The Diocese of Oxford is working towards creating a church which is safer for everyone. Active engagement with safeguarding learning supports all those who have a role within the Church to implement best safeguarding practice and to effectively recognise and respond to safeguarding situations.
Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility. Training is mandatory and should be renewed every three years.
The Church of England’s Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework 2024, sets out the details of the Church's safeguarding learning pathways for all Church bodies, and expectations on Church Officers in respect of those pathways. It replaces previous safeguarding training practice guidance.
Which training should I complete?
Information about the essential safeguarding learning pathways for Church Officers.
See below for more detail on the courses and how to book onto them.
Safeguarding Learning and Development
Core Safeguarding Learning Pathways
Module |
Basic Awareness |
Foundation |
Leadership |
Permission to Officiate |
| Aim | Provides learners with a basic awareness of safeguarding and enables them to integrate this into their Christian faith and the Church’s ministry. | To enable learners to contribute to, and implement, good safeguarding practice within church and community contexts. | Supports church officers to know and understand how effective safeguarding leadership behaviours, values and beliefs can be used to develop a healthy church culture. Explores effective preventative safeguarding practices and how to respond to complex safeguarding concerns in a way which supports victims and others who are impacted. | To explore and reflect on the safeguarding dimensions involved in the ministry of those with Permission to Officiate. |
| Format | Completed online through the Safeguarding Training Portal.
Approximate completion time is 1-1.5hrs. Questions to complete throughout the pathway, 75% pass mark required, 2 attempts per question. |
Completed online through the Safeguarding Training Portal.
Approximate completion time is 1-1.5hrs. Questions to complete throughout the pathway, 75% pass mark required, 2 attempts per question. |
Completed at 2 x 90-minute Zoom sessions with pre-session activities and a reflective evaluation exercise.
A limited number of two-part face-to-face sessions are available, for those unable to complete the training through Zoom. |
Completed at one three-hour Zoom session with pre-session activities and a reflective evaluation exercise.
A limited number of face-to-face sessions are available, for those unable to complete the training through Zoom. |
| Required for | Required for:
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Required for:
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Required for:
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Required for:
Anyone holding PtO, ordained or lay, as an alternative to completing the Leadership Pathway. If someone with PtO has another role which requires them to complete Leadership then Leadership must be completed instead of the PtO Pathway. If you consider that yourself or someone with PtO in your local context significantly influences the culture of the Church body then they should complete Leadership and not the PtO Pathway. |
Additional Safeguarding Learning Pathways
Module |
Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction |
Safer Recruitment and People Management |
Domestic Abuse |
| Aim | To equip learners with an understanding of the role of the Parish Safeguarding Officer and induct them into key working practices and relationships. | To equip participants with an understanding of safer recruitment, including why it is important and when it should be used, and the skills and practices necessary to promote positive safeguarding behaviour (and detect safeguarding risk) once a person is in role. |
To equip participants to engage thoughtfully and proactively with the issue of domestic abuse and those affected. |
| Format | Completed at one 3hr 15min Zoom session, with pre-session activities, the production of a post-course safeguarding development plan and a follow up discussion with a member of the safeguarding team. | Completed online through the Safeguarding Training Portal.
Approximate completion time is 1-1.5hrs. Final quiz 75% pass mark, retakes permitted. |
Completed online through the Safeguarding Training Portal. Approximate completion time is 1-1.5hrs with questions to complete at the of the pathway.
Also available to be completed by attending a 2 hr 30-minute Zoom session with pre-session activities. |
| Required for | Required for:
Anyone taking on the role of Parish Safeguarding Officer. It does not need to be completed before someone starts in role but the session should be attended within 3 months of a PSO starting in role. Existing Parish Safeguarding Officers are welcome to attend if they would find this helpful. |
Required for:
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Required for:
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Basic Awareness & Foundation
The Basic Awareness and Foundation safeguarding learning pathways can be completed online on the Church of England Safeguarding Training Portal.
Participants completing other safeguarding learning pathways will be asked to complete Basic Awareness and Foundation in preparation.
