Items filtered by date: December 2015
Under the Church of England Learning and Development Framework, safeguarding training must be renewed every three years, in addition you must also have a valid DBS check, which also needs to be renewed every three years.
Currently, the Diocesan Safeguarding Team sends reminders at 6, 4, and 2 months before expiry. From 1 January 2026, this process will change to a single reminder sent 4 months before expiry for both safeguarding training and DBS checks.
This change coincides with the Diocese of Derby becoming the first in the country to implement a Diocesan Safeguarding Hub. The Hub will:
- Automatically send renewal reminders
- Allow you to access your own records and check expiry dates
- Put you in control of keeping your training and DBS up to date
Access to the Hub will be restricted to those who need it, including the Diocesan Safeguarding Team, the Bishop’s Office and Warden of Readers. All information will be managed in line with GDPR regulations.
If you have any questions or require further clarification, please contact us at safeguarding@derby.anglican.org
Thank you for your continued commitment to safeguarding.
Diocesan Safeguarding Team
Diocese of Derby
Based at All Saints’ Church, Ockbrook near Derby (Available Full-time, term time only, or part-time)
Would you like to join a thriving, community-minded church to continue, grow, and develop our varied ministry with the children and young people in our local villages, supported by our committed and enthusiastic volunteers? All Saints’ Ockbrook has a growing congregation of different ages and a desire to bless all those around us. Our worship services are relatively informal, with a music group and variety of leaders and preachers.
Existing weekly activities include Shining Stars, a busy pre-school group, a Wednesday after-school Youth Café, Sunday Night Saints (a lively teenage group), and Rise & Shine (a Sunday morning group for 4 to 12-year-olds). We run a summer holiday club and a youth weekend away, enjoy periodic interactive all age (4ALL) services, and have experimented with breakfast services for families with pre-school children and babies. There are strong connections with the 3 primary schools in our parish, where the children’s coordinator is warmly welcomed to take assemblies and be involved in their activities.
You will have a strong Christian faith, have worked or volunteered with children or young people, and be passionate about encouraging children, young people, and their volunteer helpers. You will be educated to A-Level (or degree standard) or have an equivalent level of experience of working with children and/or young people.
This is available as a full-time position (37.5 hours a week), or as two part-time positions for a children’s coordinator and a youth coordinator (19 hours a week). In both cases, candidates can choose to work 52 weeks a year or 41 weeks a year mainly in term-time. You will receive close support including at the weekly church leadership meetings, and during regular one-to-ones with our vicar.
The salary for a full-time, full-year position is £27,441 with 28 days’ holiday including bank holidays. Salary and holidays will be pro-rata if working part-time and/or fewer weeks.
For more details, and an application pack, please email Tim Sumpter, Vicar of All Saints Ockbrook with St Stephen’s Borrowash, tmsumpter@hotmail.co.uk
On 16 November 2025, a special diocesan service was held for Safeguarding Sunday at St John’s Church, Walton, to give thanks for those working in safeguarding in our parishes and to remember victims and survivors of abuse. The service was led by both Bishop Libby and Bishop Malcolm, and the Diocesan Safeguarding team.
Safeguarding Sunday is an annual campaign led by the Christian safeguarding charity thirtyone:eight. Churches are encouraged to reflect on and improve their safeguarding practices to ensure vulnerable people are protected. The key theme for 2025 is "Action Speaks Louder".
Bishop Libby gave thanks for all those working for the good of our church and communities: to repent of our failings and hold before God all those who have been hurt or harmed by our action or inaction; and to look to the future, committing ourselves afresh to seek the Kingdom of God by playing our part in being a safer church.
Bishop Malcolm focused his sermon on the reading in the service from 1 John 3.16-24 where St John said, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth. Loving in action and in truth”.
He highlighted that “we should model ourselves on the example of Jesus, in whom the truth is spelt out in both action and words. It’s all very well expressing sympathy, or empathy – but if “I am not willing to lift a finger to help”, or to “dig deep in my pocket to help”, what use am I? ‘I hear what you say’ or ‘I hear your pain’ is all very well – but what do I do to make up for the damage done? Action speaks louder than words”.
“As St Theresa of Kolkata taught, we should spend more time washing feet, so there is less time for throwing stones. How we and the world all need to learn that lesson”.
