The Diocese of Newcastle, alongside the wider Church of England, is committed to promoting a safe environment and culture across all church bodies for children, young people and vulnerable adults. An essential part of this commitment is ensuring that all those who work or volunteer with vulnerable groups are suitable for the role they will carry out.
Safer Recruitment & People Management Code of Practice
PCCs are expected to abide by the Church of England’s Code of Practice when it comes to matters of Safer Recruitment & People Management. The latest version of the Code was approved by General Synod in February 2026, and came into force on the 1st June 2026.
Click here to access the Code of Practice, and download the multiple resources and templates available to PCCs. (A printable PDF version is available here, but please be aware that it will not be updated in the same way as the website version, and could eventually result in out-of-date information)
Click here to view answers to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team’s most-received questions on the latest Code of Practice, including the roles that fall under this code, procedures for references, retrospective recruitment, and more.
If you still require further clarification or advice having viewed the information and resources above, you can contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team directly to seek advice.
Online Learning Module
The Church of England offers an online learning module for Safer Recruitment & People Management, which is accessible via the national Safeguarding Training Portal. Click here to access this course directly, through your personal Training Portal account.
Completing this pathway will result in a formal certificate that can be passed to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team or your Parish Safeguarding Officer, just like other training courses.
Safeguarding Training
The Diocese of Newcastle offers in-house Safeguarding Training of all core training pathways, in line with the Church of England. Click here to find out more, including mandatory requirements for parish roles.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
For information on managing DBS checks within your parish, please visit this page.
Click here to view the Diocese’s statement on the management of blemished DBS certificates, and what to do if a certificate discloses an applicant’s criminal record.
Safeguarding Dashboard & Hub
The Parish Safeguarding Dashboard is a simple to use, online tool that helps you keep track of safeguarding in your church and keeps you up-to-date with local and national changes in safeguarding requirements.
Mandatory requirements and good practice guidance found within this platform are all based upon the Church of England’s Safer Recruitment & People Management Code of Practice, and other sections of the Safeguarding e-manual.
Click here to find out more, and to access this resource.
Other policies, practice guidance and resources
- Dignity at Work Policy and Procedures (pdf)
- Clergy Discipline Measure (on the Church of England website)
- Guidelines for Professional Conduct of Clergy (pdf)
- Watch a series of induction films on the Safeguarding Training Portal
Model Role Descriptions
The Model Role Descriptions for common roles in parishes can be found here. These role descriptions will need to be amended to fit your local context and it is important that the description has the level of both DBS check (if required) and Safeguarding Learning added, so expectations of the person and the role are clear from the outset.