Work with churches, cathedrals and faith groups

About this project

TDI has long been interested in the challenges faced by faith communities in managing risk, and has been approached on several occasions over the years for advice and training.  We have delivered workshop days for clergy and parishioners exploring how best to involve congregations in reducing risk in their parish.  Diocesan safeguarding officers have attended bespoke training on identifying and managing risk.  We ran a symposium on defensible decision-making exploring some of the particular issues faced by faith organisations, and another on the practical interpretation of the concept of forgiveness in the management of church spaces.  Our CEO was a member of the Leeds Diocesan Strategic Safeguarding Board for a number of years. 

TDI have also designed an adaptation of the Leisurewatch public protection scheme which deals with the particular challenges that churches face in the balancing of inclusion and safety. This adaptation offers all the key features of the scheme: audits to consider the risks posed by the church itself and its attached buildings, training for staff and volunteers to help them spot and respond to concerning behaviour, a referral scheme to share information around concerning behaviour with the Police, access to our research team to answer questions as they arise, and connection with other Members to share best practice across organisations.

The expanded scheme also incorporates training on the ways in which churches can work with external organisations, such as the Probation Service, in the management of offenders within the community, and how staff and volunteers can keep themselves safe in what can be quite emotionally challenging circumstances.