4G.3-4G.9: The initial case summary and the role of the SCMG

Guidance

4G.3 The initial case summary and the role of the SCMG

Ahead of the initial meeting of an SCMG, a 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:

• 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 safeguarding concerns recorded on the NSCMS or in the clergy personnel records;
• 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, voluntary step down from duties, suspension;
• consideration of other referrals that have been, or may need to be, made in line with the requirements in Step 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;
• 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 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. A template for an Initial Case summary is available.

4G.4 Managing Immediate Safeguarding Risks

Interim Church Safety Plan

An Interim Church Safety Plan is focused on the short-term management of risk – i.e. whilst safeguarding and other processes are ongoing. An Interim Church Safety Plan is not based on a formal or complete risk assessment, but a dynamic consideration of risk by the Safeguarding Officer and the SCMG, as relevant information is being gathered. Interim Church Safety Plans follow the same requirements as regular Church Safety Plans, as set out in Section 6 (Outcomes, closure and the long-term management of risk).

Interim Church Safety Plans need to be agreed and signed by the respondent. Any refusal to sign the Plan should be considered by the SCMG. In such cases, alternative ways to manage risk need to be identified.

Suspension

Under Rule 69 of the Church Representational Rules1 , an elected member can be suspended if:

• that person “is arrested on suspicion of committing an offence mentioned in Schedule 1 to the Children and Young Persons Act 1933”;
  • that person “is charged with an offence mentioned in that Schedule without being arrested”; or
    • the bishop “is satisfied on the basis of information provided by a local authority or the police” that a person “presents a significant risk of harm”.

A suspension will continue for 3 months from the point at which notice is given and may be extended by providing a further notice of suspension. It may be revoked earlier if the issue is concluded. In which case, the bishop has a duty to consult the Safeguarding Officer and other appropriate people. A person who receives a suspension notification under the circumstances explained above may appeal that decision to the President of the Tribunals.

There are a limited range of circumstances in which an elected member can be removed. These are set out in Rule 68 of the Church Representational Rules:

A person is disqualified from “being nominated, chosen or elected as, or from serving as, a member of a Parochial Church Council, a deanery synod, a diocesan synod or the General Synod” and “from being appointed to act as, or from acting as, secretary or treasurer of a Parochial Church Council”, if:

• they are included in a barred list;
  • they are “convicted of an offence mentioned in Schedule 1 to the Children and Young Persons Act 1933”.

If the elected member is also a Trustee of a registered charity, there may also be grounds for their removal in line with Charity Commission guidance2 .

4G.5 - Support

Support to victims and survivors of church-related abuse must be provided in line with the requirements in the Responding Well to Victims and Survivors of Abuse guidance.

The availability of a senior member of clergy to meet with concerned members of the Church can provide an important opportunity for those persons to express any concerns or feelings. Assistance in managing those feelings, worries, anxiety and any crisis in faith should be provided. Some parishioners may want to pray together, and consideration should be given to how this can be safely facilitated.

Stress may also be experienced by members of clergy or parish staff/volunteers, who may have an increased workload as a result, as well as trying to support parishioners and coming to terms with their own feelings on the situation. Arrangements for what support may be appropriate to put in place for those individuals should be considered by the SCMG, and may include the availability of a senior member of clergy, or support from a priest from a neighbouring parish.

4G.6 - Impact on Church communities

When an elected member voluntarily steps down from duties because of a safeguarding allegation, this can have a significant impact on:

• members of the Church community (e.g. parishioners);
• other volunteer or elected members of the Church, such as PCC members, lay ministers, churchwardens, parish and Church school staff;
• victims and survivors who are part of the Church;
• the family, relatives and friends of the respondent.

As a result, it is important to consider and appropriately manage how the circumstances surrounding an allegation will be communicated to those groups and the support that may need to be put in place. What those communications and support may need to look like will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the SCMG.

It can happen that the members of a Church community are divided in their attitude and loyalties, with some expressing disbelief about what is being suggested and compassion towards the respondent, while others blaming the respondent or the Church Body, and expressing strong anger towards one or the other. It is not unusual for people to come together to support and advocate on behalf of the respondent. On the other hand, feelings of disbelief, anger and fear that others known to them may have been abused can impact on a Church community’s culture and can persist for years. Those responsible for the leadership of a Church community may need to consider undertaking mediation and community healing efforts to address such impacts.

Communications

Care should be taken as to who shares information about the case, how it is shared and with whom, as well as the impact that this can have on those receiving the information, including the complainant and respondent.

The SCMG should decide whether and what communications are released to the members of the Church community. This should be done with advice from the relevant Director of Communications. Advice from a Diocesan Registrar or the relevant Data Protection Officer may also need to be sought. The respondent should be invited to express their wishes regarding the way in which communications should be released, including the way in which communications should be released to their family members or relatives and close friends. Consideration should also be given to protect the complainant’s safety and wellbeing.

Any information released publicly should be proportionate and should not compromise any disciplinary and/or statutory processes. Where appropriate, any communications released should be agreed with statutory services, and the respondent should be informed what is going to be shared. Whatever is shared in the public domain should be minimal and necessary – sharing detailed information about the respondent and their life and activity in the Church, where there is not a clear reason to do so, would not be proportionate.

Most communications released should include a reference to the Safeguarding Officer’s contact details – ensuring that, where there is the possibility of multiple victims linked to the respondent, those victims have an avenue for disclosure. This also applies to victims who decide to disclose their experiences of abuse as a result of seeing the communications, even if their experiences are not linked to the respondent. References to available support should also be included.

• 1It should be noted that this matter is currently under consideration by the Electoral Reform Committee, and any amended to the Rules will require changes to this Code.
• 2or further information, see Charity trustees: resignation and removal - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and seek appropriate legal advice.