Here you will find the latest updates and changes relating to safeguarding.
June 2026: It's Not Just Policy, It's Personal
Building confidence in reporting safeguarding concerns
1–14 June 2026
“Safeguarding in the Church of England is not simply about compliance with guidance or completing the right forms. It is about people and for those of us who seek to follow Jesus, it is about how we live our faith. It’s Not Just Policy, It’s Personal is a timely reminder that at the heart of every safeguarding concern is a human being who has taken a brave and often costly step in speaking about harm.” Bishop Robert Springett, Lead Bishop for Safeguarding
It’s Not Just Policy, It’s Personal is a two-week awareness campaign focused on helping people recognise, respond to and report safeguarding concerns with confidence. While the campaign runs for two weeks, its message is designed to have a lasting impact, with resources and materials that can continue to be used long after the campaign ends.
Safeguarding is more than following procedures. Behind every concern or disclosure is a person who may be experiencing harm, risk, or abuse. How we respond – and the environment we create for people to speak up safely – matters deeply.
The campaign has been developed in response to recommendations made in the 2024 Makin Report, which highlighted the importance of ensuring that abuse, both current and non-recent, is recognised and reported appropriately across the Church.
To support this work, national church has created a range of downloadable resources designed to help individuals, churches and communities feel more confident in taking appropriate safeguarding action. The materials are flexible and can be used in ways that best suit your setting, whether digitally, in print, or through local conversations and discussions.
All materials are based on the Reporting Safeguarding Concerns & Allegations Code of Practice, which you can read here.
Understanding how to respond to safeguarding concerns
What to do when safeguarding concerns arise – Frequently Asked Questions
What to do when safeguarding concerns arise – the 4 Rs
Barriers to reporting safeguarding concerns support guide - article A support guide in text format
Barriers to reporting safeguarding concerns support guide– poster A support guide in downloadable, print-ready format
May 2026: Updated version of Working Together to Safeguard Children
The Department for Education has published an updated version of Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026. This statutory guidance sets out how organisations such as churches must work together with other agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in England. Here is a summary of the main changes:
• Working together more closely and sharing information well when there are concerns about a child
• Supporting families earlier and before problems become more serious (new ‘Family Help’ arrangements bringing together Early Help and Child in Need support)
• Understanding the impact of domestic abuse, coercive control, online harm, exploitation and other complex risks affecting children and young people
• Making sure safeguarding practice is fair, inclusive and aware of the experiences of children from different backgrounds and communities
• Listening carefully to the voice and experiences of children and young people.
For Parish Safeguarding Officers and others, the changes are a reminder of the importance of professional curiosity, sharing concerns promptly, working with others when needed and creating church communities where all children and young people feel included and safe.
March 2026: Changes to DBS checks for bell ringers
Bell ringer roles that require DBS checks – for example, Bell Tower Captain, need to be included within parishes’ safeguarding hubs.
November 2025: Changes to DBS checks for Lay Pastoral Assistants and Lay Worship Leaders
Lay Pastoral Assistants (LPAs) and Lay Worship Leaders (LWLs) are locally discerned, trained and supervised, and DBS checks have historically been initiated by the central diocesan team. Following the introduction of thirtyone:eight as the diocese’s DBS provider, DBS checks for LPAs and LWLs are now conducted within parishes instead.
How the process works
LPAs and LWLs are commissioned to a benefice and usually operate across several different churches. However, each PCC/parish is set up in thirtyone:eight with its own separate account, as the system does not allow for benefice-wide accounts. We have therefore created an administration work around to ensure that multiple parishes across a benefice know that LPAs and LWLs have a valid DBS in place.
The process is outlined below – if you need support, please contact safeguarding.admin@salisbury.anglican.org.
In discussion with the incumbent within a benefice, one parish (PCC) needs to be nominated to lead on administering DBS checks for some or all LPAs and LWLs.
The lead needs to:
- Add LPAs and LWLs to their safeguarding hub
- Complete their DBS checks when due
- Share confirmation of the DBS result with other parishes within the benefice, with permission of the LPAs and LWLs. If the individual does not give permission for their details to be shared, the individual will need to show each parish their DBS certificate
Non-lead PCCs need to:
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- Also add LPAs and LWLs to their safeguarding hub
- Receive DBS information from the individual, or from the lead PCC, and record this in their hub
- Add a note within the hub to say which is the lead PCC
When a benefice is running a new LPA/LWL course, the Lay Ministry team will discuss with the parish completing DBS checks ahead of commissioning.
Commissions will no longer have an end date as there will not be an official recommissioning, and you do not need to advise the diocesan team when DBS checks are renewed.
Handover period
If your parish has DBS details for LPAs and LWLs in your microsite, you can add them to your hub once it’s set up. If not, the Lay Ministry team will contact incumbents when renewals are due between now and April 2026 to help set up the new process.
Until April 2026, when an LPA/LWL check is due for renewal the incumbent (or other representative if in vacancy) will be contacted by the Lay Ministry team. If the above process above is not in place with a lead PCC, the central team will support the benefice to get started, ensuring that each LPA or LWL is handed over to make sure no one is missed.
In April 2026 we will contact incumbents to handover any remaining LPAs and LWLs to make sure individuals are recorded within at least one hub.
For queries related to LPAs and LWLs, please contact Venetia Tucker (Lay Ministry Team), venetia.tucker@salisbury.anglican.org
October 2025: Changes to DBS checks for PCC members
During transition from APCS to thirtyone:eight as our Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) providers, the safeguarding team reviewed current process. This review led to a change in the recommended level of DBS checks for certain roles.
After seeking legal advice, we are now advising PCCs to require all PCC members to complete a DBS check to the level of Enhanced Child and Adult, but without barred lists, for the following reasons:
1. All PCCs are, by definition, charities working with children and vulnerable adults.
The broad purpose of a PCC, as set out in section 2(2)(a) of the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956, is to promote in the parish “the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.” We have taken “the whole mission of the Church” to include working with children and vulnerable adults. Every PCC should therefore be regarded as a charity that works with these groups.
Even where a church does not currently work with or have children or vulnerable adults in its congregation, its purpose includes ministry with these groups. PCCs must therefore be ready to receive, welcome and work with them at any time. The nature of the charity does not change simply because it is not currently doing so.
This applies regardless of the size of the PCC and includes both those registered with the Charity Commission and those that are not yet registered.
2. PCC members are therefore eligible for an Enhanced DBS check without a barring list check, because they are trustees of a charity for children and/or vulnerable adults.
This is clarified in DBS guidance in the following places:
3. If an individual PCC member is also working directly with children and/or vulnerable adults, that individual is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a barring list check for the relevant group.
For example, a PCC member who also works in a children’s holiday club is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a barring list check for children.
The safeguarding team advises PCCs to make this transition in a planned and realistic manner. Aiming to implement it within a year, and/or considering tying it in with the appointment of new PCC members, may be a realistic approach for your context.
For parishes in Guernsey and Jersey, where there are not PCCs, the advice is for all charity trustees within the leadership team to have a DBS check.