victims
e As someone who has walked alongside victims of historic abuse, continuing raising safeguarding standards is paramount.
Build trust in the institution by ensuring the highest standards of safeguarding culture, putting survivors and victims at the centre of our response, and recognising that our failures have jeopardised our mission and place in the public square.
At times it has been a rollercoaster, but I have tried to be faithful in responding to victims and survivors of church-based abuse, not least as a trustee of Safe Spaces, the telephone support service for victims and survivors of church-based abuse and as a member of the National Redress Project Board and the National Safeguarding Steering Group.
Progress has been made towards independent oversight of safeguarding in recent years but there is still work to do to ensure the voices of victims and survivors are heard and respected, and to continue to weave an awareness and commitment to safeguarding into all of church life.
This can lead to victims and survivors of abuse finding that justice is elusive and the process of seeking it causes further trauma.
I take safeguarding very seriously and ensure robust systems are in place where I minister, recognising that it is essential that we listen to and learn from voices of survivors and victims.
Trust and accountability- High-profile safeguarding failures across different parts of the Church have caused profound harm to victims and survivors and have rightly led many within the Church and beyond it to question aspects of our culture, leadership and accountability.
We must continue to do all we can to ensure that our churches are safe places, where abuse is taken seriously, victims and survivors are heard and supported, and those in positions of authority are properly accountable.
The good news is that we saved the Clergy Conduct Measure 2025 – because we separated Safeguarding and made it our number 1 priority saying we would pay whatever it costs in compensation to the many victims through the Church Commissioners.
Children and vulnerable adults must be protected; victims and survivors must be heard, believed and supported; and institutional reputation must never come before truth or justice.
Our churches need to be safer places, and I am keen to listen carefully especially to victims and survivors as we work towards more independent processes for safeguarding.
When safeguarding has failed, we must listen to victims and survivors, learn from failures and ensure that accountability leads to effective and lasting cultural and systemic change.
I am also conscious of the increasing use of safeguarding for political ends by some groups which distracts from the real needs of victims.
This change will require transparent pathways of accountability, a readiness to listen to victims and survivors, and processes that can be seen to be fair and to be trusted.
The Church of England is right to protect victims and address safeguarding regulations, yet I believe these changes should be made in consultation with local parishes to understand how safeguarding regulations can be made for the benefit of all types of churches – both rural and urban. Synod needs to appreciate that not all parishes are within the same cultural context.
We need independent safeguarding which has to be perceived as such by victims and survivors, who we need to place front and centre.
From my teaching background, I am aware that whilst progress has been made, General Synod still has work to do in making our churches as safe as they can be, and ensuring the voices of victims and survivors are heard.
We need genuinely professional safeguarding, proper independence and scrutiny, and systems in which victims and survivors, clergy, parishes and the wider public can have confidence.
My interests include being a non-executive director (“expert by experience”) for Safe Spaces England and Wales, I support victims of abuse and believe the Church must continue to strengthen independence, transparency and accountability in safeguarding practice at every level, not just with parish clergy.
An acute awareness of the need for rigorous safeguarding, the harm caused when this goes wrong, and the need to listen carefully to the voices of victims.
safeguarding provision throughout the church, including moves to ensure appropriate independent scrutiny of safeguarding practice and the care of victims and survivors.
Trust must be built from the ground up; we must move decisively to ensure our churches are genuinely safe spaces for those who are vulnerable or at risk, and that victims and survivors of abuse are genuinely cared for.
I believe that a genuine, independent voice in Safeguarding is crucial, and issues for victims and survivors must be handled properly, promptly and with sensitivity.
There needs to be no further delay in completing this work and in looking after those who are victims of any form of abuse.
It is important that we learn from past cases of abuse and listen to the voices of victims and survivors.
e Lay member of the Church of England Liturgical Commission and contributed to prayers for victims of abuse and racial justice
I am committed to building a safer church and encouraging a culture that supports victims and survivors, and deters perpetrators.
We must remain steadfast and realistic, prioritising the voices of victims and survivors.
The implementation of independent safeguarding structures and the continued response to past failures will require careful scrutiny, effective legislation and a determination to rebuild trust through accountability, transparency and compassion for victims and survivors.
resourced and free from institutional pressure in which victims are heard and treated with dignity and respect, processes are completely transparent, and accountability is real, so that safeguarding is about protecting the victims rather than the institution.
The impact for victims, both historic and those facing challenges right now, continue to be an area of development that enables the whole church to do better.
I have dealt with people affected by abuse, including victims and perpetrators.
I will also want to continue to push for the CofE’s leadership take victims and survivors seriously as the move towards full, truly independent safeguarding continues.
Synod, The House of Bishops and The Archbishops’ Council and importantly engaging with victims and survivors.
My interest in safeguarding has run throughout my life and I have worked with victims and survivors on many occasions.
Safeguarding which commands confidence The Church has grievously failed victims and survivors.
A safer church where the vulnerable are protected from harm and exploitation and which responds to survivors and victims of abuse.
The shock of the Makin review on John Smyth is still reverberating around the Synod and new evidence keeps coming to light of yet more victims of abuse by church
We must uphold the highest safety standards to protect the vulnerable and support victims and survivors with unyielding, active care.
I care about safeguarding — The Church of England has failed victims and survivors of abuse.