To access the e-learning, go to the Church of England Safeguarding Training Portal.
- Create an account. Please detail which parish you attend and that this is part of the Diocese of Oxford so that the information can be included in our training report.
- For Training Institution, please select ‘Not part of a Training Institution.’
- It can take 24 hours to receive your log-in information. If you do not receive email confirmation please check your spam folder.
- Select Courses and the Safeguarding Learning Pathway that you will be completing.
For any difficulties in accessing the Safeguarding Training Portal, please email elearning@mail.safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org.
Participants can download a copy of their Basic Awareness or Foundation certificate through the Safeguarding Training Portal. This can be found by selecting View Profile > Miscellaneous > My Certificates. Participants should then send a copy of the training certificate to their Parish Safeguarding Officer.
Basic Awareness Offline
The Basic Awareness learning pathway has now been made available in an offline format, by the National Safeguarding Team. We recognise that for some people within our parishes it is difficult to complete the online modules through the Church of England Safeguarding Training Portal, so we hope that this format will make the Basic Awareness module more accessible.
Wherever possible local support should be given to the person to register and complete the pathways using their own profile on the Safeguarding Training Portal.
If you would like to use the Basic Awareness training presentation with members of your parish, please email Safeguarding Training to request the presentation. This should only be used in exceptional circumstances where the other options outlined are not possible for the individual concerned.
Basic Awareness offline training must be facilitated by someone within the parish who has completed Leadership safeguarding training. Ideally this would be the Parish Safeguarding Officer or someone appropriately experienced in safeguarding.
Foundation
The Foundation Safeguarding Learning Pathway enables learners to contribute to and implement good safeguarding practice within church and community contexts.
Participants completing other safeguarding learning pathways will be asked to complete Basic Awareness and Foundation in preparation.
For the vast majority of participants, Foundation should be completed online using the Safeguarding Training Portal, as outlined in the Basic Awareness and Foundation Online section.
Where there may be difficulties in accessing the safeguarding training portal, particularly due to IT or technical challenges, local support should be given to the individual so that they are able to register for and complete the pathway through their own account on the Portal.
In a small number of circumstances, you may have participants for whom the above options are not viable, and in this case we have a small team of diocesan volunteer safeguarding trainers who can deliver Foundation to groups within your parish. The group size would normally be 8, and if any larger group sizes were required this would need to be discussed with the Safeguarding Training Officer.
If you would like to arrange for an onsite Foundation session to be delivered at your parish, please email Safeguarding Training.
Leadership Safeguarding Learning Pathway
‘I found the course a really moving and effective way to reflect on my behaviour and attitudes as PSO and to revisit what we do and how we behave towards safeguarding in our parish.’
The Leadership Safeguarding Learning Pathway consists of two parts, with session two being held one week after session one at the same time. Prior to each 90-minute session, participants will have tasks to complete within the leadership participant workbook. After the sessions, participants will complete a reflective evaluation exercise.
To book onto a leadership session, please click on the links below and register for a place. The safeguarding training is held on Zoom, unless stated otherwise.
Participants will receive an email confirming the details of how to access the training, and providing training materials, approximately two weeks before session one. If you do not receive this then please email Safeguarding Training. Participants must be able to make both parts of the training to complete the pathway.
Participants should have completed Basic Awareness and Foundation before completing this pathway. These online modules can be accessed through the Safeguarding Training Portal. Further information can be found in the Basic Awareness & Foundation section.
