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)

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

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

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

SAFEGUARDING ADULTS

April 7, 2020 ~ Chair Meg

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

March 20, 2020 ~ Chair Meg

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

Church of England’s response to IICSA

February 7, 2020 ~ Chair Meg

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

Focus on prevention

September 16, 2019 ~ Chair Meg

The first National Safeguarding Panel after the summer was the last meeting for Graham Tilby, the National Safeguarding Advisor, who is leaving for a new post in local government, and the first for Melissa Caslake in her new job as Director of Safeguarding. Sir Roger Singleton, who has been Interim Director of Safeguarding, will be … Continue reading Focus on prevention