The Church of England issued the following press release this morning. The terms of reference of the Group are here; they include names of the members.
Task and Finish Group meets to take forward response to Makin Report recommendations
22/05/2025
The Church of England has published the Terms of Reference for a Task and Finish Group established to oversee the Church’s response to the recommendations of the Independent Lessons Learned Review concerning John Smyth QC (the Makin Report).
The group includes survivors of Church-related abuse as full members, ensuring that lived experience, together with safeguarding expertise, is central to its work.
The Makin Report was published by the Church on 7 November 2024. Commissioned to allow victims to describe their experiences and consider the Church’s handling of allegations related to John Smyth, the Review aimed to identify both good practice and failings so that the Church can improve its response to abuse allegations and provide a safer environment for all.
The Makin Report made 27 specific recommendations for the Church of England to ensure that it learns lessons from the organisational and institutional failings detailed within it and implements necessary improvements.
Following its publication, the Report was formally received by the Church’s National Safeguarding Steering Group (NSSG). The NSSG, which holds delegated authority from the Archbishops’ Council to agree, monitor and implement recommendations, acknowledged the significance of the Report’s findings and commissioned a dedicated Task and Finish Group.
The Group is chaired by Bishop Robert Springett, the Bishop of Tewkesbury and a deputy lead safeguarding bishop.
The membership of the group includes four survivors of Church-related abuse, selected through an open recruitment process, with priority given to individuals with lived experience of the abuse committed by John Smyth. The rest of the group is comprised of safeguarding specialists from within and outside the Church, supported by staff from the National Church Institutions.
The purpose of this Task and Finish Group is to translate the 27 recommendations of the Makin Report into concrete actions and to advise the NSSG and other relevant Church bodies on a comprehensive response to these recommendations.
The Terms of Reference published today outline the group’s key responsibilities in relation to the recommendations:
The Task and Finish Group met for the first time in May 2025, following a series of important preparatory steps. These included the General Synod’s debate on the Makin Report in February, agreement by the NSSG to establish the group, and a sensitive recruitment process. In parallel, immediate safeguarding concerns identified in the Review were given urgent attention.
The Group will report back to the NSSG and to General Synod, with a target for final advice to be provided to General Synod in July 2026.
Bishop Robert Springett, Chair of the Task and Finish Group, said: “The Makin Report is a hard and challenging read, detailing the impact of Smyth’s predatory abuse. A church committed to implementing robust safeguarding measures, with the foremost priority of protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and harm, must take this with the utmost seriousness. Our response must not be just about policy change but about fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, theological literacy, and compassion within the Church. While we cannot undo the past, we must ensure the wellbeing of victims and survivors, particularly those affected by John Smyth. Their courage in coming forward has been instrumental in highlighting these issues, and we are dedicated to ensuring their voices are heard.”
Bishop Joanne Grenfell, the Church of England’s Lead Bishop for Safeguarding and Chair of the NSSG, said:
“Establishing the Task and Finish Group is a vital step in ensuring the Church responds to the Makin Report with integrity and seriousness. The group’s advice will be key in shaping our response and turning lessons from the past into meaningful action. This work is grounded in the courage of victims and survivors, whose voices continue to guide our commitment to change.”
Timescales
The Task and Finish Group has a draft timetable for its work. Key target dates include:
More information
One crucial action is missing from the brief. It is an evaluation of the implementation of recommendations and outcomes of the ‘task and finish group’ (what a dreadful adoption of managerial jargon). The evaluation should be built into the group’s work from the outset.
I find the name of the group curious. Everyone is “tasked” with things these days (unnecessary Americanism). In what sense is it a “finish” group? Wishful thinking surely? I nevertheless wish those involved in this well, and hope their work helps others.
i hope this group can take as input any feedback on cultural aspects which facilitated the abuse, particularly from those within who have experience of Iwerne camps and/or that brand of conservative evangelicanism. Much of the leadership must be now departed or not available, but maybe they can find some with insights? Maybe the Makin report made all the necessary actionable recommendations, and now the only issue is how to action them? I doubt it.
Those within the Iwerne culture must have had many long and difficult contemplation periods, and moments of repentance.
Let’s hope they will also highlight the flaws in the Makin Report, identified by His Hon Peter Collier KC and others. Eg, see https://ecclawsoc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Collier-lecture-2025.pdf
It’s time we recognised that the independence granted to Reviewers doesn’t confer infallibility.