This Pathway is designed to be used when appointing ordained clergy to a role, be that full or part time, for a fixed term or permanently within the Church of England. The Pathway does not cover:
Discernment/application to Theological Educational Institutions (TEIs) – this is dealt with at a diocesan level
Granting of Permission to Officiate (PTO) - see the process set out in the PTO policy
Appointment of overseas clergy - see Section 2.16.1 of this code.
Recruitment of clergy to employed roles in external organisations e.g. a chaplaincy role in a university, hospital or prison, will be subject to that organisation’s recruitment policy and processes, notwithstanding the fact they will have gone through this process in order to be licensed by the bishop.
Recruitment of clergy to an employed role with a Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF), e.g. a Diocesan Director of Ordinands, will be subject to the Employee Pathway. However, at every stage of that process, consideration must be given as to what aspects of the Clergy Pathway are required in addition to, or indeed instead of, the Employee Pathway.
2.1 Responsibilities
Requirements
2.1.1 A responsible person must be identified for each clergy role being appointed to. For clergy, this is likely to be the bishop. Where a Patron is involved in the appointment, the responsible person must work with them to ensure the provisions of this code are applied.
2.1.2 The responsible person/s identified at 2.1.1 must understand the requirements of this code and be up to date with the required safeguarding training for their role.
2.1.3 If responsibility is delegated at any stage, the responsible person must ensure that the individual they are delegating to meets the requirements of 2.1.1 and 2.1.2.
2.1.4 The responsible person must ensure that conflicts of interest arising at any stage of the process are identified, managed and recorded appropriately.
Guidance
2.1.1-2.1.3 Identifying a responsible person
Why?
Identifying who is responsible for the appointment into a role where this code applies is important to ensure quality and consistency across the whole process.
Not identifying a responsible person can result in a lack of clarity and ultimately important aspects of the process not being carried out properly or missed altogether. In this code, there may be a difference between the person who is ultimately responsible and the person who has been delegated to carry out the process. However, for the purposes of this code, they must be a relevant person.
How?
The responsible person should plan and oversee the whole process. Depending on the role, there may be other people and teams involved at various stages of the process e.g. the Patron(s), Human Resources (HR), DBS administrator and so on, but the responsible person should maintain oversight of the whole process.
The responsible person, as well as individuals with responsibility for any aspect of the safer recruitment and appointment process and ongoing oversight, must have completed the Church of England learning pathway on Safer Recruitment and People Management (see Section 2.13: Learning & Development).
Overall Responsibilities in relation to Clergy Appointments | ||||
Clergy Appointment | Who appoints and decides the method of appointment and whether to advertise? | Role of Patron | Role of Bishop | Role of PCC |
Incumbent (including team rector) | Patron(s) (who may be the bishop; or may be patronage board constituted by scheme in case of team rector) | Oversees process and presents candidate to bishop. | Right of veto | PCC reps have right of veto |
Priest in charge | Bishop (unless the bishop has delegated this role to a suffragan bishop or archdeacon) | Right to be consulted – all patrons in a vacancy | Appoints | No right of veto, but PCC has to be consulted |
Team vicar | Patronage board (where constituted by scheme) otherwise bishop and rector jointly | Patronage board (where constituted by scheme) is patron and appoints | Chairs patronage board (where constituted by scheme)
Appoints jointly with rector | PCC reps have right of veto
PCC reps have right of veto |
Assistant Curate (when not a training post) | Incumbent nominates | No role | The bishop licences. | No legal requirement to be consulted but may be. |
Assistant curate (when a training post) | Incumbent offers post – having been authorised to do so by Bishop | No role | The bishop licences: no veto but could refuse for good cause | No legal requirement to be consulted but may be. |
NB: Senior Clergy Appts to be added.
It is unlikely that Lay and Honorary Canons and lay members of Chapter Cathedrals will have substantial contact with children and vulnerable adults specifically as part of their lay/honorary role, and as such will fall within the normal recruitment/appointment processes of the Cathedral. In the event that they are required to have substantial contact with children and vulnerable adults as part of their role, the body who will be carrying out recruitment/appointment (normally the Cathedral), will need to satisfy the requirements of this code, or document the reasons why they could not be followed.
Role of the Patron(s)
Patron(s) are not “Relevant Persons”, (unless they also hold another role which makes them such) and therefore cannot be subject to any requirements under this code. However, given that many of the requirements set out are simply good recruitment practice, we would recommend that Patrons(s) comply with them wherever possible. Where it is not possible, we would expect the reasons for this to be recorded. If the bishop has serious concerns about the potential candidate or how any aspect of the appointment process has been carried out, they can refuse to agree the appointment.
2.1.4 Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest arises when there is a conflict between a duty to be caried out and a private or personal interest. It is recognised that in some church bodies, conflicts of interest are difficult to avoid, e.g. where a clergy spouse is a volunteer or employee or where a parent is an employee or member of clergy.
Wherever possible, conflicts of interest should be avoided throughout the appointment process. Any potential conflict of interest should be identified and discussed, and steps put in place to manage and mitigate the conflict. The conflict and the steps taken to mitigate it should be recorded. Steps may include removing the person from the process, restricting their role in the process, or ensuring there is an independent person involved in the process e.g. on the interview panel.