The role and responsibilities of the Trustees of the Kirk Session

Kirk Sessions are responsible for implementing the instructions of the Church's General Assembly and ensuring that their congregations adhere to them.

The detail of these duties and General Assembly Deliverances can be found in the Safeguarding Act 2018, which was accepted by the General Assembly in May 2018. The Safeguarding Act clarifies what is required of Congregations, Councils and others to ensure that safeguarding standards are achieved, monitored and reviewed. The Safeguarding Service also has written guidance to sit alongside the Act.

In the terms of secular law, the Elders comprising the Kirk Session are Trustees, with all the duties and responsibilities of that role.

In other words, they are responsible, amongst other things, for appointing, managing, resourcing, and supporting sufficient numbers of suitable personnel to run the services they wish to provide.

The Kirk Session is, therefore, responsible for any decisions made on its behalf; for example, decisions of the Safeguarding Panel or Safeguarding Coordinator. It is therefore important that the session is aware of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and appoint these important roles with care and diligence.