The Church of England safeguarding courses support participants in developing the values, knowledge and skills needed to safeguard children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
On this page
Accessing the courses
Most courses are available via the Church of England National Safeguarding Learning Portal.
We do not provide individual log-in details. Create your own account - a step-by-step guide
Basic Awareness, Foundation, Safer Recruitment and People Management, Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse & Modern Slavery and Human traffickingare all self-paced e-Learning courses - no camera or microphone needed. You can log on at any time.
Link your training to your parish and diocese
- To let the Chelmsford Diocesan Safeguarding Team view your completion dates: log in to the Learning Portal > Edit Profile > select 'Chelmsford' in the Diocese drop-down
- To allow your parish e-learning reports to show your completed courses: in Edit Profile, enter your parish name in 'My Church's Town/City and Name'
- To allow your Parish Safeguarding Officer to view your completed courses: in Edit Profile, enter your PSO's email address in 'Local reporting'
Basic Awareness
Recommended for anyone wanting a basic awareness of safeguarding. Required for ALL Church Officers* including:
- All clergy holding the bishop's licence, commission, authorisation or permission
- All Readers and Licensed Lay Ministers (LLMs) holding the bishop's licence
- All those working or volunteering with children (under 18) or adults at risk
- All those involved in the recruitment or appointment of Church Officers
- All those responsible for administering DBS checks (Lead/Additional Recruiters)
- Archdeacons, Cathedral staff, Churchwardens, Deans, Diocesan Officers, PCC Members, Vergers and many other roles
- ANYONE going on to complete the Foundation or Domestic Abuse courses
*A 'Church Officer' is anyone appointed or elected by or on behalf of the Church, whether ordained or lay, paid or unpaid.
Foundation
It is a prerequisite that anyone undertaking Foundation Training has an up to date Basic Awareness certificate. Required for the same roles as Basic Awareness, as well as anyone going on to complete the Leadership or Safer Recruitment courses.
Safer Recruitment and People Management
Prerequisite: Basic Awareness AND Foundation. Required for:
- Recruiting managers and all those involved in recruiting, selecting, appointing and managing Church Officers
- Those responsible for administering Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks (Lead/Additional
- Parish Safeguarding Officers
- Ordinands during IME 1
Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse
Prerequisite: Basic Awareness. Recommended for ALL Church Officers. Required for clergy and others with a bishop's licence, those working with children or adults at risk, Bishops Visitors, Pastoral Visitors, Safeguarding Officers/Leads, and pre-ordination or licence students.
Leadership
Prerequisite: Basic Awareness AND Foundation (dated within the last 3 years). Required for:
- All clergy holding the bishop’s licence, commission, authorisation, or permission
- All Readers and Licensed Lay Ministers holding the bishop’s licence (under Canons E6 & E8), together with all others who hold the bishop’s commission, authorisation, or permission to carry out similar ministerial functions
- Tower captains at prominent towers (including Cathedrals, towers with frequent visitors or people learning)
- many other senior roles.
Within Chelmsford Diocese, all Churchwardens at parishes in interregnum are required to hold a current Leadership certificate (within 3 years).
Senior Leadership
Prerequisite: Basic Awareness, Foundation AND Leadership.
Required for Archbishops, Archdeacons, Bishops, Cathedral Chapter Members, Deans, Diocesan Safeguarding Officers, Diocesan Secretaries and other senior positions.
If you require this level of course please send an enquiry email to safeguarding@chelmsford.anglican.org
PSO (Parish Safeguarding Officer) Induction
Prerequisite: Basic Awareness AND Foundation. Required for all new PSOs; recommended for existing PSOs.
How often do I need to refresh my training?
Updated policy - effective 19 June 2026 states that all required Church of England 'core' safeguarding pathways must now be refreshed every 3 years. This applies to Basic Awareness, Foundation, Leadership and Senior Leadership.
'Additional' pathways (Domestic Abuse and Safer Recruitment) should also be refreshed every 3 years if required for your role.
The Learning Portal will automatically email reminders every 3 years.
Course requirements by role
PCC members
- Basic Awareness (every 3 years)
- Foundation (every 3 years)
Plus Safer Recruitment and People Management (every 3 years) if involved in involved in the recruitment, selection, appointment, management of Church Officers (employees, elected members, and volunteers).
Leadership Training is required for Churchwardens at a parish in interregnum.
Parish Safeguarding Officers (PSOs)
- Basic Awareness (every 3 years)
- Foundation (every 3 years)
Then in any order: PSO Induction | Leadership (every 3 years) | Domestic Abuse (every 3 years) | Safer Recruitment (every 3 years)
- Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (optional)
- PSO Extended Learning Modules for self-directed learning (optional)
- Navigating the Web: Keeping Church Communities Safe Online (optional)
Lead and Additional Recruiters (DBS Administrators)
- Basic Awareness (every 3 years)
- Foundation (every 3 years)
- Safer Recruitment (every 3 years)
Required core training should be completed within 6 months of starting a new role.
Incumbents and PSOs can request a parish e-learning report by emailing safeguarding@chelmsford.anglican.org - please allow at least one week.
We would recommend individuals to not solely rely on, or wait for, safeguarding training reminders from their PCC/PSO, but that they keep track of their own required Church of England safeguarding training by adding a 3 year reminder note in your own diary/calendar.
Please visit our Safeguarding training policy and practice guidance webpage to see the possible repercussions of missing and/or out of date required CofE Safeguarding Training.
Please visit our Access Church of England Safeguarding Courses webpage for guidance on how to enable your PCC/PSO to view your Church of England e-Learning completion dates.