Leadership Registration Links
2025
Tue 29th Apr & Tue 6th May 2025, 19:00-20:30, Zoom (Full)
Wed 30th Apr & Wed 7th May 2025, 14:00-15:30, Zoom (Full)
Thu 1st May & Thu 8th May 2025, 10:00-11:30, in person at St Birinus House, Englefield Road, Theale, Reading, RG7 5AS
Tue 20th May & Tue 27th May 2025, 14:00-15:30, Zoom (Full)
Wed 21st May & Wed 28th May 2025, 10:00-11:30, Zoom
Wed 11th June & Wed 18th June 2025, 19:00-20:30, Zoom (Full)
Thu 12th June & Thu 19th June 2025, 14:00-15:30, Zoom (Full)
Mon 23rd June & Mon 30th June 2025, 14:00-15:30, in person at Christ Church Abingdon, Northcourt Road, Abingdon, OX14 1PL
Tue 24th June & Tue 1st July 2025, 19:00-20:30, Zoom
Tue 22nd July & Tue 29th July 2025, 19:00-20:30, Zoom
Wed 23rd July & Wed 30th July 2025, 14:00-15:30, Zoom
Permission to Officiate Safeguarding Learning Pathway
The Permission to Officiate Safeguarding Learning Pathway supports those with Permission to Officiate to explore and reflect upon the safeguarding dimensions involved in their ministry.
The Permission to Officiate safeguarding learning pathway consists of one three-hour session, with pre-session activities for participants and a reflective evaluation exercise following the session.
To book a training place on a Permission to Officiate session, please click on the links below, and register for a place. The training is held on Zoom, unless stated otherwise.
Participants will receive an email confirming details of how to access the training, and providing training materials, approximately two weeks before the session. If you do not receive this then please email Safeguarding Training.
Participants should have completed Basic Awareness and Foundation before completing this Pathway. These online modules can be accessed through the Safeguarding Training Portal. Further information can be found in the Basic Awareness and Foundation Online section.
Permission to Officiate Registration Links
2025
Thu 24th April 2025, 10:00 - 13:00, Zoom (Full)
Mon 19th May 2025, 13:00 - 16:00, in person at St Birinus House, Englefield Road, Theale, Reading, RG7 5AS
Tue 17th June 2025, 10:00-13:00, Zoom
Wed 9th July 2025, 10:00-13:00, Zoom
Safer Recruitment and People Management
The Safer Recruitment and People Management pathway supports participants to develop an understanding of why safer recruitment is important in the context of developing a culture of safeguarding in the Church. It also explains how to safely recruit staff and volunteers in line with Church of England policy and guidance.
The pathway is available online through the Church of England Safeguarding Training Portal. The approximate completion time is 1-1.5hrs, with questions to complete at the end. The pass mark is 75% and retakes are permitted.
Participants should have completed Basic Awareness and Foundation before completing this Pathway. These online modules can also be accessed through the Safeguarding Training Portal.
To access the e-learning go to the Church of England Safeguarding Training Portal.
- If you do not already have an account you will need to create an account.
- Please detail which parish you attend and that this is part of the Diocese of Oxford so that the information can be included in our training report.
- For Training Institution please select ‘Not part of a Training Institution.’
- It can take 24 hours to receive your log-in information. If you do not receive email confirmation, please check your junk mail folder.
- Select Courses & the Learning Pathway that you will be completing.
For any difficulties in accessing the Safeguarding Training Portal please email elearning@mail.safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org.
Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction - Safeguarding Learning Pathway
‘Karen’s explanation of the role and her ways of coping effectively with the wide range of demands was excellent and very reassuring.’
The Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction equips learners with an understanding of the role of the Parish Safeguarding Officer and inducts them into key working practices and relationships.
The Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction consists of one 3hr15min session, with pre-session activities for participants, the production of a post-course safeguarding development plan and a follow up discussion with an Area Safeguarding Adviser.
To book a training place on a Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction session, please click on the links below, and register for a place. The training is held over Zoom. Participants will receive an email confirming details of how to access the training, and providing training materials, approximately two weeks before the session. If you do not receive this then please email Safeguarding Training.
Participants should have completed Basic Awareness and Foundation before completing this Pathway. These online modules can be accessed through the Safeguarding Training Portal. Further information can be found in the Basic Awareness section.
Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction Registration Links
2025
Domestic Abuse Safeguarding Learning Pathway
‘The course helps very effectively to focus on the numerous areas of domestic abuse and how to recognise concerns and deal with them appropriately within the context of the Church.’
The Domestic Abuse Safeguarding Learning Pathway equips participants to engage thoughtfully and proactively with the issue of domestic abuse and those affected. The pathway is available through the Church of England Safeguarding Training Portal, to complete online (details of how to access the e-learning is below).
