Barnardo’s report on Network Church Sheffield
From the Diocese of Sheffield:
With the agreement of the survivor, the Yorkshire Baptist Association and the trustees of Network Church Sheffield, in 2022 the Diocese of Sheffield commissioned Barnardo’s to conduct an independent investigation following a complaint made about an experience of conversion therapy and exorcism in 2014-15. This investigation took place in two parts, with part one looking at the individual’s complaint and part two looking at the current practice of St Thomas Philadelphia, part of Network Church Sheffield and the church in which the abuse had taken place.
Bishop of Oxford responds to The Alliance
Updated Friday
The Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft, has replied to the letter issued by “The Alliance” on 26 June, which was linked in this article: LLF: criticisms from bishops and others.
Here is the full text of his response.
Updates
The Alliance has issued a letter in reply.
Church Society has published Responding to The Bishop of Oxford.
60 CommentsLLF: further developments
Some further items to record:
Eleven members of the LLF Working Groups have written to criticise GS 2358: LLF: from Leicester to York
CEEC has issued this invitation to a “Commissioning of Overseers” service.
Neil Patterson writes in the Church Times: Called to live together, not apart
66 CommentsLLF: criticisms from bishops and others
Updated Wednesday evening and again Thursday morning; also on 3 July
The latest LLF proposals are in GS 2358. (31 pages long) , and are explained more briefly by Helen King in LLF: Moving Forward as One Church (also linked in today’s Opinion roundup).
There are several items expressing various concerns about these proposals.
- Premier Christianity reports that eleven bishops have signed this statement: Exclusive: Bishops call for LLF re-think for sake of unity (full text copied below the fold)
They are:
Ruth Bushyager, Bishop of Horsham
Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster
Jonathan Gibbs, Bishop of Rochester
James Grier, Bishop of Plymouth
Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford
Rob Munro, Bishop of Ebbsfleet
Mark Rylands, Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Exeter
Ric Thorpe, Bishop of Islington
Paul Thomas, Bishop of Oswestry
Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford
Paul Williams, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham
- The Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda has issued this statement: Statement on Living in Love and Faith. (full text copied below the fold) and see also this statement from Forward in Faith
The seven signatories are
The Rt Revd Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Fulham, Chairman of The Society’s Council of Bishops
The Rt Revd Stephen Race, Bishop of Beverley
The Rt Revd Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn
The Rt Revd Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester
The Rt Revd Will Hazlewood, Bishop of Lewes
The Rt Revd Paul Thomas, Bishop of Oswestry
The Rt Revd Tony Robinson, Bishop of Wakefield
- The Church of England Evangelical Council recently issued this: Delegated episcopal oversight’ is not enough, says CEEC’s National Director
Uodate: CEEC welcomes orthodox bishops’ statement ahead of Synod - Church Society has issued this statement: Church Society responds to the latest LLF proposals from the Bishops
- Update: The Alliance letter to the archbishops
- Ian Paul Unity matters in our debates about sexuality–and so does truth
Questions about the commissioning of the Jay report
The Jay Response Group has produced a report, published today, for the July General Synod to consider. This is scheduled for debate on Monday 8 July. This document is 137 pages long. This synod will not be asked to make any decisions concerning the specific way forward, all of which are considered to require substantial further work.
Readers will recall an earlier post: Wilkinson-Jay Response Group survey findings. This survey is incorporated into GS 2364. Among its reported comments, there were a number which dealt with the issue of whether the Jay report was answering the right questions. See for example, pages 45 to 47 of the survey findings. But also in its Executive Summary, on page 4, summarising
Reaction to the Wilkinson and Jay Reports (emphasis added):
Reactions to these reports highlight intense difference of opinion between stakeholder groups. Strong feelings, including frustration, were expressed by many participants.
- Many participants welcome the insight that these reports offer on issues surrounding safeguarding in the Church of England.
- There is a suggestion that the two reports are incongruent; one being seen as promoting patience and careful consideration, while the other encourages urgency.
- There are voices that call for the immediate implementation of these recommendations.
- Other voices highlight perceived flaws in the methodology used in the Jay Report.
- The governance role of Archbishops Council is frequently questioned, particularly surrounding the terms of reference set for the Jay Report and its financial cost.
- There is a recognition that the Jay Report has damaged the morale of safeguarding staff.
These questions have been taken up in a letter sent earlier this week to the Archbishop of York, and others, by a number of General Synod members. A PDF copy of that letter can be found here. This letter asks a number of detailed questions about the way in which the Jay report was commissioned. Obviously this letter was sent before today’s voluminous report was published.
14 CommentsWilkinson-Jay Response Group survey findings
The Church Times reports on a survey commissioned by the Jay Response Group but as yet not published by them.
Survey uncovers reservations about outsourcing church safeguarding work
MOST bishops and safeguarding professionals in the C of E oppose the outsourcing of church safeguarding work to an independent body, according to the results of a survey commissioned this spring.
The Church Times has obtained the unpublished results of a survey on the future of church safeguarding, which was commissioned in March (News, 25 March). The findings from the survey are due to form part of a paper which will be debated at General Synod in July.
The 2003 responses show that — while there is strong support for the creation of a body that would provide independent scrutiny of safeguarding — Professor Alexis Jay’s chief recommendation, outlined in her report (News, 21 February), that day-to-day safeguarding work should be completely handed over to another independent body, has not found widespread support….
The full text of the survey report is available here: Wilkinson-Jay Initial Survey Research Paper.
The following graphs summarise the most important findings, namely that support for the creation of “Charity A” is lower among both bishops and those currently employed in church safeguarding work than it is among either those who are survivors of abuse and their advocates, or those who are ordinary church members.
