Bishop Sarah has this morning welcomed the publication of the Singleton Review, which looked into how the Church of England’s Past Cases Review of 2010 was conducted nationally.
The Diocese of London has fully endorsed the recommendations of the report and has already agreed an action plan which includes:
• a new independent review of past cases;
• improved involvement of survivors;
• an increase in the number of independent people involved in the oversight of safeguarding policies and practice;
• increased investment.
Bishop Sarah commented:
“Safeguarding is at the heart of the Gospel and our churches should be places of safety, places of refuge. I am fully committed to ensuring a safe culture, where abuse has no place, and where survivors of abuse can flourish. The Singleton Review has raised important lessons to be learned and as a result I will commission across the London Diocese a further exercise with independent scrutiny.
“It is important to note that there have been previous safeguarding reviews of the Diocese of London: a general safeguarding audit by SCIE; past case reviews by CCPAS; and a more recent internal review of all of our past cases. This Diocese, like the rest of the Church of England, has gone through a period of considerable investment in safeguarding. Today, this is represented in the significantly improved resources and training available to our churches, and those in contact with them. However, there is still work to be done and lessons to be learned across the Church, in order to effect the cultural change that is required.”
Bishop Sarah has also blogged in further detail on the role of independence in Church safeguarding practices.
