The Standards are broad statements of what the Church of England wants to achieve in the most important dimensions of its safeguarding work.

Each Standard has several ‘What Good Looks Like’ indicators, to identify safeguarding strengths as well as areas for learning and development.

Using the Standards is NOT a compliance-based, tick-box exercise.

The Standards and their indicators have been developed over a three-year period, working with dioceses, cathedrals, parishes and victims and survivors and were approved nationally in 2023.

A series of tools and resources have been developed to assist in measuring or evidencing of how well the Standards are being met, as well as help share best practice.

There are 3 handy documents for parishes to use:  Parish Booklet       Parish Poster 1       Parish Poster 2

Modern Slavery briefing is an optional session looking at national and local statistics and the issues around modern slavery.

This course will explore what it may look like, the most common forms of modern slavery, and what to do if you have a concern.

This course should be done as a national e-learning course available online via the Church of England Training Portal, which takes about 60 minutes to complete. If you have difficulties logging on or sharing an e-mail address with someone else who also uses the portal please contact the administrators by e-mail following the link on their Portal. This is managed nationally and we are unable to help. 

No Zoom courses planned at present.

If you feel you may be affected by the contents of any safeguarding training and would like to discuss an exemption for a specific training course please contact Sue Griffin sue.griffin@derby.anglican.org our Victim and Survivor Lead, or Lisa Marriott lisa.marriott@derby.anglican.org our Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor for a confidential discussion.

This is an update regarding DBS checks for PCC members and churchwardens (ex officio PCC members), because guidance has recently changed.

Whether PCC members and churchwardens are entitled to an enhanced DBS check is dependent on the nature of the arrangements in the particular church body - requirements will therefore vary across different parishes and churches.

Being a member of a PCC does not automatically mean that the DBS threshold for an enhanced DBS check is met, unless the parish conducts work with children or vulnerable adults. This is because an enhanced DBS check without barred list check can only be applied for if the PCC itself qualifies as a children's or vulnerable adult's charity, or if an individual PCC member is undertaking work with children or vulnerable adults.

Therefore, if your parish does NOT do any work with children and/or vulnerable adults, your PCC members do NOT need an enhanced DBS check. If you wish to carry out a DBS check, that will be limited to a Basic check at the cost to the parish of £22.79 each (correct as at 15 May 2024).

If your parish DOES do any work with children and/or vulnerable adults, your PCC members should have an enhanced volunteer DBS check (without barred list), in their capacity of trustee. The Charity Commission states that 'whenever there is a legal entitlement to obtain a DBS check in respect of such a trustee, a check should be carried out'. The PCC member does not need to work with children or vulnerable adults themselves tobe eligible for this check - they are being checked because of the work of the charity.

Please note:

Churchwardens are ex officio members of the PCC, so where the PCC qualifies as a children's or vulnerable adult's charity, then the churchwardens, along with the other members of the PCC as trustees of a children's or vulnerable adult's charity, should also have an enhanced volunteers DBS check without barred list check.