Section 1 of the Church of England's Safer Recruitment and People Management Guidance states that:
"A responsible person must be identified for each role being appointed to that falls within the scope of this guidance. The responsible person is accountable for the recruitment and appointment into that role and must him/herself have been safely recruited."
"A responsible person must also be identified for the ongoing support of the person appointed into the position. The responsible person must him/herself have been safely recruited."
Which roles require a designated Responsible Person?
A designated Responsibe Person is required for:
- Any role that involves substantial contact with children (under 18) or vulnerable adults.
- Any role that involves supervising or supporting people in the above roles.
These roles fall within the scope of the Safer Recruitment and People Management Guidance.
What does a Responsible Person do?
Any role that meets the above criteria must have:
- A designated Responsible Person for safer recruitment
- A designated Responsible Person for supervision and support
This can be the same person, or it can be two different people.
Who is eligible to be a Responsible Person?
A Responsible Person could be the incumbent, an associate minister, a curate, a parish safeguarding officer, a reader, a group leader, a volunteer coordinator, a member of staff, or any other suitable person. The final decision rests with the incumbent and PCC, since they have overall responsibility for safeguarding in the parish.
It is a requirement that a Responsible Person must have:
- Been safely recruited themselves
- Completed the Foundation or Leadership pathways in the past three years
- Completed the Safer Recruitment and People Management pathway in the past three years
How do I designate a Responsible Person in the Hub?
A Hub Owner or Hub Administrator can designate a Responsible Person by:
- Opening the Role Creator and selecting the required role
- Going to Safer Recruitment or Supervision and Support (these features may need to be switched on via the Role Settings on that page)
- Choosing the Responsible Person from the list of names
Since a Responsible Person is required to undertake the Church of England's Safer Recruitment and People Management training, the Hub only lists people who have completed this training during the past three years.
If someone is missing from this list, please use the People Manager to update their training records.