safeguarding Serious Incident Reporting has now been updated (version 3: 1 March 2021) and has been approved by the Charity Commission and by the National Safeguarding Steering Group. 

The supporting FAQs and example template delegation resolutions have also been updated to support the revised guidance:

• Guidance: Identifying Safeguarding Serious Incidents and Reporting to the Charity Commission: Guidance for DBFs, (March 2021)
• Guidance: Identifying Safeguarding Serious Incidents and Reporting to the Charity Commission: Guidance for PCCs (March 2021)
• Guidance: Identifying Safeguarding Serious Incidents and Reporting to the Charity Commission: Guidance for Religious Communities (March 2021)
• Serious Incident Reporting to the Charity Commission FAQs (March 2021)
• Example Template Delegations (1 March 2021) for:
  • DBFs
  • PCCs
  • Religious Communities

Any DBFs which bulk report Safeguarding Serious Incidents must use a Charity Commission bespoke template:

• DBF Bulk Reporting template (August 2019)

Regulations

• Safeguarding (Clergy Risk Assessment) Regulations 2016
• Diocesan Safeguarding Advisors Regulations 2016

Other Key Guidance 

• Glossary reference document (2017)
• Safeguarding in religious communities (2020)

Joint Practice Guidance with The Methodist Church

• Safeguarding records: joint practice guidance for the Church of England and the Methodist Church (2015)
• Safeguarding joint practice guidance for single congregation Local Ecumenical Partnerships (2015)

Policy Statements

• Promoting a Safer Church; House of Bishops policy statement (2017)
• Protecting All God's Children (safeguarding policy for children and young people, 4th edition, 2010)
• Promoting a Safe Church (safeguarding policy for adults, 2006)