Diocesan Advisory Committee
The Lichfield Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) is a statutory body which provides advice and guidance to parishes on the care, alteration and appropriate development of church buildings and churchyards. The DAC also advises parishes on suitably qualified and experienced professionals to undertake quinquennial inspection (QI) surveys of churches in the diocese.
The functions of the DAC are governed by the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018 (as amended).
Further information can be found on the Church Buildings and DAC landing page of this website.
Your role as a diocesan volunteer
All DAC advisers are expert volunteers for the diocese, working in accordance with the terms of this Handbook and an approved Volunteer Agreement.
For information on the nature and scope of the role, please consult at an early stage the 'Advisers' section of the DAC members and advisers web page. This outlines the functions of the role of DAC adviser, and lists the current advisers.
Six months after you begin volunteering, there will be an opportunity for both you and the diocese to review the situation, raise any issues, and decide whether to continue.
The Church of England has published A Brief Guide to the Role of DAC Advisers (2022), which should be consulted by all DAC advisers.
Code of conduct
When undertaking the role of DAC adviser, including interacting with colleagues or the public, whether via email, social media, online conferencing or in person, you should conduct yourself appropriately as a representative of the DAC and the diocese.
It is expected that you retain a professional manner and are respectful of others, in line with the organisation's policy on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.
Conflicts of interest
Please ensure that you have read the Church of England's published Note for DAC Members and Advisers Regarding Conflicts of Interest (2022).
In line with that guidance, please alert the relevant DAC officer if you are consulted on casework which specifically relates to a person or building where you have had a close professional or commercial connection (e.g. a former work colleague or a competitive tender not awarded).
Confidentiality
As part of your voluntary work for the diocese you may have access to personal or commercial data such as individuals' contact details, quotations, specifications, and PCC minutes. You should treat all such data as confidential, and only use it as necessary for the reasonable undertaking of your role for the DAC as defined in your Volunteer Agreement.
A record of past applications is kept on the Online Faculty System (OFS). You should not retain in your own records any personal or commercial data relating to an application after your advisory work on it has concluded.
If you are unsure, please consult with a DAC officer before using or sharing any data you encounter as part of your role.
Media
You should not represent yourself as a spokesperson or representative of the DAC or Diocese of Lichfield to any media – whether digital, social media, broadcast or print – in any manner unless authorised by the Director of Communications or Chief Executive Officer (Diocesan Secretary) who will liaise if needed with other parties.
Please inform a DAC officer of any media requests you receive – they will refer these to the diocesan Communications Team.
Casework procedure
If you are unsure about any elements of casework procedure, or would like a refresher, please contact one of the DAC officers who will be pleased to assist you.
Consultation requests
When you receive a casework consultation request, you will be sent a link to a form on which to complete your consultation response.
If you have clarifying questions, need to request further information or documents from the parish, or believe a site visit is necessary, please do not fill in the form or contact the parish yourself. Instead, please make the request by email to the relevant DAC officer. They will liaise with the parish and inform you when the application has been updated.
Once you are ready to review the application, please submit the form with your formal consultation response. The form has been carefully designed to capture your advice in a format which ensures that all necessary statutory questions are answered. Please read the form carefully to ensure that you enter reasons and/or provisos into the correct boxes.
You may receive consultation requests for delegated authority faculty applications or (except DAC architect members) for List B and Additional Matter applications.
If, on receiving a consultation request, it is your opinion that:
- another or an additional DAC member or adviser should be consulted, or
- a faculty application is not suitable for delegation under the Lichfield DAC Delegated Authority Policy and should be referred to the full Committee, or
- the proposed work is not permissible under the selected List B matter or Additional Matter
then please let the relevant DAC officer know as soon as possible.
Availability
It is requested that DAC advisers respond to casework consultations and site visit requests within 10 office working days, wherever possible.
If you know that you will be unavailable for longer than 10 office working days at any one time (e.g. for health reasons or a holiday – although you do not have to tell us the reason), please inform the DAC Office. This will enable the officers to better manage departmental casework and avoid contacting you unnecessarily.
DAC meeting review requests
You may occasionally be asked to act as the case reviewer for a faculty application which is to be discussed by the full Committee at a DAC meeting (rather than processed individually under delegated authority).
