Lone working in the of Assessment process and record keeping guidance This guidance responds to National recommendations following reviews conducted in the of Winchester and . Those reviews included responses to allegations and concerns surrounding lone working. One-to-one contact with individuals in the context of pastoral support should be properly planned, assessed and recorded. It is essential in pastoral care to acknowledge appropriate physical, sexual, emotional and psychological boundaries.

Consider: ß What is the purpose of the meeting? ß Why is it a one-to-one meeting? ß Who is involved? ß When will the contact take place? ß Where will the contact take place? ß How will the needs of safeguarding all involved be addressed? Minimum recording requirements for all one-to-one visits and meetings include date and time, persons present, venue and nature of contact. It may be pertinent to record in more detail if there is any indication that the person, or the context or content of the meeting has a heightened vulnerability to you or the other person either before or during the meeting. It is good practice to regularly check with the person that they are comfortable with the arrangements and process of the meeting. Records should be maintained that are relevant to the contact and identify the reason for the contact being undertaken on a one to one basis.

March 2015 Page 1 of 6 Lone working in the Frequently Asked Questions 1 What is this guidance for? A review of the handling of safeguarding cases in the and Winchester has led to the conclusion that clergy and others involved in pastoral work may need more support and guidance in handling the risks involved in situations, such as lone pastoral encounters during the course of their work. The church also needs to be informed by good practice in other professions in terms of the best approach to record keeping in pastoral work. 2 To whom does it apply? This guidance is intended for use by anyone who engages in pastoral work under the supervision of an incumbent in a of the Diocese of Guildford, ordained or lay, paid or unpaid; eg clergy, pastoral assistants, LLMs/readers and those on home communion rotas. It can be used by anyone who finds it helpful to do so. 3 What is meant by ‘Lone Working’? Lone working does not mean only one-to-one contact. This guidance and the associated tools are intended for those undertaking pastoral work in the Diocese of Guildford who find themselves working unaccompanied with no one to vouch for what is said or done. The aim is encourage good record keeping in and appropriate risk assessment case of challenge. 4 What is meant by ‘safeguarding’ in this context? Safeguarding means protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. Those most in need of protection are children and young people, and adults whose circumstances make them vulnerable, whether generally or at a particular time in their lives. These tools however are intended to apply to all pastoral meetings carried out on behalf of the local church to avoid the need to make judgements as to exactly who is vulnerable. 5 How much time to I need to spend on this? It is a matter of ‘little and often’ and as simple as maintaining an appointments diary. Like brushing your teeth it should be a regular thing which should not occupy you for more than five minutes a day. While it is good practice to record relevant pastoral contact, the amount of information recorded will be determined by the content of the contact. 6 What meetings are relevant? For the process to work you will need to get into the habit of recording all your pastoral meetings, rather than risk being distracted by the question of exactly which meetings are relevant. Keep a brief record of any meeting you have with an individual during the course of your work. You may also record any encounter where pastoral care is offered, even if others are present, where there is no colleague to vouch for your actions.

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7 What kind of encounters should be recorded? There is no need to keep a record of administrative meetings such as meetings with colleagues. For example: Likely to be relevant Unlikely to be relevant

˛ Discussion with prospective ordinand ˝ Parish team meeting about sense of vocation ˝ Brief conversation with member of ˛ Funeral preparation visit at home congregation on way out of church with widow of deceased when no other person is present ˝ Funeral preparation visit at home with several members of the family ˛ Brief encounter with parishioner on way to the shops who bursts into ˝ Two-minute encounter with tears and talks for ten minutes about parishioner to way to the shops in diagnosis of terminal illness. which you ask after spouse who has ˛ Discussion with a stranger who asks just undergone an operation you to pray for/with her/him ˝ Conversation with your hairdresser ˛ Meeting in which you offer spiritual who asks when you are next going on direction (see also below) holiday ˝ Meeting your own spiritual director The rule of thumb is to use your common sense and to try to record all meetings that might be relevant. If, as a stipendiary priest for example, you find yourself recording only one or two meetings a month, the process probably isn’t working. Those who only offer a very occasional pastoral ministry will need to exercise self-discipline to keep up the process. 8 Is this guidance mandatory? The bishop expects incumbents and priests in charge of to ensure that all involved in pastoral care are aware of the importance of keeping sensible and adequate records of meetings and other pastoral encounters. In most cases this need not amount to more than a note of the date, time and purpose of a meeting on an enduring and confidential record, such as the template which accompanies this guidance. Incumbents and others involved in overseeing pastoral care in a parish should have sufficient skills to be able to help colleagues prepare a simple risk assessment, as described below, and to make good judgements as to when one is needed. 9 What are the forms for? Two lone working templates are provided: (a) a CONTACT RECORD SHEET, to record every lone pastoral meeting. (b) a VULNERABILITY IDENTIFIED RECORD, to be used only where you think it necessary to record further particular details because a person or type of meeting is associated with a particular vulnerability. Examples of completed templates are attached.

