In May 2007, the House of Bishops recognised the need for a review of past cases of child abuse. This followed court appearances by several clergy and church officers, charged with sexual offences against children. What became known as the Past Cases Review 2007-2009 (PCR) was intended to ensure that any risks to children were … Continue reading Past Cases Review 2
First reflections on IICSA’s second report
Last week the Independent Investigation into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) produced its investigation report into the Anglican Church, which covers the Church of England and the Church of Wales. It is 170 pages long, with the conclusions running to 7 pages. There are eight recommendations of which two are solely for the Church of England, … Continue reading First reflections on IICSA’s second report
TIME FOR REVIEW
The National Safeguarding Panel again used Zoom for its September meeting given the pandemic. The Panel expect to meet remotely for the foreseeable future. We welcomed a new Panel member, Kevin Ball, who has extensive experience working in children’s social work. He replaces Roger Singleton, who has completed his term. There were two major items: … Continue reading TIME FOR REVIEW
FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON REDRESS
In my March blog I wrote about the discussion on redress which was held at the February Synod. It was an important moment, with Synod endorsing the need for a formal redress scheme, and I committed the National Safeguarding Panel to discussing the issue at its next meeting. However, the pandemic meant our usual meeting … Continue reading FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON REDRESS
ZOOMING ALONG
Due to the Covid-19 crisis the National Safeguarding Panel did not hold its usual meeting in May, instead using the Zoom meeting app we met for 90 minutes with members of the National Safeguarding Team (NST). Our focus was a consultation presented by the NST on proposed new guidance for reviews of major cases. These … Continue reading ZOOMING ALONG
SAFEGUARDING ADULTS
Much of the conversation around safeguarding focuses on children, yet we know from the work of Diocesan Safeguarding Advisors that in the Church adults are a very significant part of the workload. A few statistics highlight this. Between 2015 and 2017 there was an increase of 78% in safeguarding concerns and allegations received by Diocesan … Continue reading SAFEGUARDING ADULTS
SYNOD DISCUSSES REDRESS
Over the last few weeks, the corona virus has rightly concerned everyone and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. This inevitably means cancellation of face to face meetings and a delay to some work on safeguarding. Following Government advice and giving priority to staying healthy is the right thing to do. I … Continue reading SYNOD DISCUSSES REDRESS
ANNUAL REPORT 2019 NATIONAL SAFEGUARDING PANEL
Introduction The National Safeguarding Panel was established in 2014 and was chaired by the lead bishop for safeguarding. In May 2018 the Church advertised the role of independent chair of the panel, in order to bring greater independence to its work. Following a recruitment process, Meg Munn was appointed and took up her role in … Continue reading ANNUAL REPORT 2019 NATIONAL SAFEGUARDING PANEL
Church of England’s response to IICSA
In March 2018, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) held three weeks of public hearings about the Diocese of Chichester, and in July 2018, one week of hearings on Bishop Peter Ball. IICSA’s findings for these two case studies, with a set of recommendations, were published on 9 May 2019. The National Safeguarding … Continue reading Church of England’s response to IICSA
BBC Documentary
Last week the BBC screened two programmes about sexual abuse in the Church of England, focusing first on the former bishop, Peter Ball, and then on other abusers. The programmes outlined not only the abuse, but also the failures by some in authority to report relevant information which effectively protected the abusers. The documentary exposed … Continue reading BBC Documentary
