Church of England General Synod debates safeguarding next steps
by Julian Mann, Christian Today:
Divisions have surfaced at the General Synod meeting in Westminster over the urgency of bringing forward legislation on independent safeguarding for the Church of England.
Members debated the future of safeguarding at Synod on Saturday, three days after the publication of Professor Alexis Jay’s report which heavily criticised the C of E’s system and practices. The former chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse called for the creation of two independent charities, one to deliver the Church’s operational safeguarding, the other to scrutinise it.
The debate also came after a report in December by leading barrister Dr Sarah Wilkinson into the controversial disbanding of the Church’s Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB) in June 2023. She found that a “complex matrix of reasons” lay behind the termination of the ISB members’ contracts, including roles that were “not clearly defined”.
Speaking to the Synod by video, Professor Jay told members: “Safeguarding in the Church today falls below the standard expected and set in secular organisations, which are required to follow statutory guidance.”
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
