Taking Zoom to the next level

July 23, 2021July 23, 2021 ~ Chair Meg

Yesterday the National Safeguarding Panel (NSP) took the plunge and held a good practice event via Zoom with an invited audience of those engaged in safeguarding in the Church of England. Fortunately, with the excellent support of Church of England staff, the technology worked well. The event consisted of four separate webinars each lasting half … Continue reading Taking Zoom to the next level

Safeguarding and the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM)

June 7, 2021June 7, 2021 ~ Chair Meg

Introduction In 2019, the National Safeguarding Panel considered the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 in relation to safeguarding. https://chairnsp.org/2019/06/27/safeguarding-and-the-clergy-discipline-measure/ There was an in-depth discussion on whether the Measure was fit for purpose. The Church has since set up a Working Group chaired by the Bishop at Lambeth, Tim Thornton. In 2019 we made a number of … Continue reading Safeguarding and the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM)

Implementing the IICSA recommendations

April 14, 2021April 14, 2021 ~ Chair Meg

The National Safeguarding Panel meeting considered the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). We welcomed Zena Marshall, Interim Safeguarding Director and David Worlock, Deputy Director from the National Safeguarding Team, William Nye, Secretary General, Archbishops’ Council and Jonathan Gibbs, Lead Bishop for Safeguarding. The panel recognised the complexity … Continue reading Implementing the IICSA recommendations

ANNUAL REPORT 2020 NATIONAL SAFEGUARDING PANEL

April 7, 2021April 6, 2021 ~ Chair Meg

Introduction This report covers the work of the National Safeguarding Panel during the calendar year 2020. It was an unusual year with the need to adapt to the Covid 19 pandemic. The Panel held its first meeting of the year in person but since the March lockdown all other meetings were online. The meetings continued … Continue reading ANNUAL REPORT 2020 NATIONAL SAFEGUARDING PANEL

Archbishops and Bishops

February 4, 2021 ~ Chair Meg

The National Safeguarding Panel invited both Archbishops to answer questions on safeguarding. They attended our December meeting via Zoom for around an hour each. Below is a summary of the key areas of the discussions. Wrong-footed The first question was ‘what they thought had gone well with safeguarding?’ – which wrong footed both Archbishops. Within … Continue reading Archbishops and Bishops

Past Cases Review 2

November 23, 2020November 23, 2020 ~ Chair Meg

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

October 15, 2020October 15, 2020 ~ Chair Meg

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

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020 ~ Chair Meg

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

August 17, 2020August 17, 2020 ~ Chair Meg

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

May 22, 2020 ~ Chair Meg

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