In these circumstances, a DAC officer will contact you in advance of the meeting with any necessary further information and a link to a form on which to submit your review. You may be invited to a meeting – or part of a meeting – to give your advice on a particular case.
All advisers will also be invited to attend the one in-person meeting each year (usually held in the spring or summer). Attendance is not compulsory but may be a useful opportunity to meet the other DAC advisers and members.
Adviser site visits
A DAC adviser site visit may be requested by a parish at an early stage in the development of its proposal, as part of seeking informal (pre-application) advice, or at a subsequent stage in the application process.
A DAC officer will forward relevant site visit requests directly to you, with information about the enquiry, a contact at the parish and details about how to submit your site visit report. Advisers are requested to inform the parish if they have any special access or health and safety requirements, prior to a visit.
DAC advisers may also request to make a site visit if they feel it is necessary to form a view to give formal advice on an application.
Please note that not all parish enquiries or applications require an adviser site visit. Some qualifying requests may be offered an online conference call (e.g. via Zoom) in place of a visit, where applicable.
Further information can be found on the site visits web page.
Communication with parishes
The main function of the DAC – and your role in support of it – is to provide formal (statutory) advice to the Diocesan Chancellor on submitted faculty applications.
However, DAC advisers may also be asked to provide informal (pre-application) advice to parishes in the early stages of development of their proposals (such as at adviser site visits, discussed above).
In all cases, advisers should avoid protracted discussions with the parish of a detailed technical nature (this is properly the role of a paid consultant). It is also not part of your duties to draw up detailed schemes or to recommend a particular contractor for a project.
Any informal advice you provide to parish applicants should be sent indirectly, via a DAC officer, unless you have been requested by a DAC officer to contact a parish direct for a specified purpose.
If you receive a direct approach from a parish asking for a site visit, informal advice or feedback about a potential or existing case, please do not reply but forward this instead to the relevant DAC officer.
Practicalities
Insurance
DAC advisers are insured for errors and omissions under the provisions of the Lichfield Diocesan Board of Finance (LDBF).
Claiming expenses
DAC advisers can claim expenses for travel incurred while undertaking their role, such as attending DAC meetings or site visits, and approved attendance at conferences or training events.
Volunteers are covered by the LBDF Expenses Policy – a copy of the policy will be shared with you when you take up your role, and on request. The most relevant details of the policy are outlined below:
- Expense claims should be submitted as soon as possible after they have been incurred, and must be submitted within three months of the expense being incurred and within two months of the year end (31 December) in order to be reimbursed
- To claim, please download and complete a Lichfield DAC ADVISERS Travel Expenses Claim Form, and return it, with any accompanying receipts (scanned or photographed), to the DAC Office by email
- The mileage rates for diocesan volunteers are:
- £0.45 per mile for journeys by car
- £0.24 per mile for journeys by motorbike
- £0.20 per mile for journeys by bicycle
- The cost of car parking, train tickets or other fares can also be claimed. Where longer journeys are undertaken, please consider using public transport whenever this is cheaper or appropriate
If you are at all unsure, please speak to a DAC officer for full details on what expenses would be allowable under the LBDF Expenses Policy before making any bookings.
Online working and IT
The role of DAC adviser involves online working and the use of IT.
Volunteers are expected to provide their own IT equipment and to ensure that they use this in a healthy and safe way e.g. siting at the correct height etc. A workstation risk assessment template can be supplied by the DAC Office on request.
Before commencing your role, you will be asked to register for the Online Faculty System (OFS). You should also have access to Zoom, Microsoft Office (or a compatible equivalent), and Google Forms. There are free editions of all these suites, available from the software publishers' websites.
Questions or problems
If you have any questions or concerns about your role, or experience problems, please contact the DAC officers for help and support in the first instance. If necessary, the issue can then be elevated to involve the DAC Chair.
Resigning as a volunteer
If the time comes when you wish to resign as a volunteer, we ask that you first let the DAC Office know via email, giving at least one month's notice, if at all possible. This will enable us to make arrangements to cover your role.
Contacts
How to contact the DAC officers:
Giles Standing, DAC Secretary
giles.standing@lichfield.anglican.org 01543 221152
or
Felicity McWilliams, DAC Casework Officer
felicity.mcwilliams@lichfield.anglican.org 01543 221106