Safeguarding

‘Creating a church culture that is safer for all’ 

Whatever the demographic of your church community, safeguarding is vital. Safeguarding involves keeping both children and ‘adults at risk’ safe from harm. 

Safeguarding practice in the URC National Synod of Wales is governed by three things: Good Practice 6 (URC safeguarding guidance and resources), Wales Safeguarding Procedures (Social Care Wales), and the Charity Commission. 

While safeguarding is ‘everyone’s responsibility’, it is the serving Elders and Minister in each church who have primary responsibility for safeguarding in their church. Each church also has a Church Safeguarding Coordinator, who is ‘on hand’ to respond to safeguarding concerns at local church level.  Church Safeguarding Coordinators then pass on concerns to the Synod Safeguarding Officer. 

The Synod Safeguarding Officer can be contacted by email or phone on 07883 361093. The Deputy Safeguarding Officer can be contacted by email or phone via the Synod Office on 029 2019 5728. 

Safeguarding Training 

Safeguarding training is regularly available for all, including those working with children, young people and adults at risk, Ministers and Elders.  

Training offered  

What level of training do I need to do?

GROUP A TRAINING & Introduction to safeguarding in the URC

• Group A training and the Introduction to Safeguarding in the URC course is for all who volunteer or work in URC churches.
• Group A Training is delivered online and should be done alongside the Introduction to Safeguarding in the URC Together, both courses take about 60 minutes to complete.
• When you complete Group A training, please note the date, remember to download a certificate of completion, and notify the Synod Safeguarding Officer at safeguarding.urcwales@urc.org.uk that you have completed the course.
• All who volunteer or work in a third sector organisation in Wales need to complete Group A training.

GROUP B/INTERMEDIATE TRAINING

(GROUP A & Introduction to safeguarding in the URC needs to be completed before you can do Group B/Intermediate Training)

• Group B/Intermediate training is for all those in the URC who have regular contact with adults, children and members of the public in their roles. This group includes elders, ministers, children and youth workers, warm space helpers, church safeguarding coordinators and others.
• * The GROUP A & Introduction to safeguarding in the URC courses must be completed before attending Group B/Intermediate training.
• Group B/Intermediate training takes 5 hours to complete and is delivered in two formats: face to face or hybrid. It comprises of 3 modules.
• * NB: If you work or volunteer for another organisation in Wales and have already completed Group B safeguarding training, you need to provide evidence of this to the Synod Safeguarding Officer, and then only need to complete Module C.

ADVANCED TRAINING

• The URC Advanced safeguarding course is recommended for Church Safeguarding Coordinators, Ministers and Moderators.

GROUP C TRAINING (Social Care Wales)

• Group C training is for people in the URC with greater responsibility for safeguarding. They make decisions about keeping people safe, and take a prominent role in safeguarding decisions. These are roles such as the Synod Safeguarding Officer, Deputy Safeguarding Officer, Synod Moderator and Trustee with responsibility for safeguarding.
• * The GROUP B/Intermediate course must be completed before attending Group C training.

BESPOKE training, covering topics such as

• Elders as Trustees
• Substance Abuse
• Refugees & Asylum Seekers
• Adult Safeguarding
• Spiritual Abuse
• Online Safety

These training sessions are offered by URC National Safeguarding Team.

Visit Training Dates for the whole denomination found at www.urc.org.uk/safeguarding for the latest details.

All safeguarding training offered is designed to:

• equip you to create a church culture that is safer for all
• inform you about safeguarding issues relevant to your context
• alert you to statutory safeguarding requirements
• enable you to respond appropriately

Resources

Training resources

• Padlet Safeguarding resources are now available here

Mental Health Resources

• If someone you know is struggling with their mental health, it may be appropriate to signpost them to one of a range of services that NHS Wales offers. These are listed
• If you are looking for resources to help you support someone experiencing mental health issues, Rethink, has a range of useful factsheets on different topics available to download. Their resources can be found here.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Good Practice 6 https://urc.org.uk/safeguarding/safeguarding-good-practice/

Wales Safeguarding Procedures https://www.safeguarding.wales/en/

Charity Commission https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-duties-for-charity-trustees

Elders https://urc.org.uk/urc-ministries/safer-election-of-elders/

Group A https://socialcare.wales/learning-modules/group-a-safeguarding

Introduction to Safeguarding in the URC

Group B/Intermediate

Bespoke training

https://urc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/National-safeguarding-2025-002.pdf