Training

Safeguarding Children Training

The training required for each person, depends on their level of involvement with children. To do this, the following guidance should be used as a minimum requirement:

• All Church personnel who work with children must be inducted into the Church's  safeguarding policies and procedures when they begin their role
• All clergy and religious in active ministry with children
• Church personnel identified as having safeguarding responsibilities must receive appropriate safeguarding training and regular updates
• Those with additional safeguarding responsibilities—such as:
  • Designated Liaison Persons (DLPs), 
  • Safeguarding representatives, 
  • Support persons, 
  • Those involved in recruitment and selection, 
  • Those managing complaints, disciplinary matters, or risk assessments, require more specialised safeguarding training.
• Leader or coordinator of every Church activity involving children
• All Priests, Sacristans, Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers, Choir Leaders, Catechist, School Chaplain, Safety Representative, Volunteers, and People engaged in ministry within the Church who work with children are required to undertake safeguarding training
• A Eucharistic Minister who only assists with the distribution of Holy Communion during Mass to the general congregation would not normally be regarded as a person working directly with children and therefore would not automatically require the full child safeguarding training programme under the national minimum standards.
• A Lector (Reader at Mass) whose role is solely to proclaim the readings at Mass would not normally be regarded as working with children simply by virtue of being a reader and therefore would not automatically require the full child safeguarding training programme under the national minimum standards. However, If the reader is involved in children's liturgies, youth ministry, sacramental preparation, altar server training, or other activities involving children, safeguarding training would be required.

Regardless of the level of training required, all Church personnel are required to abide by good child safeguarding practice.
 

Safeguarding Adults at Risk Training

The groups most likely to require adult safeguarding training are:

• Clergy (bishops, priests, deacons) engaged in pastoral ministry / pilgrimages. 
• Religious sisters and brothers involved in ministry. 
• Parish staff and volunteers who regularly visit adults in their homes, hospitals, nursing homes, or residential care settings. 
• Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who bring Communion to the sick, housebound, or residents of care facilities. 
• Pastoral visitors and bereavement ministry teams. 
• Adult safeguarding officers, designated persons, and members of adult safeguarding committees or panels. 
• Any church personnel with responsibility for receiving, responding to, or managing safeguarding concerns.

Regardless of the level of training required, all Priests, Staff and Volunteers are required to abide by good safeguarding practice.