Requirements
The role of the SCMG
4A.2 Ahead of the initial SCMG meeting, the Safeguarding Officer must prepare an initial case summary.
4A.3 The Safeguarding Officer must assess any immediate safeguarding risks and decide if any mitigations need to be put in place in the short-term, i.e. interim Church Safety Plan, recommendations for suspension, voluntarily withdrawing from ministry, PTO / OPTO withdrawal.
4A.4 The SCMG must consider the support that is, or should be, provided to the complainant, the respondent and their immediate families or dependants.
4A.5 The SCMG must consider the impact of the allegation, and any actions taken in response, on the wider Church community and put in place appropriate measures to address any negative impacts and mitigate risks.
4A.6 The Safeguarding Officer must decide if the relevant disciplinary processes, including CDM, should be initiated.
Safeguarding enquiries
4A.7 The Safeguarding Officer must decide the scope of any subsequent safeguarding enquiries.
4A.9 Respondents must have the option to be accompanied by a companion, who can provide emotional support, in any interviews or meetings.
4A.10 The Safeguarding Officer must compile the information gathered through any subsequent enquiries in a report, which must be presented to the SCMG.
4A.11 The aims of any safeguarding enquiries are to:
- gather relevant information and establish facts; and
- identify any ongoing safeguarding risks.
4A.12 If interviews are carried out, the Safeguarding Officer must make a written record of each interview, share it with the relevant interviewee to confirm its accuracy, and save it in the case files.
4A.13 Based on the information gathered, the Safeguarding Officer, in consultation with the SCMG, must determine if, on the balance of probabilities there is sufficient evidence to substantiate the existence of an ongoing safeguarding risk. Where the determination is that there is not sufficient evidence, the matter is unsubstantiated.
4A.14 If the outcome is ‘substantiated’, the SCMG must follow the requirements in Section 5 (Risk Assessment).
4A.15 If the outcome is ‘unsubstantiated’, the case must be closed at this stage and the SCMG must follow the requirements for closure in section 6 (Outcomes, closure and the long-term management of risk).
Guidance
This section should be read alongside Section 3. The SCMG is a consultative body for the Safeguarding Officer, and therefore there must be discussion between the SCMG and Safeguarding Officer.
Ahead of the initial meeting of the SCMG, the Safeguarding Officer should prepare an initial case summary, which outlines the information known at that stage and any processes already initiated or that need SCMG consideration. The purpose of the initial case summary is to provide the SCMG with the background information needed in order to advise and make decisions on next steps in the management of a case. Generally, an initial case summary will include the following (as far as they can be ascertained at this stage):
- details of the initial allegation, including a summary of any information provided by the complainant and the respondent and any relevant information from existing records (e.g. past recorded safeguarding concerns);
- input and plans from statutory services, or the rationale for not making a referral to statutory services;
- a dynamic assessment of risk, based on information known at that stage, and any proposed mitigations in the short-term i.e. Interim Church Safety Plan, recommendations for voluntary step down from duties, suspension, PTO / OPTO withdrawal;
- a recommendation whether an allegation of misconduct should be brought under the relevant clergy discipline procedure or steps should be taken under the capability procedure;
- a recommendation as to whether a CDM should be taken, or the respondent should be suspended;
- consideration of other referrals that have been, or may need to be made, in line with the requirements in section 1 above;
- details of any gaps in information that impede the effective assessment of the allegation and any safeguarding risks, as well as plans for how this information may be gathered, including Key Lines of Enquiry, and who will need to be spoken to;
- details of the support put in place for the complainant, the respondent and their immediate families / dependants, and any proposals for additional support that may be needed;
- if appropriate, proposals for the communications and support that may be needed for the Church community impacted by the concern / allegation and any actions taken in response.
The focus of each SCMG meeting will differ with the ongoing management of the case. Decisions made during SCMG meetings should be regularly reviewed in light of new information becoming available, to ensure that they remain timely and relevant.
For the avoidance of doubt, the DSO has ultimate responsible for making any recommendations to the bishop with regards to suspension of a member of clergy, however it is good practice to seek the views of the SCMG in this respect. If any member of the SCMG does not agree with the DSO’s decision, they should follow the escalation process set out below.