Recruitment FAQs
Yes, however, they must not be used in any of the preparation or activities nor can they be counted as an adult in the child to adult ratios.
The guidance states there should be an appropriately experienced named PSO to work with the Incumbent and the PCC (please see the following guidance for further details - roles-and-responsibilities-practice-guidance.pdf (churchofengland.org), or join with other parishes to share a named PSO. However there are times when the parish does not have a PSO, in these circumstances where possible try and share out the PSO workload with other suitable volunteers/staff, some parishes have adopted a team approach to the PSO role where one person is named as the PSO and others are deputies to help share the workload. Keep a record of how you are managing to cover the PSO work load in the absence of a named PSO and the efforts to recruit a new PSO as soon as possible. Let the church community know who is the point of contact should they have any safeguarding issues whilst you are recruiting a new PSO. The Incumbent or their spouse cannot be the named PSO, however, the PCC and the Incumbent have a duty of care with regards to safeguarding and should look to put a plan in place to cover these responsibilities.
Our website Support for Parish Safeguarding Officers - Diocese of Rochester (anglican.org) contains useful information about the PSO role and the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard. shared approach.
Yes, and it is a good way of observing how they interact and if they will fit into the group so this can be used as part of the selection process. This should be limited to only one session. They should not be counted as one of the adults in the adult to child ratio and ideally the person observing/working with them should not be counted either so they can focus on the volunteer. They should never be allowed to be alone with a child during the session for example they should not take a child to the toilet.
Yes, as it ensures that all roles are open to everyone and that there is transparency especially for leadership roles.
There isn’t a requirement for a PSO to be on the PCC, however as safeguarding should be on every PCC agenda, the PSO should ideally attend in person where possible, to deliver their report. There are benefits in the PSO being a member of the PCC as it will enable them to be present and contribute to any discussions about proposed activities and how the church operates in line with the Safeguarding Standards.
Ideally, references would include at least one referee from outside of the church however that is sometimes difficult. A robust selection process and good records for why the process was not followed is good practice.
There are no hard and fast rules in these circumstances however experience has revealed that there are benefits in seeing how someone fits into church life for a period of 6 months before allowing them to apply for any role. It is imperative that references relating to their previous experience are taken up in such circumstances.
Yes, ideally these gaps should be filled before any paper sift and should not be addressed only at the interview.
Yes, the person’s “right to work” in the UK will need to be checked. See the following for more information:- https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work
No.
2.11.1. Many such groups will meet in the homes of group leaders. Whilst it may be preferable for the group to meet in the church hall, it is recognised that this is not always possible. Additionally, being hosted in someone’s home can be a valuable part of youth group life. As in every situation, sensible safer working practice arrangements should be followed, with particular diligence given to the prohibition against lone working. Two adult leaders should always be present. If the youth group is led by a couple, there should be a third adult leader/helper present. The reason for this is that a primary reason for the ‘two adult helper’ rule is that adults can keep each other accountable for how they behave around young people. The relationship between a married couple may make such mutual accountability difficult and arrangements to ensure the presence of a third adult are required. Safer Environment and Activities Oct19_0.pdf (churchofengland.org)
DBS FAQs
DBS checks are now to be renewed every 3 years rather than the previous guidance of renewal every 5 years.
To enable this change to be achieved in a timely and realistic way, the national church has provided the following guidance:
From 4 January 2022:
a. all new appointments and
b. all those whose enhanced DBS is due a recheck from that point onwards should have their DBS recheck carried out and then be put on the new 3-year recheck cycle.
By 4 January 2022: Church Bodies must have assessed all other individuals who do not fall into categories a. and b. above, but whose DBS is more than 3 years old, and put a plan in place to ensure that all those individuals have a DBS no older than 3 years by 3 January 2024 and after that, ensure they are also on the new 3-year recheck cycle.
This means all Church Bodies have a 2-year period from 4 January 2022 to 3 January 2024 to carry out the rechecks needed.