The Diocese also offer some face to face/zoom sessions for those wishing to participate in the training in person.
Dates for 2025 are below:
Thurs 8th May 2025, 13:30-16:30, in person at St Birinus House, Englefield Road, Theale, Reading, RG7 5AS
To access the e-learning go to the Church of England Safeguarding Training Portal.
- If you do not already have an account you will need to create an account.
- Please detail which parish you attend and that this is part of the Diocese of Oxford so that the information can be included in our training report.
- For Training Institution please select ‘Not part of a Training Institution.’
- It can take 24 hours to receive your log-in information. If you do not receive email confirmation, please check your junk mail folder.
- Select Courses & the Learning Pathway that you will be completing.
For any difficulties in accessing the Safeguarding Training Portal please email elearning@mail.safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org.
Advance Warning and Domestic Abuse ResourcesFor some of us, the content of the domestic abuse course may be challenging and possibly cause us distress. As with all safeguarding training, it is important to look after yourself as you work through the materials, taking breaks as needed. If you feel that either yourself or someone within the Church community could be at risk of domestic abuse, please reach out to your Parish Safeguarding Officer. Here are further details for Local & National Domestic Abuse Resources that you can access.
Young Leaders - Safeguarding Learning & Induction
We know that many young leaders will be involved in supporting activities with children and vulnerable adults across the diocese. It is vital that they are not only equipped to undertake their roles safely, following good safeguarding practice, but that they are also able to identify potential signs of abuse or neglect and know how to respond to safeguarding concerns with the support of their team.
To assist them in this, young leaders aged 16-17 will now be expected to complete the Basic Awareness module through the Safeguarding Training Portal. This should be completed by the young leader when there is an adult available at home who they can talk to if they have been impacted by any of the training content.
A guidance document Safeguarding Induction - Young Leaders has also been created for adult leaders, who will be supervising young leaders aged 16-17 when they are undertaking their roles. The guidance and scenarios should be discussed as part of the young leader’s induction, and provides an opportunity to explore some of the safeguarding situations which the young leader may come across, how they should respond and what support they have from other team members.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) How do I renew my safeguarding learning?
Safeguarding learning needs to be renewed every three years.
Church Officers need to repeat the core safeguarding learning pathway that is the highest required for their role. If the person has not completed Basic Awareness/Foundation previously, they will need to complete both learning pathways as part of renewing their training. The exception to this would be if they are only required to complete Basic Awareness and therefore they would not need to complete Foundation as well.
The additional safeguarding learning pathways also need to be renewed every three years.
Even if you have completed C0 and C1 previously it is recommended that you complete the new versions of Basic Awareness and Foundation through the Safeguarding Training Portal as the content has been significantly revised.
2) How can I check the online training records of people within my parish?
There is now functionality available on the safeguarding training portal for local reporting; this report enables parish safeguarding officers to run reports to check on training completions in their parish.
To set this up, existing individual portal users need to log in to their account and edit their profile; once logged in, they can click on their name at the top right of the screen and select "Edit profile" - at the very bottom of the page is a field labelled '(optional) Allow a user with the following email address to look at my training record (eg. my Parish Safeguarding Officer)'.
If they enter an e-mail address into this field, and if somebody has an account linked to that address, this will allow the specified person to view a record of any training they have completed via the site.
New users can set this up at the point of registering for an account on the portal, and it can be updated at any time by users editing their profile as mentioned above.
The 'Local Report' for the PSO displays the name and e-mail address of anybody who has given them permission to view their training records, and shows the expiry date of any courses they have successfully completed on the Training Portal:
• If the expiry date has passed, then the date is printed in red.
• If the course has not been completed, then #### is printed light grey.
PSOs can search for a particular name by typing into the search box to the right of the report or download the whole report as a spreadsheet.
Please note that this report only displays training completed via the Training Portal, not via other means.
3) I've completed safeguarding training in another setting. Do I still need to complete it with the Church of England?
