Guidance, Forms and Fees

Guidance, forms, templates and notes relating to ministry, buildings, safeguarding, finance and parish life are all listed here. All files are in PDF format, unless otherwise stated. 

Can't find what you need? Check out our Documents page, give us a call on 01227 459401 or email the website team. 

Annual Parochial Church Meetings

• Guidance for the Conduct of Annual Parish and Annual Parochial Church Meetings
• The number of electors on the Church Electoral Roll
• Remuneration guidance
• Parish Resources website – for the forms you will need

Area Deans

• Church Records and Archives in the Canterbury Diocese – guidance for Area Deans

Church Buildings & Churchyards

• Safety of burial grounds
• Theft of metal – Guidance from Ecclesiastical
• Theft of metal – English Heritage guidance
• Theft of metal – DAC guidance
• Theft of metal – general faculty
• Alternative roofing materials to lead
• Lightning Protection
• General Advice for Architects and Surveyors on the Requirements for Lightning Protection of Parish Churches
• Sustainable heating and lighting policy
• Churchyard guide
• Conservation and repair of bells and bellframes – code of practice
• Chancel Repair Liability
• PCC Model Letter of Appointment October 2012
• Matters which may be undertaken without a faculty
• Faculty for procedure repairs
• Minor matters procedure
• Minor matters - Registrar’s note
• Memorial & gravestone application form
• Memorial plaques in churches
• Churchyard closure application form and guidance notes
• Advice to reduce the risk of theft from churches and historic locations

Care of Churches seminar resources – 2018

• Friends of Kent Churches
• Funding for church building projects
• How to write good Statements of Significance and Needs
• Online Faculty System Tips and Advice
• Welcoming in the world

Re-ordering projects

• Introduction
• Examples of church re-ordering projects

Health and Safety recommendations for the hire of buildings

• Letter 1
• Letter 2

Church officers

Churchwardens

• Churchwardens Handbook
• The Churchwarden – Pastoral
• The Churchwarden – Visits and Inspections
• Public Liability Insurance
• Faculty fees to be paid by the diocese – letter 30 January 2015

PCC Secretaries

• PCC Secretaries Handbook
• Authorisation to assist in the administration of Holy Communion

Clergy

• Clergy Terms of Service/Common Tenure details
• Counselling Service for clergy and their families
• Sons and Friends of the Clergy (financial assistance)
• Changes to CDM
• Family Leave guide
• Parental Leave

Terms of service

• Terms of service guide
• Grievance Procedure – Code of Practice
• Common Tenure - a simple guide
• Comparison of common tenure with Freehold
• Ecclesiastical Offices (terms of Service) Regulations
• Frequently asked questions – (Word format)
• Summary of Legislation
• Clergy HR resources from the Church of England 
• Family Leave advice from the Archbishop’s Council
• Additional Paternity Leave from the Archbishop’s Council

Role description

• Template role description – (Word format) (PDF format)
• Guidance on completing your role description
• Frequently Asked Questions

Communion

• Public Worship with Communion by Extension – guidance for parishes
• Guidelines issued by the House of Bishops

Data Protection

• Diocesan Privacy Policy 
• GDPR Presentation - Training 2018
• GDPR Handout - Training 2018
• GDPR Checklist
• Parish Data Audit Form
• Care of Parish Records: National Guidance (2008)
• Save or Delete: The Care of Diocesan Records
• Safeguarding & GDPR: National Guidance
• Parish Consent Form Template
• Parish Privacy Notice Template (Non Role Holders)
• Parish Privacy Notice Template (Role Holders)
• Template Baptism Contact Form
• DPIA Checklist
• Data Protection advice for parishes from the Church of England
• GDPR for Parishes resource website

Deliverance

• Guidance for the Ministry of Deliverance

Electoral Roll

• Notes of Preparation of New Electoral Roll in 2019

Finance

(Scroll down further for ‘Parochial Fees’)

• Clergy fees in vacancy
• Clergy fees in vacancy (Excel)
• Clergy payroll services
• Collections at funerals and memorial services
• Demystifying Parish Share
• HMRC Fit and Proper persons helpsheet and declaration (Word)
• Mileage rates
• Online submission of Parish Finance and Statistics for Mission
• Reporting Parish Share Shortfalls

Gift Aid

• Gift Aid guide
• Declaration
• Declaration with standing order mandate
• HMRC declaration checklist
• Monthly sheet (Word format)
• Monthly sheet (PDF format)
• Monthly sheet (Excel format)
• Sample completed monthly sheet
• Sponsorship form
• Annual reminder slip

Marriage

The marriage of foreign nationals

• Marriage of Foreign Nationals: Guidance from the Commissary General (2015)
• Changes to marriage law: Non-EEA Nationals (Jan 2015)
• Initial Application Form for Common Licence:  Non-EEA Nationals (Word format)
• Marriage After Divorce - form & explanatory statement