By 3 January 2024: All those requiring enhanced DBS checks (with/without Barred List) have a DBS certificate that is 3 years or less and will be on a 3 yearly re-check cycle.
Only if the original DBS check is not of the appropriate level or workforce. For example, the DBS is for working with children and they will now be working with vulnerable adults.
No, unless your role is changing you will not need a new DBS.
In terms of roles that involve working at home with children: If an applicant carries out some or all their work with children from their home and they are carrying out teaching, training, instruction, guidance, supervision, care, or healthcare for children, the home-based option in section Y can be marked as yes. If the role meets the criteria for a home-based check this allows the police to consider information held not only on the applicant but also on family members, relatives and frequent visitors to the address that could pose a risk.
It is good practice that these groups take place in church or church halls rather than individuals’ homes.
Yes, if handling money this person should be subject to an adult enhanced check of the barred list.
Purely administrative roles i.e. Church Administrator or Treasurer are NOT eligible for an Enhanced Disclosure (unless they are a Trustee) as they do not work directly with vulnerable groups. Additionally, a DBS cannot be obtained for those who handle sensitive or confidential information (unless they are supervising those working in Regulated Activity).
Thirtyone:eight offer a digital ID check service, such checks incur additional costs, all costs for digital ID checks must be covered by the individual parish. The diocese will NOT cover the cost of digital ID checks.
Please note that if the digital ID check fails, for example, due to applicant error, this will still incur a charge. The ID check will need to be repeated, if this is via the digital ID check route a further charge will be incurred, alternatively the manual ID checking route can be followed.
An Enhanced check is needed for Trustees of churches that are a charity and work with children or adults at risk.
A PSO can apply for a DBS check if they meet any of the following criteria:
- If a PSO is also a PCC trustee of a church that is a charity working with children or adults at risk an enhanced DBS is needed.
- If a PSO engages in either of the following as part of their roles and responsibilities:
- Overseeing/supervising/managing workers in Regulated Activity
- Carrying out Regulated Activity with children and/or adults
An enhanced DBS check with a check of the relevant barred list (children and/or adults) is needed. Please note in relation to regulated activity with adults and regulated activity with children (involving personal care) you only need to carry out or oversee/supervise/manage those who carry out this activity once to be eligible for an enhanced DBS check with a check of the relevant barred list.
- If a PSO is engaged in overseeing/supervising/managing workers who require an enhanced DBS check without a check of the barred list they too will be eligible for the same level check, enhanced DBS without barred list.
Please record which of the above requirements apply within any enhanced DBS application in the additional notes section. If you do not meet any of the criteria above you will not be eligible for an enhanced DBS with or without a check of the barred lists.
Please see the Support for Parish Safeguarding Officer page for further details including the PSO role description.
Parish Lead Recruiters can access the thirtyone:eight on-line DBS Eligibility Guide. You can use the Gov.uk on-line too https://www.gov.uk/find-out-dbs-check; or phone the safeguarding team on 01634 560000; or contact thirtyone:eight 0303 003 11 11.
DBS applications are processed by Bishopscourt for all clergy, Lead Recruiters within parishes process applications for all other roles.
No, they are not usually eligible as they do not work with children or vulnerable adults, unless they are a member of the PCC or they line manage someone who is engaged in Regulated Activity.
DBS is transferable/acceptable within the diocese as long as it is the correct level/type of check. For instance, if you have a DBS for work with children and your new role will include working with adults then you it will not cover you.
Keep or Bin…? Care of your parish records guidance can be found here
The person making the appointment should ask the applicant to obtain criminality information (also known as a certificate of good conduct/character) from his/her relevant embassy/high commission (or police force). This means that in addition to the DBS check, the candidate/applicant must seek this additional check to cover the time he/she spent abroad. (Further advice can be found on the Home Office website).
