Setting up and reviewing a Covenant of Responsibilities
Detailed here is the step-by-step procedure for setting up a Covenant of Responsibilities. A model covenant can be found in Appendix 7.
Click on the headings below for more information.
Step 1: Communicating the need for a Covenant of Responsibilities
This covers the early communication between the Safeguarding Service and the Congregational Safeguarding Panel or vice versa regarding the need for a Covenant of Responsibilities.
The Safeguarding Service will advise about the appropriate use of the policy and procedure by the congregation. The Safeguarding Service will also talk through what to do, how and when, as set out in the policy and procedures.
The Safeguarding Service will contact the relevant authorities. They will also contact the subject to explain the process and also to instigate early communication.
Step 2: Meeting with relevant authorities
The Safeguarding Officer will arrange a meeting of the Safeguarding Panel, police and/or criminal justice social workers via video conference to review/discuss the information and to draft a Covenant of Responsibilities which will manage any contact between the subject and the congregation or church-based or -run activities.
Each individual covenant will be carefully drafted to take account of specific risk and/or unique factors relative to the church and the subject to produce an appropriate response.
A Confidentiality Agreement will be signed by all parties prior to the beginning of every meeting. This can be completed electronically if need be.
The Safeguarding Officer will take a minute of the meeting.
The subject is not present at this stage.
All covenants must be drawn up under the guidance and direction of the Safeguarding Service to ensure that the congregation is given the benefit of professional support.
Step 3: Meeting of the Safeguarding Panel
The Safeguarding Panel will meet separately and decide if they are confident and content to manage the subject and proposed Covenant of Responsibilities.
Ongoing support from the Safeguarding Service will be provided for as long as the Covenant of Responsibilities is in place.
The police and criminal justice professionals will also be invited to continue to be involved in any review of the arrangements.
The Safeguarding Panel can decide that their congregation is not the best placed to manage the subject or their needs. The Safeguarding Officer will then make enquiries to identify a suitable congregation elsewhere for that subject.
Step 4: Meeting with the subject
The Safeguarding Officer will convene a meeting of the Safeguarding Panel and the subject. Where relevant, the police and/or social worker should also be invited and may wish to attend. Some circumstances may mean that this meeting is via video conferencing. This meeting will be chaired by the Safeguarding Officer, who will introduce the covenant to the subject.
If all is agreed the covenant should be signed with a date set for a review.
The subject may wish to have a friend or relative who is aware of their circumstances accompanying them. This can be positive for all parties.
This initial covenant is not negotiable. If the subject refuses to sign it, then, in essence, they are refusing to worship.
Remember, the overarching priority of the covenant is to protect everyone attending or associated with the Church.
A covenant review can be called at any time should it be required.
Step 5: Review of arrangements
Circumstances can change and it is important that arrangements are regularly reviewed.
The Safeguarding Officer will arrange the review via video conference and include the Safeguarding Panel, the subject, and police and/or the social worker working with the subject.
A Confidentiality Agreement will be signed by all parties prior to the beginning of every meeting. This can be completed electronically if need be.
The Safeguarding Officer will take a minute of the meeting.
It is good practice to have the first part of the meeting closed before the subject joins the group.
The subject can ask for amendments to the covenant. It is a living document and it is important that they feel that they are stakeholders in the arrangements.
A review date will be agreed at the signing of the covenant but can be called at any time should the need arise.
A review should take place no more than 12 months after the signing of the covenant.
Stage two status
Where a Covenant has been in place for at least one year, at a review meeting, with the agreement of all parties, informed by a risk assessment process, it can be agreed to move to a Stage Two status.
This means that unless there is a need to hold a meeting for some reason, then the Safeguarding Officer and a designated member of the panel will be in contact annually by way of a telephone call and followed with a letter confirming the position and circumstances.
A return to a "Stage One review" as described in Step 5 above can be implemented at any time should concerns about the subject or circumstances dictate or be needed.