Statements regarding BBC File on Four Blackburn Cathedral case
 

NSSG April 2020 report.

Publication of National Safeguarding Panel annual report for 2020.

The House of Bishops National Safeguarding Steering met via Zoom at the beginning of July. 

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 has been amended to include a new section 22A which expands “Position of Trust” offences to include anyone who is coaching, teaching, training, supervising or instructing in a sport or a religion. 

Work is underway in all 42 dioceses on the Church of England's Past Cases Review 2 (PCR2) with a key focus on listening to survivors who want to come forward. The Church was criticised for not including their voices in the original PCR 2007/8 as shown in an independent scrutiny report, published in 2018.

The independent report into the Church's handling of its 2007-9 Past Cases Review, PCR, has been published today.

A resource to help local churches do some theological thinking around safeguarding has been published today by the Faith and Order Commission (FAOC), in response to a request by the lead bishop for safeguarding, the Rt Rev Paul Butler.

Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, the Church of England’s lead safeguarding bishop, opened the meeting and highlighted what he described as the cultural resistance to and complexity of achieving real change in the Church and the personal pressure this puts on safeguarding leaders.

Short Summary of September 2020 meeting