PCC News

Active engagement with safeguarding training is instrumental in shaping the culture, as well as supporting all those who have a role within the Church to effectively recognise and respond to possible situations of abuse, as well as implement best safeguarding practice.

The Church of England’s Practice Guidance: Safeguarding Training & Development, was updated in April 2021, and provides the framework for safeguarding learning and development across all Church of England communities. This also sets out the core safeguarding learning pathway training modules which are a mandatory requirement determined for particular church roles and responsibilities.

The coronavirus has meant that both nationally and locally there have had to be changes in the way that safeguarding training is offered and, therefore, for the foreseeable future all training will continue to take place online. The National Safeguarding Team have updated some of the training modules, and this work is ongoing for all learning pathway levels. For example, C0 and C1 are now ‘Safeguarding Basic Awareness’ and ‘Safeguarding Foundations’ respectively, and both modules continue to be accessed online via the Safeguarding Training Portal (cofeportal.org)

Significant changes which will be apparent, are in relation to the ‘Safeguarding Leadership Pathway,’ and in addition, there is a new ‘Permission to Officiate Pathway’ for those whose work does not involve a high level of activity within the Diocese. Both these modules are undertaken via Zoom, with small groups led by the Diocesan Safeguarding Team. In early 2022, we will also be facilitating ‘Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction’ sessions for those new to taking on the role of the Parish Safeguarding Officer. Further details on each of the above modules may be found on the training section of the safeguarding page of the diocesan website: www.dioceseofnorwich.org/about/safeguarding

Dates for the Safeguarding Leadership Pathway and the new Permission to Officiate Pathway modules being facilitated for the remainder of this year are already available on the diocesan website (as above), and a training plan with dates for 2022 will also be made available on the diocesan website later this year.

As your newly appointed Diocesan Safeguarding Trainer, I would like to take this opportunity to assure you that we all, as a team, remain committed to supporting you, such that we all may continue to work together to ensure that the culture of safeguarding is integral throughout all of our church communities.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation, participation and understanding.