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Police Chaplaincy UK has launched a set of gold standards to support and enhance the pastoral and spiritual care provided by the 500 police chaplains working in police forces across the UK.
I spoke to National Police Chaplain, Reverend Matthew Hopley to find out why the standards have been published and what difference it will make to the experience of those working in policing. He says that part of this approach is to bring the clarity of vision and purpose of chaplaincy to a wider audience. It’s a conversation that should be taking place both in the senior leadership teams but also among police officers and staff who may not know what benefits that chaplaincy can bring to their everyday activities and to their wellbeing.
Police chaplains are not new and have been around for decades although only in 2009 did a national paid role for a National Police Chaplain become established. Police Chaplaincy UK was formed in 2020 as a charitable organisation with chaplaincy leadership now sat as part of the structure of the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
Matthew says that the main purpose of chaplaincy in policing is to provide excellent pastoral and spiritual care for officers, staff and volunteers. The chaplains, drawn from many different faiths and beliefs are in the main are volunteers who come from the community to bring their pastoral skills and experience into a policing environment.
With around 500 volunteers and paid for roles across 43 forces in England and Wales serving the needs of 270,000 staff in policing, he says the balance is off and is keen to grow the numbers. He says that in 2026, there will be police chaplains once more in Scotland and for, the first time, in Northern Ireland which demonstrates the rejuvenation that is taking place.
“One of the things that is really evident in policing in England and Wales with its 43 police forces, and the various forms of leadership that exist within their chaplaincy, is that chaplaincy looks different within each force. In some, chaplaincy has fizzled out because there hasn’t been somebody driving it, and in other forces it is really strong.”
It is timely then to set out what effective and consistent chaplaincy means. The six Gold Standards set out below are underpinned by six questions that forces should be asking of their chaplaincy.
- Integrated resource
- Inclusive provision
- Agility and collaboration
- Engagement and influence
- Ambassadors
- Leadership and coordination.
The impetus for creating the Gold Standards comes from Matthew, who took on the national role in January 2024, and wanted to put chaplaincy on a firmer more consistent footing across all forces.
“Putting something in writing makes it crystal clear that chaplaincy is for everyone is important. I want to make sure that we raise our standards across all 43 of the forces, to make sure that we are bringing a degree of consistency in our approach to chaplaincy.”
By firming up the foundations, introducing standards and consistency across the country, it makes chaplaincy ripe for inspection – through HMICFRS in England and Wales for now. Matthew says he has spoken to HMI Andy Cooke only recently about this point.
“One of the difficulties within police chaplaincy is the confidentiality of what we do,” he explains. “That doesn’t mean we can almost hide behind confidentiality to not demonstrate what it is that we are involved with and the areas of impact that we have. We have encouraged inspectors who go into forces where possible to engage with the chaplains who give an insight into the welfare and wellbeing of the officers, staff and volunteers.”
With the College of Policing hosting the police wellbeing service Oscar Kilo and having responsibility for police training and development, it is right that College CEO Sir Andy Marsh is also cited in the Gold Standards document. He acknowledges the important role that chaplains have in supporting the wellbeing of officers and staff across the service.
Police Chaplaincy UK delivers an induction course for all new chaplains and there is a clear ambition to deliver ongoing personal development for chaplains. The College of Policing manages the role profiles for both lead chaplains and volunteer chaplains and there are ongoing conversations about how it can work in partnership managing the learning and development for these roles.
The Gold Standards were launched at the recent Lead Chaplains Training Conference, which was hosted by the College of Policing for the first time. Looking ahead, Matthew says that Police Chaplaincy UK is excited to bring the ‘All Chaplains Conference’ to the College’s headquarters in Ryton in Summer 2026. Again, this is a first to be at Ryton for the training and development conference where Police Chaplaincy UK will welcome 150 of the volunteer chaplains as delegates.
With the publication of Gold Standards and the support of the College, National Police Chiefs’ Council and others, the future of police chaplaincy is likely to develop, deliver and deepen the provision across policing, providing, in Matthew’s words, “the best possible service that our teams rightly deserve.”
Read Gold Standards for Police Chaplaincy in full.
Listen to Matthew as he was joined on stage at The Emergency Services Show 2025 by Merseyside chaplain, John McCarthy and Jenna Flanagan from Oscar Kilo to talk about the wellbeing of police officers after major incidents.