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10 How do I use the LONE WORKING RECORD template? The template is supplied to assist in identifying the minimum amount of information that it is appropriate to retain to ensure that the meeting and its content can be recalled if requested at any time in the future. The information may be necessary to enable you to respond to a complaint or support someone making a complaint in the future. 11 When do I use the VULNERABILITY IDENTIFIED template? This should be used only where you have a specific concern about a meeting or individual, for example, a visit where there may be a risk to yourself or the other person involved, or a visit at an unusual time or place, or with a particularly vulnerable person. When arranging meetings an assessment needs to be made regarding the suitability of the location, time, date and those present. In most cases it will be sufficient for this to be no more than a quick thought process and the form need not take long to complete. 12 Must I use the forms provided? Subject to any norms established in your own benefice you can make notes of a meeting in any helpful place, such as your diary, or on a computer. We would recommend however that you include all of the information included in the relevant template. Above all you must comply with the standards established locally with colleagues. You must also ensure that such records are stored safely and securely with the knowledge of relevant colleagues (see below). 13 When do I need to make even fuller notes of a meeting? Some pastoral meetings will necessitate note taking, if only as an aide-mémoire for further meetings. In these cases it is good practice to consult the individual about the purpose and nature of the notes, and for how long they will be kept. Note taking might be more appropriate where there is a series of meetings or a longer term relationships. Examples would include meetings with prospective ordinands, funeral preparation (with one or more people), and pastoral situations where longer term support is needed. 14 What are the consequences of not following this guidance? Any member of the clergy, even those in retirement, can face a complaint for alleged misconduct, although these remain rare in practice and the majority do not result in any disciplinary action. Defending a complaint under the Clergy Disciplinary Measure may require a respondent to provide a formal defence in a formal written answer which may be used in tribunal proceedings. Such evidence may need to include any records of dates and times of meetings. The failure to keep sensible and adequate records may in itself be relevant to the outcome of such proceedings, especially as where these are mandatory. Lay people involved in pastoral care are not liable to proceedings under the measure, but may face an informal complaint at any time, or criminal allegations as the result of a police investigation. Cases have been successfully brought under the Measure

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against incumbents for failing to ensure that adequate safeguarding controls for lay people were omitted or ignored. 15 How likely is it that these records will be needed in practice? The aim of this guidance is to offset the risks involved for those doing pastoral work with a good conscience. These risks are low in the general course of pastoral work but they can have a high impact when things go wrong, such as when a complaint is made against a member of the clergy for alleged misconduct. Keeping pastoral records such as these is unlikely to prevent the abuse of power by those with pastoral responsibility but it will enable those who minister with integrity to show that they are adopting high professional standards and setting appropriate boundaries. The diocese and wider church has a responsibility to foster good professional practice. This includes a duty of care to those working on its behalf, given the low but real risk of malicious or misguided allegations. 16 What about spiritual direction/advice and confession/reconciliation? It is not customary to make notes of spiritual direction meetings, although dates and times of meetings should be recorded by the person giving direction. Nothing should be recorded of any meeting where someone asks to make a confession or seeks reconciliation as a penitent. Priests offering the rite of reconciliation should be familiar with the notes accompanying the Common Worship rite. Further advice is available from your archdeacon or from the bishop’s office. 17 For how long and where should I keep these records? You should expect to keep these records indefinitely, even after retirement. Electronic records should therefore either be downloaded and printed occasionally, or backed up on another confidential database. Whether they are kept personally or in the parish office or parsonage is a matter for local decision in the parish, but the records must be kept indefinitely. (See also the note about the Data Protection Act, below.) 18 Should records be kept on paper or electronically? This will depend on the resources and equipment used available to those undertaking pastoral care. Inevitably some records, such as emails, will be stored electronically. Every parish should therefore set out some ground rules for the management of pastoral records. The following should be borne in mind: ˛ Both paper and electronic records are covered by the Data Protection Act 1998. ˛ In most cases the duty is to inform people about the kind of records that are maintained about them. Such information can be made available in statements of general policy. ˛ Confidential information should be kept in locked cabinets in an area with public access. Confidential information stored electronically should be password protected. ˛ A distinction needs to be drawn between simple records of the date, time and purpose of a meeting and those rarer situations where extensive confidential records are to be kept (see above), where the principle of ‘informed consent’ should apply.

