Church of England resists call for national safeguarding body

Apr 5, 2019 by Andrew Symes

By Alex Williams, Premier.

The suggestion of a new national body to oversee the handing of abuse allegations – as well as the protection of children and vulnerable adults – within the Church of England (C of E) has been rejected by leaders.

The recommendation was made in a new report published by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) on Tuesday, which followed four years of research involving C of E dioceses and dozens of abuse survivors.

In a statement the C of E told Premier: “The Church believes that retaining ownership and leadership of safeguarding in the diocese outweighs the benefits of making diocesan safeguarding advisers employed nationally.

“Dioceses must own and be responsible for safeguarding while acknowledging the importance of having a professional in the role.

“There are things in place to improve consistency – an escalation process to the national team if issues arise, professional support for diocesan safeguarding advisors etc.”

Read here

Read the Church of England statement with links to the report here