The headings of “dispositions, understanding and skills”, emphasising the primacy and inseparability of  character from understanding and skills, are set out in the Formation Framework (Part I, Section 3) and listed in seven points below. The curacy (and indeed the curate’s future ministry) is shaped by how well the curate is able to  understand and integrate the interconnecting aspects of ministry and life into one whole and effective ordained ministry such that a pattern of ministry open to life-long learning and formation  can develop. 

 Interwoven with these headings are well-established ‘expectations’ for newly ordained clergy.  These expectations offer a useful guide for curates and training incumbents; they underpin initial as well as ongoing ministerial formation.  These expectations may help curates and training incumbents reflect on the aims of the training process and form a framework of accountability. 

The diocese is committed to support  the work of training incumbents throughout the training period of their curates. This is facilitated by offering training online and in person, by maintaining a network of training incumbents in the Diocese, and through regular meetings between the training incumbent and the DDMD.  

The process of setting up the curacy starts with meetings between the training incumbent, curate, DDO and DDMD, as explained earlier in this document. This process is usually completed no later than the late Winter/early Spring before the Petertide ordination.  

In the Spring before the curate arrives, the training incumbent is invited to an online training session on the purpose of supervision and good practice in supervision, ‘Supervision Skills’ (in lockdown training included also how to supervise curates online, facilitated by 3-D Coaching). 

Training incumbents are invited to join the online ‘Surgeries for Training Incumbents’, held quarterly on an afternoon or evening. These are informal gatherings for discussion, reflection and the sharing of information, and are intended for the building up of a community of training incumbents in the Diocese. 

Online sessions on a variety of topics are arranged specifically for training incumbents, including working with different supervision tools  and training in Unconscious Bias.  

The Diocesan Director of Ministerial Development will be in ongoing contact and meet regularly with the assistant curate and the training incumbent throughout the curacy, in person at the residential sessions and on Zoom, and is ready to assist in matters of training, discussions on policy as well as actual local issues that may emerge in the training relationship.