If such information is not available from the embassy/high commission etc. or if there are concerns about the reliability of the information provided, the person(s) making the appointment should take extra care when taking up references and checking any previous employment record. In such cases, additional references should be sought and at least one reference from a previous employer should be contacted by telephone as well as by letter.
It is unlikely that they would be eligible. However good practice would suggest using volunteers who already hold a current DBS check in their usual role and ensuring that parents/carers should remain with their children at all times.
No, the organisation that is employing you, whether you are paid or a volunteer, are the only ones entitled to request a DBS.
This would not be accepted unless the person is registered with the Update Service. There is a process to follow which includes checking that the workforce and level of check detailed on his/her most recent DBS certificate meets the requirements for the role for which he/she is being considered.
If parishes wish to request a Basic DBS check for those church officers who do not meet the criteria for an enhanced DBS you can do this but the applicant will need to apply for this themselves online Request a basic DBS check - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), it can’t be processed through thirtyone:eight and the cost is not covered by the diocese.
A Deputy Recruiter can complete the Lead Recruiter’s ID check section, the Lead Recruiter can then complete section Y of their own application. If there is no Deputy Recruiter set up, you can approach a nearby parish to process your application but it will appear under their parish organisation records. Volunteer applications are paid for by the diocese, paid worker applications are recharged to the parish processing the application, so this may need to be reclaimed from the applicant’s parish which should be decided between the parishes.
The diocese continues to pay the administration charge for DBS checks carried out by parishes.
The charge for a DBS check of any paid workers in a parish is recharged to the parish, so it is the cost of the DBS check only that is recharged.
- Volunteer DBS checks only incur an administration charge which the diocese pays, so there is no charge to parishes for volunteer checks.
- A Right to Work check will be recharged at £4.15 + VAT each
Digital ID checks as part of the DBS check application were introduced in March 2023 by thirtyone:eight, enabling applicants to complete their ID check online rather than meeting in person with the Parish DBS administrator (Lead Recruiter).
There is a charge for the Digital ID check service which is recharged to parishes as follows:
- Digital ID Checks for Enhanced DBS checks = £4.15 + VAT each
- Combined Right to Work and Digital ID Check = £8.30 + VAT each.
- The diocese is charged for each time a Digital ID check is undertaken, so if it fails the first time and is then submitted again, there will be two charges (one for each submission).
Training FAQs
They will need to give you permission to check their training completed via the portal by adding your email address to their profile within the portal, then you can run a report which will display records for those people who have granted you permission. Full instructions can be found here
The House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy and Guidance requires that Church of England Safeguarding training needs to be completed at the required level for your role within the church. We therefore cannot accept other organisations training.
Safeguarding training is valid for 3 years and needs to be renewed at the highest level. For instance, if you are required to undertake Basic Awareness and Foundation for your role, you would only need to renew Foundation after 3 years and there would be no requirement to renew Basic Awareness.
If your role requires that you complete other safeguarding training such as Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse, and Safer Recruitment and People Management, then these also need to be renewed every 3 years. The Parish Safeguarding Officer training is required to be completed once. Modern Slavery is optional online training.
Yes, the training is progressive, if your role requires the Leadership training module you should complete Basic (formerly C0) and Foundation (formerly C1) on-line prior to attending the Leadership session. Leadership will then be due for renewal in three years from date of attendance and you will only need to repeat this session.
Many parishes are offering face-to-face training to those who are in similar circumstances. Contact your Parish Safeguarding Officer to see if this is available in your parish.
The person wishing to deliver this should have completed Leadership Safeguarding Training. Please contact Alison Jones, Safeguarding Administrator at alison.jones@rochester.anglican.org for details and resources to ensure that we update our records of training delivered and provide certificates.
Resources for the following are available:
- Basic Awareness
- Foundation
- Safer Recruitment and People Management
- Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse
Please contact Ruth Campbell, Safeguarding Trainer Ruth.Campbell@rochester.anglican.org or Alison Jones, Safeguarding Administrator, Alison.Jones@rochester.anglican.org for these resources and attendance list so that training can be recorded and certificates issued.
