The Charity Commission has issued this press release:
Church of England charity must rapidly accelerate safeguarding reforms
The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England must rapidly accelerate the delivery of safeguarding improvements and close gaps in its approach to handling complaints, the charity regulator has warned.
The Charity Commission has set an expectation that the Archbishops’ Council should implement independent safeguarding structures as endorsed by the Church’s General Synod in February 2025 within 18 months from now – a year sooner than current plans indicate – and in the meantime, put robust interim measures in place to keep people safe.
The expectation is part of a Regulatory Action Plan issued to the Archbishops’ Council, a registered charity whose objects are to co-ordinate, promote, aid and further the work and mission of the Church of England. It follows the Commission engaging with the charity over whether its trustees are taking sufficient steps to address the safeguarding concerns and implement recommended changes raised in a number of safeguarding reviews…
….In summary, the Commission has found that:
- there is insufficient urgency and pace in implementing responses to past safeguarding reviews, and the current approach to doing so is fragmented and overly complex. For example, the Council’s current timescale of 2028 to pass the necessary legislation to implement independent safeguarding is too slow, representing a four year gap since the publication of the Jay Review
- currently the Church does not treat allegations of abuse from an adult not assessed to be “vulnerable” as a safeguarding allegation. The Commission’s guidance is clear that trustees must take reasonable steps to protect from harm all people who come into contact with their charity
To which the Church of England has responded:
Archbishops’ Council response to Charity Commission case review
“The Archbishops’ Council welcomes the findings of the Charity Commission’s case review published today, which provides valuable clarity to support ongoing improvements in our work. We are committed to acting on these recommendations as swiftly as possible.
“We are reassured by the Commission’s finding of no evidence of mismanagement or misconduct and that the Commission recognises the charity has made progress and delivered positive changes in safeguarding practice in recent years. Our priority in all our work remains to respond well to victims and survivors. This commitment is vitally important to us all and continues to shape every aspect of our safeguarding work.
“As part of our commitment to continually improve the quality of safeguarding we are immediately focused on building on the work undertaken over the past decade, which has included the introduction of independent safeguarding audits, comprehensive safeguarding training for all who work in the Church whether paid or voluntary, and ensuring Church bodies have safe and healthy cultures, as well as resourcing and scrutiny arrangements necessary to deliver high-quality safeguarding practices and outcomes. The Archbishops’ Council is committed to working at pace to enable the implementation of further safeguarding reforms, particularly in governance, with detailed proposals to be brought to the next General Synod to ensure sustainable and long-lasting best practice.
“The Archbishops’ Council recognises its responsibility to safeguard individuals who engage with its work, particularly in cases referred to the National Safeguarding Team under established codes of practice. It also ensures partner organisations have appropriate safeguarding measures in place and supports national oversight through audits and statutory guidance. We will continue to use the INEQE Safeguarding Group’s Annual Report, part of our independent scrutiny function, to inform our safeguarding work.”