Last updated 12th March 2025
The Leadership, Permission to Officiate and, Parish Safeguarding Officer Pathways are all face to face sessions that are delivered by our Safeguarding Trainer and Volunteer Coordinator: Andrea Richards.
The Basic, Foundation, Domestic Abuse and Safer Recruitment can be completed online, however there are some limited face to face events planned in annually for Basic, Foundation and Domestic Abuse.
These are accessible via Eventbrite bookings, see below for more details.
For any safeguarding training queries or issues, please send them to safeguarding.training@blackburn.anglican.org
The Basic Awareness and Foundation training are available online through the national training portal.
The Basic Awareness Pathway is mandatory for anyone appointed or elected to a role within the church.
It must be completed before a person undertakes any other Safeguarding Pathway.
The Basic Awareness Pathway must be repeated every three years - unless a pathway at a higher level has been completed. The Basic Awareness Pathway must be completed before anyone undertakes the Foundation Pathway.
The Foundation Pathway is mandatory for:
The Foundation Pathway (or a higher Core Pathway) must be repeated every three years - unless a pathway at a higher level has been completed. The FoundationPathway must be completed before anyone undertakes the Leadership Pathway.
Completing Online - You can access the training here. If you experience any problems with the registration process, please contact elearning@safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org as the training website is not managed by the Diocese of Blackburn.
Booking face to face training - please click here
Please note face to face training is for those who struggle with accessing online training.
These sessions will not be delivered as frequently.
The Leadership Pathway must be undertaken by anyone who plays a lead role in shaping the culture of the church. It is important that leaders understand how to shape a healthy and safe culture, and how safeguarding concerns and abuse can be prevented.
The Basic Awareness and Foundation Pathways must both be completed before anyone undertakes the Leadership Pathway.
The Leadership Pathway is mandatory for:
The Leadership Pathway must be repeated every three years (unless the person is also required to undertake the Senior Leadership Pathway). If you have completed Leadership in another Diocese please make sure to have your certificate available.
There will be some pre-course preparation and reading to complete prior to attendance, details of this will be sent to you in due course following registration.
This Learning Pathway builds on the Basic Awareness and Foundation modules,
This pathway provides a chance to reflect on safeguarding in a church setting. Rather than focusing on simply providing information or ‘step-by-step’ guides, this pathway encourages reflection on the foundations and priorities of good safeguarding and how to contribute to its development.
This pathway is intended to be different to any other safeguarding learning experience. The aim is that you reflect on your own values and beliefs and integrate these with the values and beliefs underpinning good safeguarding behaviour. The idea is that good safeguarding behaviour can then flow from an inner motivation, rather than be experienced as an external process to be followed under duress.
Given the high levels of domestic abuse in the UK, it is important that people know how to recognise signs of potential domestic abuse, and what to do if they receive a disclosure or information.
The Basic Awareness Pathway must be completed before anyone undertakes the Domestic Abuse Pathway.
The Domestic Abuse Pathway is mandatory and must be completed every 3 years for:
The Domestic Abuse Pathway is recommended for PCC members (but it is no longer mandatory).
Completing Online - You can access the training here. If you experience any problems with the registration process, please contact elearning@safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org as the training website is not managed by the Diocese of Blackburn.
Booking face to face training - please click here
Please note face to face training is for those who struggle with accessing online training.
These sessions will not be delivered as frequently.
The material for this pathway has been produced by the national safeguarding team. Although it is described as an induction session, given that this is the first time there has been the opportunity for PSOs to work together as a group, we are happy to extend invitations to experienced PSOs and extend the opportunity to include the opportunity to network with other PSOs.
The Basic Awareness and Foundation Pathways must both be completed before anyone undertakes the PSO Induction Pathway.
Join us for a Parish Safeguarding Officer networking event!
The Safeguarding Team would like to invite you to connect with other PSOs across the diocese.
We hope this in person meeting will be an opportunity to build your support network, get updates from the team, raise, and discuss issues you may be experiencing in your role, share experiences, insights, and best practice, and to meet the safeguarding team and other new and experienced PSOs.
To sign up follow this link.
After our last PSO Networking Event and feedback from those that attended, we look forward to offering monthly Zoom drop-in sessions. This will be an opportunity for PSOs, and those who support parishes, to raise questions on anything safeguarding related. If there are particular discussion topics let us know beforehand. This is not a training session.
To sign up follow this link.
This training will cover:
Modern Slavery E-Learning Course
An interactive course in two parts that explores the role of churches in raising awareness and taking action against modern slavery as well as how we engage with concerns. Throughout the session you will gain an understanding of modern slavery and human trafficking and you will learn how to recognise, respond, refer and record concerns.
Sign up here
The 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.
There is new safer recruitment and people management training course for everyone with responsibility for recruitment, including the recruitment of volunteers which can be accessed here.