Over the life of the next synod safeguarding reforms will be implemented and we will have the opportunity to work towards embracing a truly independent safeguarding system which places listening to victims and survivors at the heart of our processes.
Safeguarding and ensuring that the Church takes seriously its responsibility to protect the vulnerable and to redress the damage inflicted on victims of abuse
The Church must put the welfare of children, vulnerable adults, victims and survivors before 28 of 29
Diocese, I recently served as the safeguarding trustee at the Titus Trust, where we spent a lot of time responding to appalling abuse committed in the 1970s and 80s and to how badly victims and survivors were treated at the time and in subsequent years.
I am deeply committed to continuing to learn how to put victims and survivors first and to building healthier, more Christlike cultures in our churches.
scrutiny that is independent in fact and not only in name, and a Redress Scheme which works for victims and survivors without delay.
The Church of England has got this badly wrong in the past and it’s important that we support the victims of abuse and ensure robust processes are in place for the future.
We need to improve our structures, to support and listen to victims and survivors, and to be trauma informed in our practices. Mental health I am an accredited Mental Health First Aider (Level 3) and believe passionately that we need a broader, deeper, more honest conversation about mental health across the whole Church. Vocations We have a crisis of vocations, as far more clergy are currently retiring than are being ordained.
Safeguarding: My own evangelical constituency has been shake by the abuse carried out by those who are part of it and I believe the national church as a whole needs to learn from its failures and reform its safeguarding practices so that people may have confidence in them, and so that justice may be done for victims, and they may receive the care they need.
I then became Diocesan President for six years, continuing work with all three of our prisons, Domestic Abuse organisations, refuges, victims of modern slavery and refugees, as well as our Away From It All Holiday (AFIA) scheme.
That the Church as an institution, and we as Christians, its living body, must be advocates for the downtrodden, marginalised and dispossessed, the victims of all the ills we see in our local, national and international communities.
Safeguarding: honing good systems and practice to ensure the Church is safe for all people, especially those who are victims and survivors of abuse, and all who are vulnerable.
The next Synod must ensure that promised reforms are implemented, properly funded and rigorously scrutinised, with victims and survivors heard and institutional self-protection challenged.
Safeguarding: The Church must continue to grow in transparency, accountability, and independent redress, ensuring we listen thoroughly to victims and survivors.
There remains vital work to do on safeguarding, including independent scrutiny and redress for victims and survivors, alongside continuing questions about clergy wellbeing, pay, housing, pensions and the reform of clergy discipline.
• Listens to victims and survivors
Nationally we are not supporting victims and survivors, and not implementing changes (due to past and present incidents) in the straightforward and timely way we should.
I will support safeguarding arrangements that are independent, trustworthy and transparent, together with proper redress for victims and survivors.
Charity work For 20 years I have been Chair of Trustees for ‘BEATS’ Charity, helping earthquake and tsunami victims, principally in Indonesia, partnering with a number of Indonesian Christian charities.
in the Church of England at all levels but no evidence has been produced that the confessional has allowed abuse to go on undetected and removal of the seal would make victims of abuse less likely to seek counsel in this way.
My DSL background means I will consistently vote for measures that protect the vulnerable, maintain independent oversight and support victims Synod faces complex doctrinal and social debates.
They need to recognise their responsibility to protect children and vulnerable adults, to listen properly to victims and survivors and to ensure safeguarding is properly managed and resourced.
I will aim to: o Listen closely to victims and survivors and champion robust structures and reliable oversight of safeguarding. o Ensure safeguarding training is practical, clear, and easy to complete at the parish level. o Work to build a transparent culture where everyone feels safe to speak up.
My Priorities: A Church that is safe, accountable, and trusted by victims/survivors.
We must learn from our failures by listening to victims and survivors, using power well, and creating healthy church cultures where abuse cannot take root.
safeguarding must be rigorous, compassionate and trustworthy, listening properly to victims and survivors while maintaining fair and transparent processes;
Independent and Compassionate Safeguarding: As Synod seeks to establish independent structures for safeguarding, my prayers remain with all victims and survivors of abuse.
Above all, we need to love in word and deed those who have been victims of our failures.
Safeguarding and abuse Contact in the past with some who have abused their position in Christian leadership has led to contact with their victims, although I am not one.
If elected, I will push for the highest standards in safeguarding, and appropriate support for such victims.
I fully support the move to independent safeguarding structures and mandatory compliance, ensuring that victims and survivors are heard.
I understand the importance of ensuring victims’ and survivors’ voices are listened to.
I feel confident bringing those skills to the table at General Synod. ● Professionally and personally I have seen how love and understanding have transformed the lives of patients, victims and perpetrators when someone is willing to serve them from a place of humility.
We also have a Redress Scheme to compensate victims.
On safeguarding we need the emergent new national arrangements to be independent and effective and we need to avoid the poor treatment of victims and survivors which has been so much a feature of past case reviews.
Restoring trust and listening to victims and survivors is key, and more work is needed in the next Synod.
A topic that has recently become controversial is Project Spire, the proposal to allocate some of the Church Commissioners’ funds for investment in projects benefiting communities descended from victims of chattel slavery.
A safe and accountable Church Safeguarding must put victims and survivors first, with properly independent and transparent oversight and cases handled promptly.
We need arrangements that are robust, properly resourced, transparent and accountable, putting victims and survivors first, with independent oversight.