The portal is managed by the National Safeguarding Team, please see their Frequently Asked Questions relating to registration, logging in, courses and accessing certificates etc. available here
You will either need to create another email address for the second person or email elearning@safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org
Details of the training levels required for every role can be found in our Safeguarding Training Pathways matrix. Find details of all online training and face-to-face courses on our Safeguarding Training Modules page.
Log into the training portal at https://safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org click on your name at the top right of the screen, select "View Profile", under the heading “Miscellaneous”, choose “My Certificates”. Find the certificate you wish to download and click on the download symbol on the right below “File”.
Yes, Church of England safeguarding training such as Basic Awareness, Foundation, Leadership etc. is accepted by this Diocese if undertaken in other parishes or dioceses, when evidenced by a certificate issued on successful completion of the training.
A group of participants can work together to complete the Leadership Pathway course in a Zoom Training Hub. The group:
• collaborates on the preliminary tasks to reach a shared understanding of their own culture and practices.
• gathers in one place to join the Zoom sessions and forms a breakout group where they can discuss in person.
• continues to support each other with the follow up tasks.
After the course, each participant is required to complete their own self-reflection.
Groups wishing to complete the training as a Zoom Training Hub should make this clear at the point of registration.
The online training portal is managed by the National Safeguarding Team and currently only contains records of courses that have been completed online.
We are not currently able to record the Leadership training which is delivered by this Diocese, nor do we have the facility to upload this information to the portal. We issue a certificate so that you have a record that you have successfully completed the Leadership training and retain this safely as evidence of your completion. It is also recommended that you keep your own records and provide a copy to whoever maintains your training records, such as your Parish Safeguarding Officer.
The online training portal is managed by the National Safeguarding Team and currently only contains records of courses that have been completed online.
Whilst safeguarding training is considered to be of vital importance, it is often not realistic to say that people must complete all training before they start in a new role. Each level of safeguarding learning should be transformative, going beyond a change in process to affecting people at the level of beliefs and values to achieve behavioural change. As such, it is better to have a clear plan to complete safeguarding training, spreading it over a number of sittings rather than attempting to complete it all in one go. Please see the table below for further guidance about training expectations. Please contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team for advice if you are struggling to meet these expectations.
|
Pathway |
How to access the training |
Expected timescale for completion |
Renewal |
|
Basic Awareness e-learning module |
Should be completed before taking up the role or immediately afterwards. |
Keep the highest level of training renewed every three years. |
|
|
Foundation e-learning module |
If required for role, should be completed within the first month of appointment. |
||
|
Leadership |
If required for role, should be booked within 12 months and completed within 18 months of appointment. |
||
|
Safer Recruitment and People Management (e-learning module) |
If required for role, should be completed within the first 3 months of appointment. |
If these modules are required for role, they should be renewed every three years. |
|
|
Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse (e-learning module) |
If required for role, should be completed within the first 3 months of appointment. |
||
|
PSO Induction |
Should be booked within 6 months and completed within 12 months of appointment |
This training is required once only, with no renewal required, however, the Diocese offers regular PSO meetings and drop-ins throughout the year. |
The person is only required to keep the highest level of training up to date, in this case they must do the Foundation module again. However, if their Basic Certificate was awarded before May 2021, we recommend they do the Basic Awareness training as well if they can, as the course material has changed quite significantly since then.
No, the safeguarding training you have completed covers you for any role within the Diocese. Therefore, you only need renew the highest level of training, which in this case is the Foundation Pathway.
Miscellaneous
Email is not secure therefore good practice states that personal details should be recorded or detailed in a Word document which is then password protected and sent to the Safeguarding Team. The password should be passed to the Safeguarding Team either by text or verbally, it should not be sent in another email. A guide to password protecting documents can be found here
Other FAQs can be found on the thirtyone:eight website at https://thirtyoneeight.org/about-us/faqs/