Reporting abuse

If someone is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical attention, call 999. If the situation you are reporting is not an emergency, please use the contact details below:

• There are Safeguarding Advisers in every Church of England diocese across the country and Safeguarding Officers in every parish. If you are worried about someone and want to raise a concern or report abuse, please contact your Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser. Details can be found using our Diocesan Safeguarding Teams map which links to relevant contact information in each area.
• The National Safeguarding Team manages safeguarding cases relating to senior clergy including bishops and deans. Contact [email protected] or use the form at the bottom of this page.

Reports of children and young people at risk of abuse and neglect should be made to the children's social care team at their local council. You can find contact details for these teams via the GOV.UK website.

Adult safeguarding concerns should be reported to their local authority adult social care team. You can find contact details for these teams via the NHS website.

Support for victims and survivors

There are a number of organisations and services which specialise in offering support to survivors of church-related abuse:

Accessing support in the Church of England

• Safe Spaces is a free and independent support service for anyone who has experienced abuse in relation to the Church of England, the Church in Wales, or the Catholic Church of England and Wales. You can contact the Safe Spaces team through their helpline (0300 303 1056), their live chat facility or by emailing [email protected].
• The Church of England’s Interim Support Scheme offers immediate help and support to survivors whose life circumstances are significantly affected by the abuse suffered, and the response to it.

Accessing support from partners and relevant organisations

• MACSAS supports women and men who have been sexually abused, as children or adults, by ministers, clergy or others under the guise of the Church. They support both Survivors who have remained within their Christian communities and those who have left.
• Survivors Voices is a survivor-led organisation that runs peer support groups for victim-survivors of all kinds of abuse, including faith-based abuse. It has a newsletter and other special events for survivors of abuse experienced in churches and other faith-based communities.
• Replenished Life is an independent charity that provides practical advice and support for those who have experienced abuse and trauma within faith and faith organisations providing a range of options.
• 'Thirtyone:eight is a leading independent, non-denominational Christian safeguarding charity providing a wide range of support to over 10,000 organisations across the UK. They exist to help create safer places for all, including an open-access helpline
• Peer Support Group is a support group which is run by Newcastle diocese for those who have been harmed by any form of abuse in a church/faith context. The group meets once a month for 90 minutes on Zoom, with less frequent in-person sessions held in Newcastle. 

Finding support from other organisations

There are a number of charities and organisations that can offer support to victims and survivors of all types of abuse outside of office hours, either on a 24-hour basis or through specialist helplines and services:

• Age UK is the leading charity for older people. You can contact Age UK for help, information and advice on 0800 678 1602, 8am-7pm, 365 days a year.
• Childline is a free, private and confidential service designed to help anyone under the age of 19 with any issue they're going through. You can talk to their counsellors by calling 0800 1111, email or using a 1-2-1 chat.
• Hourglass (formerly Action on Elder Abuse) works to challenge and prevent the abuse of older people. Call their helpline on 0808 808 8141 or email [email protected].
• If you're worried about a child or young person, you can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 for support and advice for free.
• There are services that can help if you've been sexually assaulted, raped or abused. These include Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust and Male Survivors Partnership.
• Refuge's 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) supports women fleeing domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence.
• Samaritans are available 24 hours a day for anyone who’s struggling to cope, who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure. Call 116 123 for free.
• If you identify as LGBT+ and have experienced abuse and violence, you can call Galop – the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity – on 0800 999 5428 for emotional and practical support.
• Male victims of domestic abuse can call Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or ManKind (0182 3334 244) for non-judgemental information and support.
• NAPAC supports adults recovering from childhood abuse. Call their free, confidential support line on 0808 801 0331.

A fuller list of organisations offering support to survivors, including therapy and counselling resources, helplines and self-help resources, is available to download.