DBS and Safer Recruitment

Safer Recruitment and People Management

Why Safer Recruitment is so Important resource provides a clear explanation of key terms, our responsibilities and relevant examples from the diocese of Guildford.

Safer Environment and Activities guidance - this document is for all those who need practical and clear guidance regarding safeguarding children and adults in church. This will include clergy, parish safeguarding officers, children’s work leaders and so on, but should also be used by anyone who is involved, paid or unpaid, in any such activity in church. The guidance should be used for all activities involving children, young people and vulnerable adults, either within church buildings or in other locations but carried out on behalf of the church. These activities could be Sunday schools, crèches, holiday clubs, youth clubs, mixed age groups, trips, choirs, bellringing, lunch clubs, pastoral home visiting and support, mental health support groups, outreach to the homeless, food banks and so on.

Code of Safer Working Practice - a set of expectations and behavioural standards for anyone working or volunteering with children, young people, or vulnerable adults in a church or parish setting. Its purpose is to ensure:

the safety and protection of those who are vulnerable, and
the safety and accountability of workers and volunteers.

Code of Practice

The Church of England has introduced a new Safer Recruitment and People Management Code of Practice, which will officially go live on 1 June 2026. This replaces previous guidance and establishes mandatory standards for anyone involved in recruitment or oversight of people who work or volunteer in church settings. The Code of Practice applies to: clergy; volunteers; employees; elected members and anyone involved in recruitment, oversights or people management.

Enforcement:

Failure by a member of the clergy to comply with a requirement under this Code may constitute misconduct and may be subject to a CDM.
Failure by a reader or lay worker to comply with a requirement under this Code may be grounds for the revocation of that reader’s or lay worker’s licence.
Other church officers, such as Churchwardens, may by suspended from office for failing to comply with a requirement under this code.
Breaches by trustee bodies, such as a Parochial Church Council (PCC) or a Cathedral Chapter may also trigger an intervention by the Charity Commission.
An employee who breaches any requirement may be subject to a disciplinary process.
A volunteer who breaches a requirement may be asked to leave.

This is in addition to any reporting that needs to be made to statutory services.

Section 1: Data Protection, Record Keeping and Information Sharing

Records Retention Schedule
Guide to using Records Retention Schedule
Safeguarding Records Retention Schedule

Section 2: Clergy

Section 3: Employees

Section 4: Volunteers

Section 5: Elected Members

Appendix A: Roles within the scope of the Safer Recruitment and People Management processes

Appendix B: Examples of Proportionality

Appendix C: Regulated Activity relating to Children and Adults

Appendix D: Clergy Current Status Letter (CCSL), Confidential Declaration Form (CDF) and Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Certificate

Confidential Declaration Form - FAQ

Appendix E: Volunteers/Employees under the age of 18

Download Safer Recruitment and People Management Code of Practice

Disclosure and Barring Service

DBS checks

The purpose of undertaking DBS checks for eligible roles is to ensure that individuals who pose a risk to children, young people, or vulnerable adults are not placed in positions where they have access to these groups.

Each parish is responsible for undertaking DBS checks for its staff and volunteers. The Diocese is responsible for DBS checks for all clergy.

Parishes may choose their own DBS provider or opt into the Diocesan umbrella arrangement with Matrix Security Watchdog (MSW). If parishes would like to opt into this arrangement, please contact DBS@cofeguildford.org.uk.

For parishes that have opted into the arrangement with MSW, here is a template Privacy Notice that you may wish to use to explain to your DBS applicants how their data is processed.

MSW contact details:

Tel. 01420 558752 (Lines are open 9:00am-5:30pm Monday to Friday)
e-mail: dbs.enquiries@teammatrix.com

Stages of the DBS checking process

Stage 1: Application received and validated

Stage 2: Police National Computer (PNC) searched

Stage 3: Adult's and Children's Barred lists (if applicable)

Stage 4: Search of records held by the police - if an application has been with a police force or law enforcement agency for more than 60 days, your DBS provider, i.e. MSW will initiate the escalation process

Stage 5: DBS certificate printed

Digital ID checks - TrustID

A digital ID check is a fully digital way of verifying an applicant's identity. Instead of showing physical documents, the information can be provided digitally. Identity checking digitally is quicker and more robust as the technology used is capable of spotting fraudulent documents much better than a typical human can.

Requesting a digital ID check as part of the DBS application process means DBS Validators don’t have to be involved in the identity checking process and the result of the ID check can be received within minutes once the applicant has submitted their documents to the IDSP (Identity Service Provider).

TrustID - Acceptable documents for a digital ID check

TrustID - Selfie guide

TrustID - Guide to results

Overseas Criminal Checks

If a DBS is required for the role and the applicant has lived, worked or volunteered outside the United Kingdom for a continuous period of six months or more at any point within the previous 10 years, an overseas criminal records check must also be carried out, either via a third party provider or by the applicant requesting a Certificate of Good Character from the relevant embassy(ies) - Section 8.6 of CofE Safer Recruitment and People Management guidance. The application process for the certificate varies from country to country and up-to-date guidance can be found on GOV.UK. The overseas criminality check service is offered by MSW.

Where the information cannot be obtained or is not available, the applicant should be asked to provide evidence of their attempt to obtain a certificate and the responsible person should take extra care when taking up references or checking any previous employment record and, in such cases, it would be advisable to seek additional references, as well as actually speak to referees on the telephone. It is acknowledged that if someone has been travelling abroad, e.g. on a gap year where a number of countries would be visited, it will not be possible to obtain the information in this format. Therefore, it is even more important that the references and any previous employment or volunteer experience is verified.

Blemished Disclosures

If a DBS disclosure is blemished, the parish is required to contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team, and the recruitment must be put on hold. The process is as follows:

1. Please confirm by email if the applicant has completed the Confidential Declaration Form

2. DBS will produce a confidential certificate and send to the named person only

3. Please ask the applicant to send a copy/photo of the certificate to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team email address

4. DSA will review the blemish, complete risk assessment and speak with the named person if required

5. DSA will advise parish on outcome of risk assessment and if safer recruitment can continue

DBS Validator Training

Safer Recruitment and People Management module is mandated prior to attending DBS Validator training. This online module can be accessed via the National Safeguarding Training Portal.

Click on the link below to register for a 2.5-hour DBS workshop delivered by Kelly Matthews, the DBS Regional Outreach Adviser. The session is held on MS Teams.

Thursday 21 May 2026 1:00pm-3:30pm - register here

DBS resources