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    Institute of Ministry · Course welcome

    Welcome to Safeguarding for Clergy (A1) — Foundation for Ministry

    Safeguarding belongs at the heart of pastoral ministry. This course will help you recognise harm, respond without making matters worse, keep reliable records, hold safe boundaries and act with courage when responsibility is uncomfortable.

    Study commitmentApproximately 15 hours across orientation, six modules and case studies.
    How it is deliveredFree, online and self-paced, with low-bandwidth and mobile-friendly support.
    AssessmentEight quizzes; 80% pass mark; maximum two attempts; verified completion certificate.
    Who may beginClergy, ministers and people in ministerial formation of any tradition. No prior training is assumed.

    What this course is about

    A1 is a substantial foundation in safeguarding for ministry across the English-speaking world. It covers children and adults at risk, spiritual abuse, grooming, power and consent, safer practice, disclosures, records, reporting, confidentiality and accountability. It is Christian formation as well as responsible practice: the dignity of the person is never separated from the duty to act.

    Who this course is for

    It is for bishops, priests, presbyters, pastors, ministers, deacons, ordinands, chaplains and authorised lay ministers of any tradition, together with those who supervise or mentor them. No denominational affiliation is required. The course is written for people who hold pastoral responsibility, not as a general-interest substitute for specialist clinical, investigative or legal training.

    What you can expect

    You will work through five orientation units, six substantive modules and realistic case studies, then pass eight assessments. Completion records successful safeguarding education; it is not a background check or an authorisation for ministry.

    Why this course stands apart

    A1 is an assessed course of approximately 15 hours, not a brief awareness presentation. It is benchmarked against Australia’s Ten National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, lessons from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, published legal and reporting frameworks across nine jurisdictions, and Quality Matters and Online Learning Consortium reference points for online course design.

    The Institute publishes the evidence, strengths and limits of that mapping openly. Read the A1 benchmarking results.

    Scope and legal disclaimer

    This course is education, not legal advice. Law, statutory guidance and reporting duties change and differ by place. You must verify the current position with the relevant authority, your organisation’s safeguarding policy and, where necessary, a suitably qualified local lawyer.

    A1 is not clinical, therapeutic or investigative training and does not qualify you to assess risk, investigate allegations or provide counselling. If somebody is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services. Take any live concern to the proper safeguarding lead or statutory authority; do not post identifying details on this platform. Benchmarking is not accreditation or external endorsement.

    Before you begin

    Identify the safeguarding lead, statutory reporting route and emergency contact that apply where you serve, and keep them close while you study. Live concerns must go to the proper safeguarding or statutory authority; never place identifying details or a live disclosure into a course communication.

    Support, accessibility and communication

    For course or technical help, contact institute@apostolicoldcatholic.org. If disability, health, caring, language or access needs affect your study, ask for a reasonable adjustment. There is deliberately no open learner discussion area in this public safeguarding course, because confidentiality and the safety of people involved in real concerns take precedence. The Formation Policies explain the Institute’s assessment and support processes.

    How to begin

    First complete Getting Started with the Institute of Ministry if you have not already done so; it is completed only once. Then open Section 0 — Orientation, work through its five units in order and complete the Orientation Quiz.

    Required, assessed and further reading

    Your course guidance tells you what forms part of the assessed content and what is optional enrichment. Where a source table uses the key, ✓ means that teaching drawn from the source forms part of the assessed content; it does not mean that you must leave the course and read the linked source in full. ✕ means that the source is optional enrichment and is not assessed directly.

    Further reading is offered in the spirit of generous formation, not formal obligation. You will not be asked to reproduce specific content from an external source merely because it is linked. Those who engage with these materials often approach their work with greater depth, reflect with greater honesty and bring something richer to their formation. Think of them as an open door: the Institute has gone to the trouble of finding it for you, and there is much worth walking into.

    External links open on third-party websites. The Institute does not host, control or endorse third-party content, and links may change over time. If a link no longer works, a search using the source title and publishing body will usually locate it.

    I am Bishop Ashley Deutschmann, Bishop-Rector of the Apostolic Old Catholic Mission and Course Director of the Institute of Ministry. I am glad to welcome you. Please begin carefully, ask when you need help, and give the work the honest attention it deserves.