New requirements for ringers from the Church of England are summarised below:

1. All ringers, regardless of whether there are young ringers in their tower, are now REQUIRED to complete the online training called Basic Awareness (equivalent to C0).

a. Previously this was merely a recommendation. The change reflects the fact that it is not just a case of protecting our young ringers. It is possible for an adult to groom other adults to gain their trust and access to their non-ringing children or grandchildren.

b. If you have completed C0, there is no need to do Basic Awareness until three years have passed since you did the course.

2. Any further training by tower captains is the decision of the diocese. Chichester have asked that all tower captains complete the online Foundation course (when their existing C1 has expired) but are NOT required to complete the Leadership course (this advice may change in the future).

3. Chichester have asked that our Young Ringer’s coordinator and Safeguarding officer complete the Zoom / Face to Face Leadership course (old C2) and this is in hand.

4. On completion of the Basic Awareness or Foundation courses, please show your certificates to your Parish Safeguarding Officer – their name should be prominently displayed on an internal church noticeboard and the church website.

The online courses are accessed via the Chichester Diocesan website (www.chichester.anglican.org). The Safeguarding Tab is on the top left and the training section is at the bottom of the first page.

The summary above has been developed by the safeguarding officer for the Central Council after discussion with the National Safeguarding Manager of the CofE.

Please email me if you have any questions or need any help. I know not all towers feel "part" of the church, but the bells do belong to the church and we do need to follow their procedures.

Val Clay (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)