“Talking of words, truth matters. In the media, in daily life, and especially when it comes to safeguarding. Listening well, getting it right, telling it clearly, not twisting others’ words, but speaking and acting, in love”.
Lisa Marriott, Head of Safeguarding and Diocesan Safeguarding Officer, gave her thanks to Parish Safeguarding Officers for their ongoing commitment to safeguarding, highlighting that their vigilance, care, and willingness to embed safeguarding into the life of our churches makes a real difference.
She said, “Together, we are creating communities where everyone feels safer, valued, and protected. This work is not always easy, but it is vital, and your dedication is deeply appreciated. Safeguarding is not a tick-box exercise. It is a reflection of our faith, it embodies the core values of care, protection and justice that lie at the heart of Christian teaching. Let’s continue to build a church where safeguarding is not just a standard, but a way of life”.
The Parish of St. Alkmund’s in Derby is seeking to appoint an energetic, imaginative, experienced and suitably qualified person to the position of Youth and Young Adult Ministry Leader. This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of the ministry team in the parish, working with clergy, lay leaders and volunteers to realise the parish vision for effective youth and family ministry.
Able to connect with young people both inside and outside of church, you will be passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus and committed to nurturing faith in our youth. St. Alkmund’s is a lively, charismatic evangelical church in the Diocese of Derby. The appointment is for an initial period of 3 years. Hours are part time constituting 20 hours per week. Salary is £27,000 - £30,000 per annum pro rata.
Closing date for applications: Friday, 28 Nov 2025 at 5pm
Shortlisting: Monday, 1 Dec 2025
Interviews: Wednesday. 10 Dec 2025
Provisional starting date - as soon as possible.
An application pack and form are available by emailing mina@stalkmunds.org.uk
For further information or an informal chat, please contact Revd Mina Munns on 07960 250497.
>> Job advert
Full-time stipendiary post
This benefice of three Anglo-Catholic parishes, under the extended episcopal care of the Bishop of Oswestry, on the southeastern edge of the Peak District offers a rich and rewarding ministry across village, suburban, and semi-rural contexts. The churches share a commitment to sacramental worship, pastoral care, and community engagement, and are praying for a priest who will lead them into a renewed season of growth, collaboration, and mission.
21 November
Revd Matthew (Matt) Green will be instituted as Rector of the Benefice of Aston-on-Trent, Elvaston, Weston-on-Trent and Shardlow, Barrow-upon-Trent with Twyford and Swarkestone, on Saturday, 24 January 2026, at 3 pm at All Saints, Aston-on-Trent by the Bishop of Derby and inducted by the Archdeacon of Derby City and South Derbyshire, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
Revd Frances (Fran) Smettem will be licensed as Priest-in-Charge of the benefice of Eyam with Foolow and Baslow, and Priest-in-Charge of the parishes of Curbar and Stoney Middleton, on Wednesday, 18 March 2026, at 7 pm at St Lawrence’s Eyam, by the Bishop of Derby, assisted by the Archdeacon of Derbyshire Peak and Dales, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
Thomas (Tom) Smith has been appointed full-time Administrator to the Bishop of Derby. He started in post on Thursday, 13 November 2025. His contact details are: thomas.smith@derby.anglican.org.
6 November
Canon Jack Cooper, Lay Canon of Derby Cathedral until 17th October, when his term of office came to an end, has been appointed Lay Canon Emeritus with effect from 18 October 2025.
The Revd Susannah (Susie) Curtis, Ordained Ministry Development Officer and holder of the Bishop of Derby’s Permission to Officiate, Diocese of Derby, has stepped down as Assistant Area Dean of Derby City. Her last day in this role was 14 September 2025.
The Revd Alan Winfield, Associate Priest of Melbourne, Smisby, Stanton-by-Bridge and Ticknall, Diocese of Debry, has been appointed Assistant Area Dean of Mercia. His first day in this role was 3 November 2025.
The Bishop of Derby wishes to appoint a Canon for Worship and Music at Derby Cathedral.
A unique opportunity has arisen to join the team at Derby Cathedral where we are working towards ambitious and innovative plans to continue our development and growth, with the Chapter’s strategic development plan providing a framework for the future.
The Bishop of Derby wishes to appoint a Canon for Community Outreach and Social Justice at Derby Cathedral.
A unique opportunity has arisen to join the team at Derby Cathedral where we are working towards ambitious and innovative plans to continue our development and growth, with the Chapter’s strategic development plan providing a framework for the future.
