Does anyone in here know about the current expectations for who is an appropriate person for the role of Safeguarding Officer in a local C of E Church? I am new here, so I hope I am not causing too much trouble if I go on to explain why I am asking. At a church near me the appointed person is to my knowledge Roman Catholic and actively living in a same sex union. I understand already that this probably will not meet the approval of some members of this forum, I am attempting to establish if it is actually acceptable according to any written church standards.
To be frank it isn't easy to discover who can be appointed as a Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Finding a role description is easy but a role specification much less so. I'd have assumed that the PSO would be an Anglican. As far as I can tell they don't even need to be a Christian. It seems it's a voluntary role to assist the incumbent and PCC but not to replace their responsibilities. There are priests, even bishops, living in same sex unions so you can't expect the Church to be aghast at lay people living in such circumstances.
I did a bit of reading just now (5 minutes) and the 'safeguarding' role appears to be one of 'being on the lookout' for child abuse (including sexual abuse), spousal abuse, sexting, protection of privacy and right of consent when people are photographed, and perhaps a few more related matters. I've never heard of it until today, though. I suppose anyone who is trained & qualified might in theory be engaged for this role, regardless of religious affiliation (or lack thereof?). Personally, however, I think the selection of a LGBT+ RC might be a situation akin to "the fox guarding the hen house." The LGBT+ individuals will necessarily be biased against protecting youths & children from 'grooming' for the LGBT+ mindset (if not lifestyle), and the RC may tend to steer people toward the RCC when possible to do so in a subtle manner.
Thank you for pointing this part out, I have looked up loads myself before I asked, so I knew it was really easy to find a description of their role, and very little on who it should actually be. However, this is such a good point and I had not noticed it before, there is indeed no requirement that they are a Christian. I am completely mind boggled.
Sorry, unpack it...I shall try. All Church of England Churches must have a person appointed as "Safeguarding Officer". This person is to recieve all complaints about about abuse, all suspicions of signs of abuse, and any allegations of bullying. Perhaps the following is clearer than the OP, "At a church near me the Safeguarding Officer is a Roman Catholic and actively living in a same sex union. I would like to know if this is acceptable according to any written church standards."