Churches join forces on safeguarding
Safeguarding is likely to become an area in which the Catholic Church works more closely with the Church of England, with an independently run telephone helpline for victims as the probable first step in the process, writes Joanna Moorhead.
That is the message of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission’s (NCSC) latest annual report, which highlights the range of work and the examples of good practice across the Church, according to commission chair Chris Pearson. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is widely acknowledged to be one of the most advanced bishops’ conferences worldwide in terms of recognising and dealing with child abuse.
The new report underlines the extent to which the Church of England and the Catholic Church are working together, and the intention to strengthen those bonds. The NCSC had already announced its intention to set up a helpline, commissioned by an outside provider, for victims and survivors; the report makes clear that discussions are taking place with the Church of England to run the helpline jointly.
Mr Pearson said: “We want to emphasise that there is no hiding place for those who have offended against children, young people or adults.” He added: “We’re going to set up a helpline with the Church of England to reach out to people, particularly those who find difficulty making contact with the Catholic Church, and that will be run by an independent provider who has experience of working with survivors.”
The Survivor Advisory Panel, which advises the commission and is in the second year of a three-year pilot, has welcomed the move. The helpline idea came from a project in Hallam diocese that found a need for another avenue for people to tell their story.
Dave Marshall, chair of the panel, said that as a “critical friend” of the commission the panel was “really encouraged”. “We are creating an environment now where people are more encouraged to come forward,” he said.
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