Inquiry prompts more abuse claims

There has been a 15 per cent increase in the number of reported allegations of child abuse in the Church, according to data released by the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC) this week.

While the data are not broken down into current and past allegations, the majority of those allegations are understood to be historic. The annual safeguarding report, which was to be launched at a press conference on Thursday, found that the highest number of allegations of abuse against children made during 2015 were against secular/diocesan priests. Of the 27 allegations made, 25 were allegations of sexual abuse. The next highest numbers of allegations were made against volunteers and parishioners.

The report covers data for the first year after the establishment of a high-level inquiry into abuse, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). Its third chairwoman, Dame Lowell Goddard QC, resigned in August; the Inquiry is now chaired by former panellist, Professor Alexis Jay.

Dr Colette Limbrick, director of the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service (CSAS), told The Tablet that the prominence of the inquiry could be linked to the increase in reported abuse. Last year, the commission identified a small – 2.5 per cent – decrease in the number of reported allegations.

“It would be reasonable to think that the Independent Inquiry had encouraged people to come forward and report cases of historic abuse,” Dr Limbrick said.

This was the first year that a Survivors Advisory Panel, recommended in 2015’s annual report, assisted the commission. The panel currently consists of five members out of a possible 12 including the chairman, Dave Marshall QPM.

Christopher Pearson, chairman of the NCSC, said that the Survivors Advisory Panel was now firmly established as a subgroup of the NCSC. The panel, he added, had been involved in the proposed development of a new Pastoral Support Service, which will help victims and survivors to access support when they come forward to report abuse. Already piloted in the Diocese of Hallam, the commission said it hoped that the Pastoral Support System will be rolled out nationwide. A proposal for this service is to be presented to the Bishops’ Conference for approval shortly.

“The Church recognises that this development will be integral to our priority in ensuring a more appropriate response to survivors, which is sensitive and compassionate, and meets their individual needs,” Mr Pearson said.

The report also reflected on the success of a free E-learning safeguarding programme launched last year. Some 3,200 people had registered on each of the seven modules. But it highlighted flaws in its data-collection process and said it was overseeing the piloting of a national electronic recording system of data. “Data collection needs to have a more outcome-focused approach so there is a story to tell about the effectiveness in bringing about improvements in safeguarding and prevention,” the commission acknowledged.