Monthly PSO drop-ins, starting in June
The Safeguarding Team are launching monthly open drop-ins for Parish Safeguarding Officers on the second Tuesday of each month, from 9 June. Clergy who have any safeguarding related queries can also attend.
You're welcome to drop in and get advice from one of the team on issues related to safeguarding training, DBS, specific cases and general parish safeguarding compliance. If you're new to the role please come and say hello.
Please let us know if you want to drop in by completing this short Microsoft Form prior to that month's event, and then you receive the TEAMS link to join us.
Dates for the remainder of 2026:
- 9 June
- 14 July
- 11 August
- 8 September
- 13 October
- 10 November
- 8 December
March 2026 Update
Mental Health First Aid Training for Parish Safeguarding Officers
Last week Parish Safeguarding Officers received an email that gives them the opportunity to obtain a nationally recognised qualification of Mental Health First Aid within Peterborough Diocese. Places are filling up fast, so to ensure you get your spot, book your place now. The cost of the course is £45, which (with PCC) approval, may be claimed back from your PCC.
This role-specific course will run over 4x Saturday morning sessions (9:00-12:30pm) sessions with the dates below; you need to be available for all sessions (see dates below) to complete the qualification.
• Session 1: 18 April 9:00am-12:30pm
• Session 2: 25 April 9:00am-12:30pm
• Session 3: 2 May 9:00am-12:30pm
• Session 4: 9 May 9:00am-12:30pm
Please reserve your space by following this link – there are only 16 spaces available for this exclusive event.
The Parish Safeguarding Dashboard and the Parish Safeguarding Hub
If your parish is not yet using the Dashboard, more information about this can be found here: https://www.safeguardingdashboards.org.uk/support/ Please email us on safeguarding@peterborough-diocese.org.uk if you want to start using the Dashboard.
The Hub is an extension feature to the Dashboard, which allows for the tracking of training and DBS records for all volunteers within a parish. We have had some parishes trialling the use of the Hub in the Diocese, and this feature is going to be made available to all Parish Safeguarding Dashboards which have reached Level 3 in May. For more information about the Hub and what it offers to parishes, information about GDPR compliance and the Service Agreement for using the Hub, please visit https://www.safeguardinghubs.org.uk/parishes/hub-features/
Parish Safeguarding Officer Network Events
We have set the dates for the next PSO Networking Events and you can book your place via Eventbrite.
The dates are:
Thursday 14 May 18:30-20:00 – where ThirtyOne:Eight will be providing training about DBS
Parish Safeguarding Officer Network Event – May | ThirtyOne:Eight
Tuesday 22 September 18:30-20:00 – where Graeme Pringle of Clearly Simpler will be providing training on using the Parish Safeguarding Hub
Parish Safeguarding Officer Network Event – September | Cleary Simpler - Parish Dashboards
Thursday 3 December 18:30-20:00 - agenda tbc
Parish Safeguarding Officer Network Event – December
New Code of Practice for Safer Recruitment and People Management
The Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team have approved a new Code of Practice for Safer Recruitment and People Management, which can be found here: Code of Practice for Safer Recruitment and People Management
Following this approval, Deborah McGovern and Clare Worrell (C of E National Safeguarding Team). will host a series of informal Safer Recruitment and People Management (SRPM) drop-in sessions. These sessions are not presentations or training events - they are purely drop ins, offering a supportive space to ask questions and explore scenarios.
The sessions are specifically for those involved in implementing the SRPM Code, which includes diocesan, cathedral and parish safeguarding officers and HR professionals. If you’re new to the process or need clarification on a particular point you are welcome to join any of the sessions:
• Wednesday 15 April: 10 -11am
• Friday 24 April: 10 –11am
• Wednesday 6 May: 11–12pm
• Monday 18 May: 1.30–2.30pm
The Team have offered all PSOs the opportunity to drop in at any time during the hour using this Teams link
Meeting ID: 344 379 264 595 03
Passcode: 6bj9AF2C
PSO Induction Sessions
After a hiatus, we are now able to offer the PSO Induction training sessions again. These can be attended by both new and long-standing PSOs, and are being held online via Teams. We are taking bookings via Eventbrite, with availability for the following dates:
Saturday 16 May at 9.30am
Friday 18 September at 12.00 noon
Tuesday 8 December at 6.00pm
Training and DBS Requirements
A reminder that we have listed on the website a list of roles, with the required safeguarding training and DBS checks. This can be found here. The list is not exhaustive, so please do contact us if you are unsure about a role and its training requirements. If the query is about a DBS check, you are also able to contact Thirtyone:Eight directly if you wish.
PSO role and recruitment:
You can access the revised PSO role description here: Parish Safeguarding Officer role description | The Church of England.
An Information and Welcome pack has been created to support PCCs and PSOs coming into role.
Safeguarding Dashboard:
There is a series of six two-minute videos (12 mins in total) to support PSOs in understanding the features and benefits of the Safeguarding Dashboard which absolutely does help make the PSO role more manageable. This video is located on the Safeguarding Virtual Library on our eLearning portal. You can also view the video here.
If your parish is not yet using the Safeguarding Dashboard please reach out to Louisa McCabe louisa.mccabe@peterborough-diocese.org.uk for more information on how to access this valuable resource.
Primary Information Hub:
The printed hand-book has been discontinued in favour of the Safeguarding e-manual. Please dispose of any remaining hard copies, as the guidance is now out of date.
The national group recognised the need to have one central place for information and guidance to support the PSO in their role. They agreed this aim would best be met via the Safeguarding e-manual Safeguarding e-manual | The Church of England and the Safeguarding Dashboard.
Both of these offer easy and timely access to information and tools relevant to the PSO and their role.
PSO Resources/Key Documents:
Templates and resources | The Church of England
PSO National Group | The Church of England
Safeguarding Links on Parish Websites & A Church Near You:
It is not essential to have full safeguarding details on the home page of your website, it is perfectly acceptable for the word ‘Safeguarding’ to be a link from the homepage, either across the top or in an easily-accessible drop down menu. The link should be clearly visible on the homepage, but the whole information does not need to appear on the home page itself, as long as it is available when someone clicks on the link. Clicking that link should take someone to a further page which contains more detailed safeguarding information, including contact details for the Parish Safeguarding Officer, the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and a clear statement of the parish’s commitment to safeguarding. If possible a link to the Diocesan Safeguarding webpages should be included. This should also be reflected on any A Church Near You sites.
Some suggested wording for your statement of committment to safeguarding is below:
"Our parish of [name] is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese of [name]’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the PSO [add their details or link to a page that shows the info] or the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer [add their details here or link to your own page that shows the info or the diocesan safeguarding page]. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services."
Thank you for your continued support and all the valuable contributions you make to the Diocese.