Requirements
3.1.1 A responsible person (who must be a relevant person under the Safeguarding Code of Practice Measure 2021), must be identified for each employed role being appointed to that falls within the scope of this code. The responsible person is accountable for the recruitment, selection and appointment into that role and must themselves have been safely recruited into their current role
3.1.2 A responsible person (who must be a relevant person under the Safeguarding Code of Practice Measure 2021), must be identified to provide ongoing support for each person employed in a role that falls within the scope of this code. The responsible person must themselves have been safely recruited.
3.1.3 The responsible person/s identified at 3.1.1 and 3.1.2, must understand the requirements of this code and be up to date with the required safeguarding training.
3.1.4 If responsibility is delegated at any stage, the responsible person must ensure that the individual they are delegating to meets the requirements of 3.1.1, 3.1.2 and 3.1.3
3.1.5 The responsible person must ensure that conflicts of interest arising at any stage of the process are identified, managed and recorded appropriately.
3.1.6 Where the role involves substantial contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults, they must be included to some degree in the process, in an appropriate manner.
Guidance
3.1.1 - 3.1.4 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 different person who is ultimately responsible and a person who has the whole or part of the process delegated to them. However, for the purposes of this code, they must be a relevant person.
How?
For employees, the responsible person is likely to be a ‘line manager’ or ‘supervisor’ of the role. Given the complexity of the Church of England, there are many different positions that may have the role of the responsible person and many different terms that might be used to refer to that person, e.g. ‘incumbent’, ‘group leader’, ‘ministry director’. It should also be recognised that some people in church bodies may be better equipped/qualified than others to carry out this role.
The responsible person should plan and oversee the whole recruitment process. Depending on the role, there may be other people and teams involved at various stages of the process e.g. interview panel members, HR administrator, DBS administrator and so on, but the responsible person should maintain oversight of the whole process.
Individuals with responsibility for any aspect of the safer recruitment, selection and onboarding process, as well as ongoing management, should have completed training on Safer Recruitment and People Management (see Section 2.13 for Clergy, Section 3.14 for Employees and Section 5.5 for Elected members).
Overall Responsibilities | |
Church Body | Responsibilities |
Parishes and Bishops' Mission Orders (BMOs) Employees | Parochial Church Council (PCC) or BMOs equivalent body.
The PCC or BMOs equivalent body is the main decision maker of the body. They are responsible for the appointment of those working with children, young people and vulnerable adults, paid or unpaid.
Often the responsibility is delegated to the incumbent. At least two individuals (who could include the incumbent) must be responsible for recruitment overall. |
Diocesan Employees | Diocesan Secretary (on behalf of Diocesan Board of Finance) and Diocesan Bishop |
Cathedral Employees | Dean |
Religious Communities
| Governed by their constitutions, and in line with the Safeguarding in Religious Communities policy |
3.1.5 Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest arises when there is a conflict between a duty to be carried 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 spouse or parent is an employee or member of clergy.
Wherever possible, conflicts of interest should be avoided throughout the recruitment and selection 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.
3.1.6 Involving others in the recruitment & selection process
Wherever possible and appropriate to the role, involving children, young people or vulnerable adults can be valuable. Examples of how people might be involved include but are not limited to:
developing a role description;
being a member of the interview panel;
creating a video to be shown to prospective candidates;
helping to devise interview questions;
being involved in the induction process.
At diocesan and cathedral level, involving survivors and victims in the selection process for senior safeguarding roles should always be considered and arranged wherever possible, for example, in respect of Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (DSOs) and Cathedral Safeguarding Officer (CSOs) roles.
Where others are involved, the responsible person needs to ensure they are supported to understand their purpose and role in the process, as well as provided with appropriate training and/or support.