Changes to the statutory procedure for publishing banns of marriage

• Letter, November 2012
• Legal change to the procedure for publishing Banns of Marriage
• Section 7 of the Marriage Act 1949 as amended

Occasional Duties

• Scale of fees

Parochial Church Councils

• Legal status of Parochial Church Councils

Parochial Fees

• Guide to Parochial Fees (Tri-fold) (Landscape)
• Bishop’s Guidelines for payment of parochial and casual duty fees
• Record of Parochial Fees Received 2022 – (Excel format)  (PDF format) To be completed MONTHLY by the Parish Treasurer or Incumbent. If the return for the month is “NIL” click here
• Notes to complete the Record of Parochial Fees Received
• Claim for Officiating at an Occasional Office – (Excel format) (PDF format) To be completed by non-stipendiary ministers only
• Occasional Office Fees to Forward to DBF – (Excel format) (PDF format) Please note that fees should normally be sent to the Parish Treasurer to include with the Record of Parochial Fees Received. Only use this form if that method is not possible. 
• Non stipendiary agreement

Table of Parochial Fees

• 2022

If you have any queries about fees, please contact our Assistant Diocesan Accountant Clare Larter (01227 459401).

Pastoral Reorganisation

• Suspension of Presentation Info sheet

Pension automatic enrolment

• Pension auto enrolment fact sheet
• Summary of Workplace Pensions by the Church of England

People Services

• Right to Work checklist
• UK Government website
• ACAS workplace advice
• HMRC website

The People Services department can provide guidance, documents and template policies for all your employment needs to support the important work of parishes and benefices.

Please contact Michael Keeler-Walker on 01227 473 557 or email mkeeler-walker@diocant.org.

Readers

• Readers Handbook
• Information guide

Safeguarding

Guidelines

• Canterbury Cathedral Safeguarding Guidelines
• Promoting a Safe Church - Church of England Safeguarding webpages
• Guidance for Local Children and Young People’s Ministry Teams
• eSafety and Abuse Guidelines 2017
• Deliverance Ministry Referrals
• Messy Church
• Messy Church and Unaccompanied Children
• Model Code of Safer Working Practice
• Off-site, overnight and ‘one-off’ trips safeguarding guidance
• Responding to Domestic Abuse guidelines 2017
• Responding to Serious Safeguarding Situations 2017
• Responding Well to those who have been Sexually Abused 2011
• Suggested Church Hall Premises Hire Terms and Conditions 
• Working in the community with vulnerable adults
• Working with Survivors of Sexual Abuse
• Bell Ringers Contact information - Reporting a Safeguarding Concern
• Bell Ringers safeguarding guidelines

Policy statements

• Parish Safeguarding Policy Statement (Annexe A) (Word format) (PDF format)
• Diocesan and Cathedral Domestic Abuse Policy
• Diocesan and Cathedral Survivor Care Strategy

Forms

• Application form for working with children & young people – (Word format) (PDF format)
• Incident report form
• Attendance Record template – (Excel format)
• Church hall hire agreement
• Confidential Declaration
• Consent form for off-site activities
• Job Description and Agreement – (Word format) (PDF format)
• Registration form for children attending groups or activities – (Word format)
• Parental Consent Form – Group Membership
• Photo consent form
• Reference request form – (Word format) (PDF format)
• We are a safeguarding church - poster (PowerPoint format)
• Excel sheet for PDOs (Excel format)

Checklists

• Safeguarding action flow chart
• Children and V.A. recruitment checklist – (Word format)
• Safeguarding Children in the Parish – checklist
• Safeguarding in the Parish – Key tasks for PCCs (Word format) (PDF format)
• Safer Recruitment checklist

Job descriptions

• Voluntary Posts
• Parish Safeguarding Coordinators
• Parish Disclosure Officers

Safeguarding Information

• Advocacy services
• Bail
• Safeguarding leaflet (Aide Memoire) February 2021
• A safe environment for children – (Word format)
• ChildLine posters and wallet cards
• Definitions of child abuse categories
• Human Trafficking and Exploitation
• Risk Assessment Group membership and terms of reference
• Safeguarding Management Group membership and terms of reference
• Signs and symptoms of child abuse
• The lessons we need to learn
• Towards a Safer Church: Liturgical Resources
• Are you a safeguarding church? – PCC Activity Pack
• We are a Safeguarding Church (editable poster for noticeboards)
• We are a Safeguarding Church (editable poster for bell towers)

Disclosure and Barring Service Information

• Consent form for external validation (2017)
• DBS Code of Practice
• DBS ID checking guidelines
• DBS list of offences that will never be filtered from a criminal record check
• Diocesan Policy Statement – Recruitment of ex-offenders
• Diocesan Policy Statement – Secure storage of disclosure information etc
• Guidelines for additional addresses for specific groups and specific situations
• List of countries in European Economic Area
• Update Service Request Form (Form 3U)

Statistics for Mission

• Fill in your Parish Returns online, or download a prinatble return online here

For any assitance with the Parish Returns service, please contact Data Protection Officer Anna Drew (01227 459401).