The Church of England yesterday issued a statement confirming that it is ending the contracts of two members of the Independent Safeguarding Board and putting into place interim arrangements to continue the independent oversight of existing safeguarding case reviews.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said: “We bitterly regret that we have reached this point and the Archbishops’ Council has not reached this decision lightly. We know this is a serious setback and we do not shy away from that – we lament it.
“But it is clear that there is no prospect of resolving the disagreement and that it is getting in the way of the vital work of serving victims and survivors. So the Council has very reluctantly concluded that we need a reset so that we can move swiftly towards a new scrutiny body that is fully independent of the Church.
“And in the immediate term we want to reassure victims and survivors that the work of independent case reviews will not stop.
Read the full statement from the Church of England.
Michael Beasley, Bishop of Bath and Wells says, “We regret deeply the announcement regarding the Independent Safeguarding Board. We have valued the work of the ISB, particularly in its vital work with victims and survivors, and reiterate that independent oversight of safeguarding within the Church of England is essential.
“We know that this news is unsettling or concerning to hear, so I wanted to take this opportunity to reassure victims, survivors and everyone in Bath and Wells of our unwavering commitment to being a safe Church for all.
“The last couple of years has seen our safeguarding support transformed and strengthened, with a reshaped team, the introduction of new working practices for the benefit of victims, survivors and those in the parishes alongside the appointment of a new independent Chair of our Diocesan Safeguarding Panel, Louise Adams.”
Ben Goodhind, Safeguarding Manager said, “I personally want to reassure victims and survivors that we remain committed to supporting them to the best of our ability. We are in the process of developing a new support process for survivors which will include exploring a working partnership with an independent survivor charity to ensure appropriate advocacy and care is provided. We will be sharing more information about this as soon as we can.”
If you, or any If you or anyone you are in contact with are affected by this news and want to talk to someone independently please call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit www.safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk
Alternatively, you may wish to contact the Diocese of Bath and Wells safeguarding team.