Clergy Safety

In the event of any incident involving verbal abuse, threats or actual violence to a priest, deacon or a member of their household, they should contact their Area Dean or Archdeacon immediately; they will provide immediate practical and pastoral assistance.

The Diocese of London is committed to providing a safe working environment for clergy and accredited lay workers and to equipping them to minister safely. The Archdeacon of Hampstead holds the Senior Staff Portfolio for clergy safety and his office monitors incidents across the Diocese.

Clergy and accredited lay workers should take all possible steps to ensure the personal safety of themselves and their families in relation to their houses and church office and vestries.

Basic precautions include:

• Ensuring that porches and entrances are well-lit, using spy-holes
• Not inviting unknown visitors beyond the office or study in a house
• Not leaving unknown visitors unattended in an office or house
• Not seeing children alone
• Ensuring that other people know when you are seeing people

Some useful information is available to download from this page.

Further Resources

Useful websites include www.nationalchurchwatch.com and www.ecclesiastical.co.uk which offers Guidance Notes on Health and Safety.

Useful books include:

• ‘Places of Worship Security Manual’, Nick Tolson (coordinator of National Churchwatch), Berkswell Publishing
• ‘Affirmation and Accountability – Practical suggestions for preventing clergy stress, sickness and ill health retirement’, the Society of Mary and Martha, email smm@nullsheldon.uk.com
• ‘Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy’, Wilcox H, Church House Publishing, 2003
• ‘The Security of Single Clergy – A Cause for Concern’, the Revd Canon Christine Dyer.