Requirements
3.13.1 As part of finalising the probation period, arrangements must be made for how ongoing support is to be carried out for all employed roles that fall within the scope of this code, and must include confirmation of the responsible person to whom ethe individual reports to.
3.13.2 Regular meetings must continue to be scheduled between the responsible person (or someone to whom this task has been delegated) and the employee, and safeguarding must form a core part of these ongoing meetings. For some roles, (eg DSOs) this will take the form of formal/professional supervision; for other roles, different terminology will be used (e.g. ‘one to ones’).
3.13.3 Any safeguarding concerns must be thoroughly discussed and documented. These opportunities must also be used to develop the individual’s safeguarding understanding and skills.
3.13.4 If an employee becomes involved in, or fails to disclose their involvement in criminal activity, or other potentially unacceptable behaviour, the Employee Pathway of the Managing Safeguarding Concerns and Allegations Code of Practice must be instigated and followed.
Guidance
3.13.1-3.13.5 Ongoing Support
Why?
Support for employees is generally quite intensive during the probation period, and whilst it can usually be reduced once that stage has passed, a level of continued individual support is important and has many general benefits, including:
- Whether they are happy in the role
- Whether there are any personal issues which may be affecting them.
- Being able to address any issues of poor performance or behaviour, and more importantly, recognise those that are good.
- Identifying if there is any training the individual needs or wants.
- Provide updates on any developments within the church body, where appropriate.
- Identifying ‘role drift’ (see Section 3.3: Advertising a Role)
- Setting and reviewing objectives – competency/values and behaviour based.
- Establishing the employee’s career aspirations/future plans (where appropriate).
- Address any other concerns.
Safeguarding forms an integral part of this ongoing support, providing an opportunity for continued vigilance and review as well as development of the employee’s understanding of safeguarding, their skills and expected behaviours.
How?
The way in which this support is carried out is very much a local decision and will depend on the role. This may take the form of formal/professional ‘supervision’ meetings. For other roles, different terminology will be used, such as a ‘one to one meeting’, ‘review meeting’ or simply a ‘catch up’ – whatever is most appropriate to the role, the church body and the individual.
The usual format should be a face-to-face meeting between the responsible person and the employee but other mechanisms such as via telephone, video call, etc. can also be effectively utilised. Meetings should allow enough time to discuss matters properly but should not be longer than 90 minutes and the time should be uninterrupted. Where appropriate, any notes of relevant safeguarding matters raised and discussed should be taken and stored on the relevant file.
Safeguarding must be a standing agenda item during meetings. This will keep it at the forefront of people’s minds and means everyone has an opportunity to raise any concerns or queries they might have and to reflect on and improve their safeguarding practice. It is also a chance for any changes that are made to safeguarding policies and procedures to be shared and discussed.
Meetings should be viewed as a two-way process, helping to ensure that employees are well supported and clear about the body’s requirements.
As part of the overall support process, there should also be in place a mechanism to observe the practice of individuals on a regular basis with the opportunity to then debrief on these observations during a subsequent meeting.
An important feature in establishing ongoing support is the potential for conflicts of interest to arise. For example, there are circumstances where the person giving support may be related or married to the person they are supporting. This can pose challenging dynamics particularly around safeguarding issues. The potential conflict of interest needs to be fully ‘declared’, and all possible alternative work arounds considered and documented as to why they will/won’t work. It may even be necessary to carry out some form of risk assessment, or for support to be given for another role for specific aspects such as safeguarding.