Expectations of placement organisation

Welfare, Health, and Safety

PUBLIC Liability Insurance

The welfare, health and safety of our students is paramount in all aspects of placement. We expect your church/organisation to provide a safe place in which our students can do placement, which involves a couple of different measures. First of all, we require placement partners to have sufficient Public Liability Insurance. While on placement, students should be categorised as staff and covered as such (or appropriate equivalents in other countries). This insures LST students for any accidental damage they might cause to a third party during the course of placement. LST Public Liability insures you against liable actions caused by LST students whilst on placement with you.

Risk Assessment

During the Covid-19 pandemic we are asking all organisations to submit to us a copy of their Risk Assessment around returning to the organisation, as proof that you are following government guidance and protocols for the safe return of people to your church or organisation.  It will be held (confidentially) on file for the duration of the placement.

If you are a home church or organisation that is based outside the United Kingdom we will ask you to fill out a Risk Assessment that we have custom-made. This will give us a better idea of the environment and conditions in which the LST student will be working.  For all other placement providers, we will ask you to confirm that you have carried out an annual Risk Assessment to ensure the environment is as safe as possible for our placement students.

Safeguarding Policy and DBS Check

We also expect that you will have a working Safeguarding Children & Vulnerable Adults Policy. We ask that you make the student conversant with your safeguarding policies for these groups and, if appropriate for the role, that you undertake a DBS Check (Disclosure and Barring Service) for your student (we ask them to bring appropriate documentation with them to placement, following DBS information: https://crb-online.org.uk/?msclkid=6da3080dc4251246d80a52f046dfa30e).

Please note that all LST placement students are required to complete an internal declaration relating to their suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults.  Before coming on placement they will carry out basic safeguarding training.

Pastoral Care

The emotional, spiritual and academic well-being of LST students is our highest concern. Vocational Services works with other departments (Registry, Pastoral Care Team, and Tutors) to pick up any concerns. As a placement supervisor, you are in a key relationship with your student(s). Please partner with us if you become aware of a pastoral issue affecting them or their ability to fulfil their placement role (ideally, with their permission, depending on the specific circumstances). This may be information which helps us connect our thinking internally and it is important that we work in partnership with you.

LST’s Pastoral Care Team has stated that issues of student’s mental health or special needs (eg. Dyslexia) should normally remain confidential and be shared with a supervisor only with the student’s consent. Where required, Vocational Services will take advice from the Pastoral Care Team/Committee on a case-by-case basis.

Disciplinary Concerns

If disciplinary issues are raised, we will work with you in a mediatory role (see Complaints Procedure under Other Considerations). Please note, that LST reserves the right to remove a student if, for whatever reason, the placement was deemed to have become inappropriate or the work environment became unsafe for the student. Ultimate sanction rests with LST.  

Theological compatibility

LST is a community of Christians whose theological convictions are compatible with LST’s Doctrinal Basis. For new churches applying for placement students, we want to make sure that we have the same theological convictions and will visit your website as well as the Evangelical Alliance site for a compatibility check. From this and from our conversations with your church leaders, we will determine if your church will make a suitable partner. 

For new organisations looking to partner with us, we ask that you are sympathetic to the Christian beliefs of your placement student, even if you do not share those beliefs.

You can read the Doctrinal Basis here.