Season of Creation: St Francis
In the church calendar early autumn brings with it the Season of Creation. It is a five-week period beginning on 1st September. Many churches throughout the diocese of Derby will have kept the season in some way, even if it was simply by keeping harvest festival.
The season ended on 4th October and this is the day the Church of England calendar commemorated St Francis of Assisi. The popularity of St Francis has grown. Not only did the late pope take the name Francis but many seek to follow St Francis’ example in the way that he relates to creation. He is the patron saint of the environment movement and influences many in the secular world who care deeply about global warming and its consequences.
St Francis grew up in Italy, in the later twelfth century, as part of wealthy, merchant family. At the age of twenty he was badly injured in a local war, and became seriously unwell. During this time, he gathered friends around him and began to live simply in community. He had a vision of Christ who was inviting him to ‘re-build my church’. At the time he saw a ruined church building in front of him but his vocation was not to restore the material fabric of damaged buildings but the restoration of the spiritual and human fabric of the church, so that it might advance and grow in different ways. May people across the world follow his example in the way that they set out to be disciples of Jesus, not least because of the attractiveness of his vision for God’s creation.
St Francis was a poet, and his most famous poem draws out how he sees the relationship between human beings and the created order. It begins:
O Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord God,
All praise is Yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings…….
Praised be you my Lord with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun
Who is the day through whom You give us light
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness
Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars.
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious, and fair.
Praised be You, my Lord, through brothers Wind and Air……
Praised be you my Lord through sister water
So useful, humble, precious, and pure……
(from Catholic Online, 2022)
The key point is that Francis sees human beings in a kinship relationship with all creation. Later he refers to ‘our sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us’. It is a relationship of fellowship or community, a given mutual relationship that requires nurturing. To take care of nature is to create community including the relationship between human beings across the globe.
In his encyclical letter, Laudato Sí, named after the first Italian words of St Francis’ poem, the late Pope Francis taught the importance of ‘integral ecology’. This means that true environmental sustainability includes reconciliation and restored relationships between human beings. Fractured human community will mean the continuing of a broken world, the failure of care for the environment and the ongoing disruption of our biological ecology.
This insight links us to the most well-known part of St Francis’ life, that moment when two years before his death in 1224 he received the stigmata, the marks of crucifixion on his own hands, feet, and side. It was Francis’ wish to know only Jesus Christ and him crucified that appeared to take form on his body. Francis knew that it was only in and through the suffering of creation which includes the brokenness of human community that God in his Son Jesus would save the world.
May I commend St Francis to you, his poetry, his profound thinking on God’s creation and his conviction that in the sufferings of God we will find not only wisdom but also our redemption.
O God, you ever delight to reveal yourself
to the childlike and lowly of heart:
grant that, following the example of the blessed Francis,
we may count the wisdom of this world as foolishness
and know only Jesus Christ and him crucified,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Very Rev’d Peter Robinson
The Dean of Derby
The Diocese of Derby Disability Inclusion Action Group (DIAG) successfully launched their recognisable symbols project; all housed in one website – www.accessiblechurch.net.
The symbols enable churches to make a positive difference by openly displaying the accessibility available to support worshippers with all kinds of disabilities and neurodiversity.
As a result of this project, Helen James, Disability Project Manager for the Church of England confirmed that the symbols will be made available for all parishes throughout all dioceses to use and implement.
They will feature in a free national webinar on Tuesday, 4 November 2025.
As the diocesan lead on the project, Bishop Malcolm Macnaughton said “‘All people, including those with all kinds of disabilities and neurodiversity’s, are made in God’s image, and called to be disciples of Jesus, reflecting God’s glory by the way we live. Church communities want to be welcoming and inclusive to everyone, but we struggle to make everything equally accessible for all needs. These symbols make this easier by making it clear to everyone what is possible in a particular church building and what is not. My prayer is that churches will find that communicating clearly helps people with a range of needs feel at home in church, and able to play their part. ‘
Carl Veal, Chair of DIAG, said “The Disability Inclusion Action Group comprises clergy and lay people with a range of disabilities, from across the Diocese of Derby. Their aim is to see disability inclusion taken seriously in our churches and across the Diocese. Their work is focused around three key themes - Attitude, Access, and Agency.”
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