Church offers online counselling to abuse victims after report

THE Church of England will offer online counselling sessions for abuse victims, as officials admit previous responses “re-traumatised” victims.

Since 2015, an independent watchdog has been carrying out safeguarding audits of all 42 diocese to assess how the Church can better react to and prevent abuse.

The Social Care Institute for Excellence published its response yesterday, in which it advocated an independent and co-ordinated national team to carry out “checks and balances”. This would strip bishops of responsibility for individual dioceses.

The report also contained testimonials from 60 victims of abuse linked to the Church of England, the highest number ever officially documented.

In response, the Church of England announced in the first initiative of its kind that it would offer online counselling sessions across a range of media, including Skype calls.

Responses from survivors detailed their disillusionment with transparency and progress within the Church. Victims offered their recommendations for improvements.

“Every parish should routinely put on its pew sheet the names of the designated safeguarding person,” said one.

Another added: “I was told to go to the diocese where the abuse took place; that doesn’t work for me.”

A spokesman for the National Safeguarding Steering Group, part of the Church of England, acknowledged that its responses in the past had been inadequate, adding that “this can lead to [victims] being re-traumatised”.