Thinking Anglicans

The Charity Commission has taken regulatory action against  Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance (PDF, 129 KB, 2 pages) and  Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance (PDF, 131 KB, 2 pages) over failures to handle safeguarding allegations in line with the Commission’s guidance and trustee duties.

The Commission’s definition of safeguarding includes taking reasonable steps to protect from harm all those who come into contact with a charity.

The charities, which have purposes to assist and promote the work of the Church of England in the Dioceses of Liverpool and Chelmsford respectively, have both been issued with Official Warnings and advice on how to improve their practice for the future…

The full text of the press release continues below the fold.

Each diocese has issued a statement in response:

• A statement from the Bishop of Chelmsford and the Chelmsford Diocesan Safeguarding Officer
• A statement from the Diocese of Liverpool regarding the Charity Commission Investigation

press release continued

Background

Safeguarding concerns were initially brought to the Commission’s attention from various sources, including media reporting, in January 2025. These related to allegations about behaviour towards two adults by the then Bishop of Liverpool who resigned later that month while maintaining no wrongdoing had occurred.

As part of its regulatory compliance cases, the Commission engaged with the trustees of both charities and gathered extensive further information.

Findings

The Commission has found that in both charities there was a failure to properly handle safeguarding allegations and to maintain appropriate oversight of safeguarding by the trustees, in breach of the Commission’s safeguarding guidance.

In both instances, due to lack of appropriate procedures and processes, those trustees who knew of the allegations failed to take action that would have allowed the trustee boards to fully consider any risks and make a decision on the appropriate action to take.

While the Commission recognises the need for sensitive handling of serious allegations among large trustee bodies, the Commission found there were insufficient processes and procedures in place to ensure adequate oversight of safeguarding and protection of those who come into contact with the charity.

This also meant the trustees of the dioceses were not able to consider whether the matters should be reported to the Charity Commission as serious incidents when the allegations were first made in 2023. The incidents were subsequently reported to the Commission in early 2025 after media interest in the allegations.

The Commission has concluded that these failings amount to mismanagement in the administration of the two charities.

Next steps

The Official Warnings set out that both charities must ensure they have adequate understanding of the Commission’s guidance on taking reasonable steps to protect people from harm who come into contact with their charities.

The trustees must also ensure that, where responsibility for safeguarding is delegated to individuals or sub groups, robust policies and procedures for reporting appropriate information to the wider trustee boards are in place and followed.

Further to this, the charities must ensure that serious incidents are reported promptly to the Commission, with processes to support this put in place.

The charities are also required to update the regulator on their progress with actions set out in the Official Warnings.

Wider learning for the sector

These cases highlight lessons for all charities well beyond the Church of England, especially other faith charities. Specifically, the Commission would highlight:

• the need for safeguarding procedures and processes to be properly understood by all those who may receive reports of allegations, reinforced with regular training and an organisational commitment to continual learning and improvement
• the need for appropriate reporting mechanisms to appraise the whole trustee body when safeguarding allegations are made (even if some details are kept confidential), to ensure trustees can fulfil their legal duties and assure themselves that the right steps are being taken to manage any safeguarding or other risks
• the need for particular care and attention by trustees and charity leaders in handling allegations related to individuals in positions of power or influence, including spiritual influence. Trustees should be aware of the risks of individuals abusing positions of trust they hold within a charity – as reflected in the Commission’s safeguarding guidance – including by virtue of holding a religious leadership position.

David Holdsworth, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, said:

Churches and cathedrals play a valued role in communities across the country, with devoted volunteers and clergy making a positive impact in countless ways. As separate charities, diocesan boards perform a distinct but important role, and their actions can have a wide-reaching impact on other Church charities.

In the two diocesan charities, lack of appropriate policies and procedures led to a failure to ensure that serious allegations against a senior figure were properly considered by the relevant trustee bodies. We will further engage with both charities as they continue to take steps to address our concerns.

More widely, trustees must be able to effectively challenge the behaviour of powerful individuals, including where that power derives from spiritual leadership. This underlines the need for adequate reporting mechanisms back to all trustees when safeguarding responsibilities are delegated to smaller groups or individuals, so that trustee boards can fulfil their collective duty to help keep people safe.

ENDS

Notes for editors:

1. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society. Read  further information about what the Commission does.
2. The Official Warnings are issued under section 75A of the Charities Act 2011 and published on the charities’ respective entries of the public register of charities.
3. The Commission’s safeguarding guidance sets out the steps trustees should take to protect people who come into contact with their charity from abuse or mistreatment. When referring to “safeguarding” the Commission uses the definition in this guidance, which includes duties towards all those who come to contact with a charity.
4. The charities’ registered names and charity numbers are: The Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance (249740) and The Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance (249505)
5. A statement made by the then Bishop of Liverpool on 28 January 2025 regarding the allegations can be found on the Diocese of Liverpool website