Strip bishops of safeguarding role, child abuse inquiry urges

BISHOPS should be stripped of the responsibility to keep children safe because the Church of England “facilitates a culture where abusers can hide”, a Government-ordered inquiry has concluded.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published its report into the Anglican Church and safeguarding in the Church of England and the Church in Wales yesterday.

It found that from the Forties to 2018, 390 people who were clergy or in positions of trust associated with the Church were convicted of sexual offences against children.

The inquiry concluded: “Many of these cases demonstrate the Church of England’s failure to take the abuse seriously, creating a culture where abusers were able to hide. Alleged perpetrators were given more support than victims, who often faced barriers to reporting they simply couldn’t overcome.”

The IICSA said that although “Church leaders [ are] now saying the right things, lasting change will require more than platitudes”, and offered a series of recommendations involving information-sharing and clergy discipline.

However the inquiry also suggested a more radical approach: stripping bishops of their safeguarding roles. It concluded that diocesan safeguarding officers (DSOS)– not clergy – are best placed to decide which cases to refer to the statutory authorities.

The report is based on a hearing in July 2019, which examined the response of the Church of England and the Church in Wales to child sexual abuse allegations, as well as the adequacy of safeguarding policies and practices. It also considered the case of the Diocese of Chichester and the late bishop Peter Ball, who was jailed in 2015 for sexual offences against 18 young men.

The report concluded that “in neglecting the well-being of children in favour of protecting its own reputation, the Church of England was in direct conflict with its own underlying moral purpose; to provide care and love for the innocent and the vulnerable”.

Richard Scorer, a solicitor with Slater and Gordon who acts for 20 survivors of abuse in the C of E, described the report as “damning”.

“It confirms that despite decades of scandal, and endless promises, the Church of England continues to fail victims and survivors.

“Bishops have too much power and too little accountability. National policies are not properly enforced. Sexual offending by clergy continues to be minimised.”

Matt Ineson, a survivor of sexual abuse, added: “The church’s treatment of victims has been and is cruel and dishonest, only ever concerned to protect its reputation. Victims have been ridiculed, discredited, ignored, lied to and lied about, spied on and treated wickedly. Lives have been broken and lost.”

Prof Alexis Jay OBE, chairman of the inquiry, said that the Church of England facilitated “a culture where perpetrators could hide and victims faced barriers to disclosure that many could not overcome”.

She said “If real and lasting changes are to be made, it’s vital that the Church improves the way it responds to allegations from victims and survivors, and provides proper support for those victims over time.”