Information for Parish Safeguarding Officers (PSOs)

Bishop Steven addresses the congregation of PSOs at the Safeguarding Sunday Service in Christ Church Cathedral, November 2023Bishop Steven addresses the congregation of PSOs at the Safeguarding Sunday Service in Christ Church Cathedral, November 2023

Welcome

Thank you so much for taking on the role as Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO), which is such an important function in our mission to create safer churches. We are acutely aware that the PSO post is a voluntary service, and we want to do all we can to enable you to make sure that good safeguarding is happening and to support you as you undertake this task.

The main areas of the PSO role involve helping parishes to understand the need for a positive safeguarding culture where training is undertaken, the parish dashboard is in use and safeguarding concerns are responded to. Find the information you need by clicking the blue text of each section below. To return to this page, simply click the back button in your web browser.


The PSO National Group have put together the above video talking about the role of PSOs, and introducing the use of the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard. PCCs will find this the most useful tool to support the shared responsibility for safeguarding in parishes.

You can find out more about the Dashboard, and Safeguarding Hub, on our dedicated page.


Louise Whitehead, our Head of Safeguarding, holds a dual role as she is also a Parish Safeguarding Officer. Louise became PSO in November 2023, and gave a talk on Safeguarding during a service to stress the importance of raising awareness of safeguarding in the parish. We encourage all PSOs to raise your profile and visibility within your congregation, so that people know more about safeguarding and who to come to if they have a concern. We hope you take inspiration from her talk and adapt it to your own context. 

 

 


Support and contact details

The Diocesan Safeguarding Team offers advice, support, and guidance to anyone in the diocese about on all aspects of safeguarding. This page explains the support and guidance on offer, and how to contact the team.


Reporting a concern

As a PSO you will most likely report a concern to the diocese and the procedures of how you report the concerns are detailed here.


Your responsibilities

The Parish Safeguarding Officer is the key link between the diocese and the parish/benefice, concerning safeguarding matters. It is important that you familiarise yourself with the Parish Safeguarding Handbook.


Mandatory training

As part of your role, this section is a summary of the mandatory training that you are expected to do and contains the links you need to register for training.


Parish Safeguarding Dashboard and Parish Safeguarding Hub

All PSOs and the incumbent of each parish/benefice to have full access to the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard and the Parish Safeguarding Hub. This page explains the two tools.


Local authority services

A list of services that you may need to contact as part of your PSO role. You may need to contact these services for advice or support with issues that may not meet safeguarding thresholds.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Some of the Frequently Asked Questions that we receive from Parish Safeguarding Officers.

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