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Roles required to complete the CofE Leadership course every 3 years:
- All clergy holding the bishop’s licence, commission, authorisation, or permission including Honorary/Assistant Bishops and Chaplains
- 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
- Archbishops
- Archdeacons (including Associate Archdeacons)
- Assistant Diocesan Directors of Ordinands (ADDOs)
- Bishops’ Chaplains
- Cathedral Administrators
- Cathedral Chapter Members
- Cathedral Directors of Music / Masters of Choristers
- Cathedral Safeguarding Officers (CSOs)
- Chief Executive
- Chief of Staff
- Deans
- Diocesan and Suffragan Bishops
- Diocesan Directors of Ordinands (DDOs)
- Diocesan Safeguarding Officers (DSOs)
- Diocesan Secretaries
- Directors of Communications
- Directors of Ministry
- District chair / district safeguarding lead of bell ringing guilds/councils
- HR Directors
- Lay ministers in training need to have completed the Leadership course before they are licenced, authorised or commissioned
- Leaders of Religious Communities
- Ordinands need to have completed the Leadership course before their diaconal ordination
- Provincial Episcopal Visitors
- Registrars
- Residentiary Canons
- Safeguarding Officers / Leads including Designated Safeguarding Person in a Religious Community (e.g. PSOs).
- Senior Chaplains to the Armed Forces
- Tower captains at prominent towers (including Cathedrals, towers with frequent visitors or people learning)
- Wardens of Readers / LLMs (Licensed Lay Ministers)
- ANYONE going on to complete the 'Senior Leadership' course
It should also, according to the local context, include such other people who significantly influence the culture of that Church body. These may include, for example, lay ministry staff employed by a PCC or BMO, locally appointed leaders of new worshipping communities, focal ministers, and Churchwardens.
Within the Diocese of Chelmsford it is a requirement for all Churchwardens at parishes in interegnum to have a Leadership certificate dated with 3 years.
Where to view, book onto and access our CofE Leadership sessions
Since June 2026 the NEW version of the CofE Leadership course (virtual and in-person) has been booked and accessed only via the CofE National Safeguarding Team’s online Learning Portal (website https://safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org/).
Finding Leadership on the portal
Before you book onto a session, please keep in mind:
- The Leadership course could take you around 2 months to complete in total and we do not present live training during the school holidays.
- If none of our currently advertised Leadership sessions (virtual or in-person) are convenient please keep checking the portal yourself for updates. We usually add new session(s) each month.
- Virtual (via Zoom) sessions are now booked as a set pair, so you now only need to make one booking.
- For the virtual (via Zoom) sessions you will need access to a device with a microphone, speaker, camera and a reliable internet connection. Your Incumbent/PCC/Parish Safeguarding Officer may be able to assist you if you’re not confident using a computer or Zoom.
Once you have selected a session and submitted an enrolment application you should, hopefully, receive an enrolment application approval email, but please allow at least 3 working days to receive this. If we cannot see your completion of the CofE Basic Awareness and Foundation courses (within the last 3 years) on the portal, you may receive an enrolment application query instead.
Once your enrolment has been approved the mandatory Session 1 Preparation work must be completed and submitted by at least 4 days prior to your first booked session, otherwise you will be unenrolled and need to re-book onto a different session.
Leadership Session 1 Preparation guidance
Only once you’ve sucessfully submitted the Session 1 Preparation work will you be able to see the Zoom link (if you’ve enrolled onto a virtual course) on the Leadership course page.
Once you have attended a virtual Part One session and been marked as attending, further options will become available to you on the portal regarding preparation for the virtual Part Two session and subsequently the post-course evaluation tasks.
If you require support or assistance with using the actual CofE National Safeguarding Team’s online Learning Portal (website), you will need to contact The CofE National Safeguarding team directly by emailing elearning@mail.safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org