The Diocese of London has published the results of an independent audit into safeguarding arrangements within the Diocese, conducted by The Social Care Institute for Excellence, SCIE, a charity and leading improvement support agency specialising in safeguarding.
Overall the results recognise and affirm that the Diocese’s safeguarding systems are in place and working well. Some areas for improvement have been raised, particularly around record keeping and information sharing, and the Diocese is committed to continuing work already in place to improve these areas.
The audit is part of a national Church of England initiative to review the safeguarding practices of all dioceses and has been welcomed by the Diocese of London. Further audits will continue to be rolled out across all dioceses during 2016/2017.
The audit process in each diocese involves examination of safeguarding leadership arrangements, local policies and practice guidance, the quality of case work, recruitment and training. The auditors are also looking at the progress being made in reaching nationally agreed standards informed by central House of Bishops approved policies.
SCIE has pioneered a particular collaborative approach to conducting case reviews and audits in child and adult safeguarding called Learning Together focusing on the reasons why things go well, the cause of any problems and solutions.
The Diocese of London is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults to worship and grow in Christ safely. For further information on the Diocese’s safeguarding policies, or if you have any safeguarding concerns then a range of helpful materials are available on the main safeguarding page.
