Audit of Diocesan safeguarding
Bishop Stephen gave his thanks to parish safeguarding volunteers and the safeguarding team for their commitment as the external audit reports that safeguarding is embedded in the culture of parishes across our diocese. The independent audit was carried out by INEQE Safeguarding Group, which was commissioned by the Archbishop’s Council to audit all dioceses and Cathedrals. Salisbury was the first to be audited, have been carried out in January 2024.
Auditors said the “real strength in Salisbury is its people. From the leadership teams to the volunteers, there was an absence of hubris, no defensiveness and a desire to learn”.
The diocesan safeguarding team “places victims and survivors, the young and the vulnerable at the centre of what they do”, auditors said.
Bishop Stephen said: “Safeguarding is both a right and a Gospel imperative. I am grateful for our safeguarding team and their commitment to being survivor led and trauma informed, and I am very thankful for the ministry of our many volunteer parish safeguarding officers. This audit will act as a springboard to continue and deepen our practices and policies.”
Watch a video response from Bishop Stephen.
Independent Review into Soul Survivor
In September, a review was published into Mike Pilavachi and Soul Survivor. The review was commissioned by the Trustees of Soul Survivor and carried out by Fiona Scolding KC. Though our diocese was not directly involved we know that Soul Survivor has a huge reach and influence and we are studying the recommendations for ourselves. You can read the report here Outcome — Soul Survivor Watford. If you have been affected by church related abuse please contact Safe Spaces or the Diocesan Safeguarding Team.
Past Cases Review 2 (PCR2)
Past Cases Review background
Past Cases Review background In 2007, the House of Bishops commissioned a large-scale review of child protection cases to identify individuals within the Church community who presented a risk to children. This became known as the Past Case Review (PCR) 2007-2009.
In 2018, an independent assessment report by Sir Roger Singleton was published and submitted to the Independent Inquiry on Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). This report highlighted shortcomings of PCR and made recommendations that all dioceses must carry out a further review to identify cases of concern and evaluate their safeguarding actions.
In response the House of Bishop's commissioned a Past Cases Review 2 (PCR2) which is still underway across the country. This review is wider and includes incidents and/or allegations of abuse against vulnerable adults as well as children. Because survivor engagement was identified to be lacking in the original PCR, this review will also consider what sources of support have been offered to known victims and survivors.
Diocese of Salisbury completed the PCR2 process in 2019 and since then the Deaneries of Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands have also completed their report in 2021.
If you have any questions about PCR2, or need any advice, please contact one of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisors or for more information and/or guidance you can visit the Church of England website.
The Diocese of Salisbury has taken an active role in the PCR2 process which began in 2019. You can read the diocese and Channel Island reports in full and executive summaries below. These were published on 5 October 2022:
Diocese of Salisbury
Channel Island