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˛ The simplest test of what is fair and reasonable is ‘How would I feel if someone was doing this to me?’ General advice is available from the Information Commissioner’s Information Line on 0303 123 1113. 19 What do I need to know about the Data Protection Act? There are two main considerations: first, the right of individuals to know what private and biographical information is recorded about them, and their right to see that information with a view to correcting any inaccuracies. The best approach in nearly all pastoral contexts is openness, that is: ˛ Be prepared to explain the need for simple record keeping. ˝ Do not record anything you would not wish those you are writing about to read. In practice simple records of encounters and meetings are unlikely to be uncontroversial. Narrative risk assessments should stick to the facts and avoid value judgements, supposition and personal opinion. 20 What are the insurance implications of lone working? Incumbents and churchwardens should be aware of the general terms the PCC’s public liability insurance which will usually include coverage for the bona fide actions of those providing pastoral care on behalf of the parish church. More information about local coverage should be obtained from your PCC insurer. 21 Where to I go for help and advice? Everyone giving pastoral advice in the diocese should see themselves as part of a team. You should feel free to seek advice from your incumbent or other immediate colleague, rural , archdeacon or the diocesan safeguarding adviser. Contact details are available on the diocesan website. 22 Further reading ß ‘Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy’ (Church House Publishing, 2003) www.churchofengland.org ß ‘The Guide to Data Protection: How much do I need to know about data protection?’ (Information Commissioner’s Office, current edition) www.ico.org.uk ß ‘Insurance and Legalities: Issues to Note’ (Ecclesiastical Insurance, September 2011) www.ecclesiastical.com

NB Comments and suggestions as to the helpfulness of these guidance notes are welcome and can be sent in the first instance to [email protected]

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Appendix A LONE WORKING CONTACT RECORD SHEET

Name and role of parish personnel: Revd XY (Vicar of Z) Who When Where Why What How Vulnerability Is involved? Date/time? Venue? Is it one to one? Is the purpose of the meeting? Safeguarding needs identified? addressed? (If Yes, complete vulnerability identified record.) 2015

As discussed 24 Jan Vicarage Mr A asked to see me To discuss problems in his N/A No at staff 8pm privately. marriage. meeting. Unknown 28 Jan High Street Stopped me whilst out Angry. Asked to speak to me N/A No Muslim 4pm shopping. about friend who had been teenager unfairly arrested over web activity. Alison S 29 Jan Small Staff interview To review recent meeting N/A No 11am meeting with DDO about diocesan room at selection panel. church centre Marion Jones 2 Feb Home of Mrs X Not practicable to Funeral visit 1. Diary entry YES (during visit). 4.30pm conduct joint visit. completed See attached. No identified risk. No 2. Pre-arranged visit other close family 3. Extended family available before funeral. aware of visit arrangements.

Appendix B LONE WORKING RECORD – VULNERABILITY IDENTIFIED

(To be completed in addition to record of contact) Date on which form completed: 1 March 2015 Name and role of parish personnel: Revd XY (Vicar of Z) Name of contact: Marion Jones Has this Date Who is What is the Who else has been made What has/can be been done to reduce contact been vulnerability vulnerable? vulnerability? aware? vulnerability? included on identified the Contact Record Sheet? YES 2 Feb 2015 Marion Jones During a visit at the Pastoral care co-ordinator and 1. Extended family member advised by 4.30pm Revd XY home of Mrs X to discuss rural dean informed. Mentioned telephone. funeral arrangement she at staff meeting. 2. Offer support of joint bereavement became very emotional visitors. and initiated hugging 3. When lone visiting in future not to sit on whilst seated on her same seat with Mrs MJ. sofa. 4. Avoid future lone visits and maintain full record of any future contact. 5. Keep staff team informed of developments.