Appendix 2 - National Clergy Register

The National Clergy Register is a publicly available list of all ordained clergy in the Church of England who are authorised to minister. A member of the public can search the Register to verify whether someone has PTO or licence to hold office, in the same way that they can search for a qualified medical professional on the national medical directory. The National Clergy Register was introduced under, and should be managed in line with, the National Ministry Register (Clergy) Regulations 2020.

Under the Regulations, within each diocese, the bishop acts as the “Registration Officer” responsible for providing the relevant information to keep the Register up to date. Bishops are supported by Diocesan Operation Users (DOUs), nominated members of staff who are authorised to update the People System on behalf of the bishop.

When a member of clergy is suspended, temporarily steps down from duties, or has their licence or PTO temporarily or permanently withdrawn, they need to be immediately removed from the Register. In dioceses, the Safeguarding Officer will inform the point of contact or Registration Officer. For relevant cases, the NST will inform the relevant Archbishop. If the respondent’s suspension is later revoked, if they return to duties or if they are granted PTO again, the Registration Officer or DOU must be informed, so that the member of clergy can be added again to the Register. The Safeguarding Officer or NST Caseworker does not need to share the full details, only the need for a member of clergy to be added or removed from the Register.