Yes. Whilst we recognise that many people bring a valuable range of skills, knowledge and experience to their roles it is still important that the required Church of England safeguarding learning pathways are completed. This is due to the need to consider safeguarding within the context of the church, including our safeguarding responsibilities, potential risks and responding processes.
4) Do I have to complete the Safeguarding Learning Pathways?
We hope that most people will want to complete the Safeguarding Learning Pathways in order to keep their safeguarding knowledge as up to date as possible, to prevent safeguarding issues, respond appropriately to concerns and create a safer culture across our churches. We understand however that sometimes there may be resistance and people will ask if they ‘really have to’ complete safeguarding training.
It is important to be aware that all current safeguarding policy and practice guidance has been approved by General Synod as Safeguarding Code and must be followed by all relevant persons. The Safeguarding Code replaces the former requirement to have ‘due regard’ to safeguarding guidance with a ‘duty to comply’ with the requirements of the code. This includes the Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework (2024) which outlines which Church Officers, undertaking paid or voluntary roles on behalf of the Church, need to complete particular Church of England safeguarding learning pathways. Not only do individuals need to complete their required pathways but those in Church Leadership e.g. the Clergy or Church Bodies such as a PCC, are responsible for ensuring that Church Officers within their parish complete the safeguarding learning pathways required for their roles.
This code applies to people who have safeguarding responsibilities within the Church, including all authorised clergy, bishops, archdeacons, licensed readers and lay workers, churchwardens, members of PCCs and cathedral chapters. In practice, safeguarding policy uses the terms ‘church bodies’ and ‘church officers’ to cover relevant people.
Some of the required attendees listed in this code are not themselves ‘relevant persons’, for example, PCC members, diocesan, cathedral and parish staff, ordinands, parish volunteers. Where that is the case, the relevant 'requirement' under section 5A of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 is imposed on the person or body who authorises or permits the required attendee to undertake duties or activities, or the body to which the required attendee belongs. For example, where the required attendee is a PCC member, the requirement is imposed on the PCC and is a requirement for the PCC to take all reasonable steps to ensure that its members undertake the relevant training. Where the required attendee is a volunteer or a member of staff, the requirement is imposed on the body – e.g. the Diocesan Board of Finance, the cathedral chapter or the PCC – which appoints or employs that person.
Failure by a member of the clergy to comply with a requirement is an act or omission which may constitute misconduct under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 CDM.
Failure by a reader or lay worker to comply with a requirement would be grounds for the revocation of that reader’s or lay worker’s licence by the bishop.
Failure by a churchwarden, members of PCC or cathedral chapter could result in an investigation being conducted by the Charity Commission and the person being disqualified as a charity trustee. Click here for further information from the Charity Commission on Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees.
If a volunteer is in a role that requires them to undertake safeguarding learning, they should not be allowed to continue in that role if they refuse to complete the required learning.
Additional Learning Opportunities
We use this page to share additional safeguarding learning opportunities that are available to supplement the Church of England Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework. If you have recently completed a safeguarding related course, or are aware of resources that you feel others could benefit from in the diocese, then please let the safeguarding team know.
Safeguarding Training Portal
The Safeguarding Training Portal now has a Virtual Library which we can access to help our understanding and practice of safeguarding. Resources include literature on domestic abuse and trauma, podcasts on spiritual abuse, videos on forgiveness or Adverse Childhood Experiences and much more.
An eLearning course is also available on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. This explores how we can recognise, respond, record and refer a concern about modern slavery and human trafficking. It also identifies the role of churches in raising awareness and taking action.
Real Safeguarding Stories
Real Safeguarding Stories is a free video resource, where anonymised survivor's stories are shared to support engagement with safeguarding issues. Areas of safeguarding covered within the videos include domestic, financial and sexual abuse and the experiences of both child and adult survivors are explored. Each video is accompanied by guidance notes which highlight the learning objectives, points for discussion, and useful links for further support and information.
Responding Well to Victims and Survivors of Abuse
This Guidance outlines requirements and advice for Church Officers and Church Bodies on how to respond well to victims and survivors of all forms of abuse. It includes videos co-produced by survivors and safeguarding professionals.