Frequently Asked Questions
How do we invoice?
The invoice will start from the 1st of the month in which you sign your contract and will be calculated on a monthly rate based on the renewal date you have chosen. After the first year the charge will be annual, we will contact you about renewal 2 months prior to your annual payment date. The common fund will run from 1st of the joining month until 1st April 2023.
What are the rates of your services?
The cost for RLSS is £115 per capita, however anyone who is unable to afford some or all of this fee will be eligible for our Common Fund. The Common Fund application form will be attached to any documentation we send for anyone who should need it.
What do I need to do to sign up to the RLSS?
Safeguarding support will no longer be provided by Dioceses and as such you will need to make arrangements for this provision from either the RLSS or another provider.
If you would like the RLSS to provide your safeguarding services, you will need to become a member of the RLSS.
In order to do this, please contact us and we will send you the following documents:
1. Contract
2. Data sharing agreement
3. Information for invoicing
Your service will start from the date these documents are returned to us. You will then have 30 days to pay the invoice or apply to the Common Fund to cover the cost of these services.
Does my Religious Life Group still need a Safeguarding Lead?
Yes. The responsibility to safeguard still belongs to the Religious Life Group. You are in effect just outsourcing the work to the RLSS but will still need someone to engage and liaise with the RLSS. This could be a member of the senior leadership team or your named safeguarding lead.
What do I do if I am worried about the safety or welfare of a child or a adult at risk?
Always remember if you are worried about the imminent safety or suspect risk of harm to a child or an adult, you should contact the police on 999 immediately. If it is not an emergency, then simply pick up the phone to the RLSS team.
Can a safeguarding concern be kept confidential?
No. All safeguarding concerns should be acted upon and cannot remain confidential. It is always best practice to seek consent from the individual if a referral is to be made.
Will the RLSS supply insurance or legal advice?
No. This is the responsibility of each Congregation to ensure they have robust insurance and access to legal advice should they need it.
Are there any extra charges?
All services are included; however, DBS checks will require an extra fee. This is because some RLGs will require a handful of checks each year while some will require many. To keep this fair, we have taken DBS chargers out of the subscription fee.
What are your terms and conditions?
Confidentiality
All information is held confidentially between the two organisations and this confidentiality should continue even if the contract is terminated.
Your obligations
We need a suitable point of contact in order to manage our cases and we need to be able to reach this person easily.
Termination
You can cancel at year 3 or at any other time but must give 6 months’ notice.
Data Retention
We adhere to the CSSA’s retention schedule