New online training resources for volunteers across Catholic church bodies

1 December 2023

Today the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) release new online training for volunteers in Catholic communities across England and Wales.

The training is part of the regulatory agency’s support to Catholic Church bodies, aimed at driving safeguarding standards and enabling them to continuously improve. The online modules set minimum requirements of learning for volunteers but offer options for safeguarding teams to escalate levels as appropriate, depending on their volunteer base and local need.

The content includes accessible information ranging from ‘what to do if you are concerned about someone’ to guidance in recognising and reporting more complex scenarios. The training has been compiled with the collaboration of safeguarding professionals across Catholic church bodies, and, significantly, with survivors of church-related abuse. An independent safeguarding expert has helped develop the content.

Modules are tailored to different volunteer roles, depending on their level of contact with potentially vulnerable people. The training proposal was agreed by leaders of the Catholic Church, including Bishops. It follows the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) which stipulates that church bodies should ensure training for all staff and volunteers in roles where they work with children. The CSSA have included content for safeguarding of adults at risk as well as children, as a critical factor in keeping people safe.

Says Steve Ashley, Chief Executive of the CSSA: “Our primary purpose is to regulate safeguarding in the Catholic Church. But we also do whatever we can to support church bodies. Volunteers are active in Catholic communities the breadth of England and Wales, in a wide variety of roles. They will come into contact with vulnerable people, and they deserve support in how to act in difficult situations. This safeguarding training can help them help keep people safe.”

“We are really pleased to have worked with professional safeguarding colleagues to put this training together. They know what works best in their areas, they know their volunteers. We look forward to developing our online training with them further.”

ENDS

The new volunteer modules can be found here

For operational queries about the training, please contact: training@catholicsafeguarding.org.uk