Bishop Steven addresses the congregation of PSOs at the Safeguarding Sunday Service in Christ Church Cathedral, November 2023
Welcome
Thank you so much for taking on the role as Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO), which is such an important function in our mission to create safer churches. We are acutely aware that the PSO post is a voluntary service, and we want to do all we can to enable you to make sure that good safeguarding is happening and to support you as you undertake this task.
The main areas of the PSO role involve helping parishes to understand the need for a positive safeguarding culture where training is undertaken, the parish dashboard is in use and safeguarding concerns are responded to. Find the information you need by clicking the blue text of each section below. To return to this page, simply click the back button in your web browser.
The PSO National Group have put together the above video talking about the role of PSOs, and introducing the use of the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard. PCCs will find this the most useful tool to support the shared responsibility for safeguarding in parishes.
You can find out more about the Dashboard, and Safeguarding Hub, on our dedicated page.
Louise Whitehead, our Head of Safeguarding, holds a dual role as she is also a Parish Safeguarding Officer. Louise became PSO in November 2023, and gave a talk on Safeguarding during a service to stress the importance of raising awareness of safeguarding in the parish. We encourage all PSOs to raise your profile and visibility within your congregation, so that people know more about safeguarding and who to come to if they have a concern. We hope you take inspiration from her talk and adapt it to your own context.