Section 2.3-2.7: Link and Support Persons

Guidance 

This section and the associated requirements do not apply to deceased Church Officers

The Safeguarding Officer should check if the respondent has access to any form of support - for instance, some respondents may receive support from a spiritual director or may have access to counselling or an Employee Assistance Programme or similar. Respondents and their immediate families should also be signposted to, and supported to engage with, other support and relevant services in the community, depending on their needs1 . It is possible that a respondent may choose to have their legal representative as their support and decline a Link Person. That is their choice and is allowable.    

All respondents who are Church Officers must be offered the assistance of a Link Person. A Link Person provides support to a respondent by:

• listening to them;
• accompanying them in any meetings that are undertaken as part of the safeguarding process, to provide emotional support;
• assisting them to access information in relation to safeguarding processes;
• assisting them to keep updated on the progress of their case;
• considering the respondent’s and their immediate family’s support needs and wishes and sharing that information with the Safeguarding Officer;
• signposting the respondent to support services;
• maintaining clear records of the meetings and other communications with the respondent.

The Link Person could be someone from within the Church e.g. a senior or retired member of clergy or outside the Church. They should not be the Spiritual Director or confessor of the respondent.

Link Persons are not counsellors, spiritual guides, legal advisors or advocates for the respondent, and should not act in those roles. This should be made clear in training and any communications with Link Persons and respondents.

They must not have any involvement in safeguarding or other processes (e.g. statutory services investigations) linked to the allegation or have any involvement in the management of the case.  They should not be a witness in court or tribunal proceedings.

The Link Person should have the appropriate skills and experience to deliver the responsibilities listed above. They should also have an understanding of Church structures or receive training that enables them to understand and navigate Church structures.

All Link Persons should complete the NST Link Person training, information on which can be found in the Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework. In exceptional circumstances, if a Church Body needs to deploy a Link Person at short notice and is struggling to identify or train a volunteer, they may contact the NST for advice and support.

Link Persons should receive appropriate support and supervision, through regular contact with the Safeguarding Officer, or through other appropriate arrangements. Safeguarding Officers or professionals suitably skilled should monitor the Link Persons’ own wellbeing and pastoral needs, to ensure that any concerns or needs arising from them delivering the role are addressed.

A Link Person is not a confidant of a respondent. The Link Person should share a summary of the discussions with the Safeguarding Officer for adding to the case record. A Link Person should balance the need to maintain an accurate record of those meetings and communications with the need to support the respondent’s wellbeing. Records of meetings do not need to contain the detail of what was discussed but should capture key points and actions. The following should be shared with the Safeguarding Officer or appropriate authorities (e.g. the police) immediately:

• any information that the respondent or others are at risk of harm, including any risks of self-harm;
• any information that could be used by statutory services and criminal justice professionals to assist the prevention, detection or prosecution of a crime; and
• any information that the respondent has breached the requirements agreed, under this Code, as part of the interim or long-term arrangements for the management of risk e.g. the requirements of a Church Safety Plan.

• 1The Clergy Support Trust provides a range of support services to Anglican members of clergy and their families and may constitute an avenue for accessing further support.