The latest version of the Handbook is currently being updated.
Guidance on Safer Pastoral Practice
The Ministry and Safeguarding Departments have collaborated on some guidelines for safer pastoral practice, and in particular pastoral visiting, for Readers, Pastoral Workers and others engaged in this ministry. The following information may be helpful:
Parish Safeguarding Handbook (2019)
Handout on Safer Pastoral Practice from the Reader and Pastoral Worker Gatherings, November 2023
Home Visiting Guidelines (from Safer Environment and Activities - full document linked below)
Church of England Code of Safer Working Practice
Safer Environment and Activities (2019)
Model Risk Assessment for a Home Visit
Ministry Agreement template - Pastoral Worker
Ministry Agreement template - Reader
Volunteer agreement (as part of a Safer Recruitment Process)
Pastoral Visiting Agreement
Funerals Ministry Pastoral Workers
As part of our regular training programme for Pastoral Workers, we are run a training course on taking funerals.
This course, is offered to supplement the module on Bereavement which forms part of the initial training for Pastoral Workers and focuses more specifically on the funeral service itself. It will look at the purpose of funerals, the range of liturgy available in Common Worship and the place of eulogies and other forms of tribute, particularly thinking how best to work with the family and funeral director when planning a funeral, whether in church or at a crematorium. Recent trends in funeral ministry will be surveyed and some of the new materials produced by The Church of England discussed. There will be plenty of suggestions for further reading.