United Reformed Church Safeguarding April 2026
The Safeguarding Team, as always,
is progressing through a list of
strategic processes to strengthen the
safeguarding position of the denomination. are the Safeguarding Strategic Plan and the Synod
Safeguarding Reviews.
Two such areas
A draft of the Strategic Plan has been subject to robust
consultations and feedback. It is now in its final draft.
The Central Safeguarding team has recently completed the
second of two pilot Synod Safeguarding Reviews, with the
aim of bringing a proposal to General Assembly to roll out
the reviews across all Synods.
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[email protected] www.urc.org.uk/safeguardingUnited Reformed Church Safeguarding April 2026
Synod Safeguarding Officers (SSOs) are starting to
examine the data from the Annual
Safeguarding Returns to clarify what we
are doing well and to identify clear
pressure points so that we can develop
policies, procedures and training to better
support our churches. Further information
on this will be available in the annual safeguarding report
which is available at General Assembly.
1 Peter 1:3: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth
into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead”.
Annual Safeguarding Returns
A big thank you to those who completed the Annual
Safeguarding Return (ASR).
The Annual Safeguarding Return portal is now closed but
you can still download blank copies of the ASR (one each
for England, Scotland and Wales) which can be completed
and returned to your Synod Office. It also lists each Synods’
point of contact for queries and further help.
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[email protected] www.urc.org.uk/safeguardingUnited Reformed Church Safeguarding April 2026
DBS/Disclosure Scotland Update
We have seen an upturn in churches
instigating DBS/Disclosure Scotland
checks for role holders. We thank
you for ensuring that the URC is compliant with DBS and
Disclosure Scotland requirements. For ease for reference
please refer to the England & Wales DBS matrix and the
Disclosure Scotland requirement matrix.
We undertake short sample audits of disclosure applications
and we have identified that there are multiple applications
for one person. The URC gets charged for each application
and so we are keen to avoid duplicates. DDC is a great
source of information for those undertaking either DBS or
Disclosure Scotland applications and here are a few
pointers below.
• If you use an incorrect name for an applicant ie you set
up an application in the nickname of a person, they can
correct this to their legal name on the online application
form so there is no need to set up a new application
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• Where an incorrect role has been used, please ask
DDC to change it. They can do this in the majority of
cases (but not for a role which needs to be changed
from PAID to VOLUNTARY)
Policy Update
We have been working with the Synod of Scotland to
produce a version of Good Practice 6 that reflects the
specific Scottish context and legislation.
The Central Safeguarding Team is developing a programme
of Synod Safeguarding Reviews to help identify examples of
good practice and also areas for improvement. This is part
of the URC’s response to the Independent Inquiry into Child
Sexual Abuse (IICSA) which recommended that faith
organisations should strengthen their auditing of
safeguarding practice. We have piloted the Review process
in two Synods so far. We thank those Synods for their
cooperation and hard work. Further details will be shared as
the work develops.
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[email protected] www.urc.org.uk/safeguardingUnited Reformed Church Safeguarding April 2026
Training Update
Our Training Officer continues to work on
new safeguarding training content and
updating current training to reflect feedback
and good practice.
The URC Safeguarding Training matrixes which were
approved at General Assembly in 2025 are available here
and are an excellent resource for churches to check that
colleagues are accessing the correct level of safeguarding
training across England, Scotland and Wales.
Mandatory safeguarding training ie Foundation,
Intermediate and Advanced, is organised and delivered by
individual Synods so please do visit the safeguarding
section of your Synod website to see what training is on
offer and whether it is on Zoom or face to face in a church.
Additionally, we offer ‘specialist/special interest’
safeguarding training which are 2 hour Zoom modules that
may be of interest to you either personally or for your church
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[email protected] www.urc.org.uk/safeguardingUnited Reformed Church Safeguarding April 2026
demographic. Anyone can attend. These courses are
bookable through Emma Pearce. The offering for the first
half of the year is here, and the second half of the year,
here.
Ministers Advanced Safeguarding Training – one of the
most significant changes to mandatory training is that
Ministers are required to take Advanced safeguarding
training. To kickstart the process the central team is offering
Advanced Training to Ministers on Zoom. Two sessions
have already been delivered and we are pleased to say that
they were well attended. There are two more sessions for
Ministers in 2026 which are bookable through the links here:
• Wednesday 6 May 1-3pm and Wednesday 13th May 1-
3.30pm – May booking form
• Monday 5th October 1-3pm and Monday 12th October
1-3.30pm – October booking form
Please also check your Synod’s Advanced Safeguarding
training offering to maximise your options.
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[email protected] www.urc.org.uk/safeguardingUnited Reformed Church Safeguarding April 2026
Safeguarding Sunday – one for your diaries!
This year Safeguarding Sunday is
on 15 November.
Led by the independent Christian Safeguarding Charity,
Thirtyone:Eight they will shortly start to release resources
for the event. Please do check back over the next few
months.
15 November may not suit your dairy and you are welcome
to pick any Sunday that better suits your church timetable
but we would encourage all churches to use the resources
available to raise awareness of safeguarding in your
churches
Please email Emma Pearce with innovative ideas from
previous years’ Safeguarding Sunday events that you would
be happy to share across our Church (photos are very much
welcomed!).
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[email protected] www.urc.org.uk/safeguardingUnited Reformed Church Safeguarding April 2026
Good News Stories
The URC is full of good safeguarding practices across our
churches and we’d like to share these across our
denomination. Here’s one:
Westfield URC In Wyke, Bradford has a GREAT noticeboard
dedicated to safeguarding. They have provided an easy link
(QR code) to the Foundation e-learning safeguarding
module (that can be taken in your own time and at your own
pace), feel safe poster, their church safeguarding policy and
a hard copy of Good Practice 6. Check out this notice-
board!
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[email protected] www.urc.org.uk/safeguardingUnited Reformed Church Safeguarding April 2026
Safeguarding Convenor
We are seeking applications for the role
Convenor of the United Reformed Church
Safeguarding Committee.
You will have a current or recent working
knowledge of safeguarding with children and/or adults at
risk and have an understanding of contextualised
safeguarding within the faith setting. You must be a member
of the URC.
As the convenor of the committee, you will be instrumental
in overseeing the implementation of the URC’s safeguarding
polices and the strategic management of safeguarding
across the denomination. You will support the Head of
Safeguarding in their role as Secretary to the committee and
you will chair the committee.
Terms of Reference are downloadable here and please see
the job description and person specification. More
information on the role of a General Assembly Committee
convenor can be found here.
Interested?
If you want to find out more, please contact:
Sharon Barr – URC Head of Safeguarding and
Safeguarding Committee Secretary
[email protected] / 07776 178 246
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