LLF: proposals made for same-sex prayers and marriage
Francis Martin at the Church Times has a report on what happeed last weekend in the LLF group discussions:
Same-sex prayers and marriage: latest Love and Faith proposals considered by the Bishops.
See previous article for the official report on what happened at the House of Bishops meeting on Thursday.
The Church of England Evangelical Council has published two items:
- Church leaders urge bishops to offer ‘pastoral provision’ to ordinands, as an urgent priority
- LLF Update: Two things that look likely
John Dunnett says:
83 CommentsThere’s a lot of water going under the Living in Love and Faith Bridge right now, including today, the 16th of May, a discussion at the House of Bishops. Whilst we do not know what they will conclude and what therefore will be brought to General Synod in July, it is clear that two things are going to happen. One, that the so-called ‘standalone services’ for blessings of same-sex relationships will be made possible.
And secondly, that, probably by the removal of ‘so-called’ discipline, that clergy in some dioceses are going to be able to marry their same-sex partners. Maybe as soon as this autumn. These are big changes, and I think it’s fairly clear that they are indeed indicative of a change of doctrine…
The Jay Files
Updated 17 May – episode 2 added; and again 24 May – episode 3 added
Regular readers will recall the publication last February of The Wilkinson Files.
Martin Sewell and Clive Billenness have now produced a further video series: The Jay Files which explain very clearly what is in Alexis Jay’s report on The Future of Church Safeguarding.
The first of three videos was published this morning, and two further episodes will be published on successive Fridays. I will link all three of them in this article as they become available. These are strongly recommended viewing, particularly for General Synod members.
The Jay Files episode 1 The Background
The Jay Files episode 2 Fully or Semi-Detached
The Jay Files episode 3 Safeguarding the Jay Way
A press release says
…The Jay Files are a series of 3 short documentary-style films which highlight the key findings of Professor Jay’s Report and are a sequel to The Wilkinson Files which examined the report by barrister Dr Sarah Wilkinson into the investigation of the closure of the Church of England’s Independent Safeguarding Board. Each film will be no longer than 15 minutes in duration. The Wilkinson Files have been viewed thousands of times by people both inside and outside of the Church.
These films are presented by Martin Sewell and Clive Billenness, both Members of the House of Laity of the General Synod and both very active in matters relating to Safeguarding. Martin is a retired solicitor specialising in Child Protection. Clive is a Certified Auditor who is still in practice and is also an elected member of the Audit Committee of the Archbishops’ Council.
Clive said “Like the Wilkinson Report, Professor Jay’s Report is packed with detail, including the results of a substantial survey that included abuse survivors as well as members of Safeguarding Schemes. She spoke with over 180 people in multiple dioceses, and it is clear that her recommendations were based on the evidence from her work and were not confined to any one parcular group of interviewees.”
“Members of the General Synod are given very little time to discuss in depth the details of these complex reports which lie at the heart of creating a Church which is safe for all before being asked to make critical decisions on how we will move forward. We are all in agreement that there must be proper measures to prevent a repetition of the abuse scandals of the past, as well as the means to care for existing survivors of past abuse. Martin and I hope that these films will help Members to better understand the issues before making decisions.”
Asylum seeker “conveyor belt” baptism claims refuted
The Archdeacon of Auckland, Rick Simpson, gave written evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee, which provides the detailed facts concerning baptisms of refugees or asylum seekers in Darlington.
Read his evidence in full here (dated 5 April).
The Church Times reports on this: Archdeacon of Auckland rejects claims of ‘conveyor-belt’ conversions
…In Febuary, the Home Affairs Committee heard evidence from a former Church of England priest, the Revd Matthew Firth, who repeated claims that he had made in the media about witnessing a “conveyor belt” of cases, in which asylum-seekers were being baptised so that they could say that they risked persecution if deported (News, 16 February).
Mr Firth was Priest-in-Charge of St Cuthbert’s, Darlington, between 2018 and 2020, before leaving the C of E to become a minister in the Free Church of England.
Giving evidence to the committee, he said that he had been approached every two to three weeks by groups of six or seven asylum-seekers who wanted to be baptised, but had turned them down, after which they did not attend church again…
On Thursday 25 April, Mr Firth issued this statement on Twitter in rebuttal.
The original Daily Telegraph reports, dated 8 February, in which Mr Firth first made his claims are here (£):
- Church of England has become ‘conveyor belt for asylum seeker fake conversions’
- ‘I refuse to be complicit in baptism dishonesty’
The transcript of the committee hearing on 12 March can be found here.
36 CommentsNational Redress Scheme: financial award proposals published
The National Redress Scheme is for survivors and victims of Church-related abuse. See here for links to earlier press releases about this.
Details of the proposed financial award framework for the Church of England’s national Redress Scheme have now been published. If approved, the framework would be used to calculate offers of financial redress to survivors and victims of Church-related abuse. Details of the proposed approach to funding the Redress Scheme have also been announced.
The Redress Project Board has agreed the recommended financial award framework for the national Redress Scheme. If approved through the Church of England’s legislative processes, the framework would result in individual awards of between £5000 and £660,000 in rare and exceptional circumstances. For more details read the latest press release: National Redress Scheme: Proposed financial award framework and approach to funding.
Church Times report: Survivors could be paid £660,000 in C of E’s four-stage redress scheme
3 CommentsCo-chair named for Wilkinson Jay response group
Church of England press release
Independent co-chair for safeguarding Response Group appointed
Lesley-Anne Ryder, an experienced CEO and chair who has worked in national and local government and the health and charity sectors, has been appointed the independent co-chair of the Response Group looking at two important reports on independence and safeguarding in the Church of England. These are from barrister Sarah Wilkinson and former IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse) chair Alexis Jay.
Lesley-Anne brings a proven track record in leading complex change management and restructure programmes involving safeguarding professionals and volunteers in diverse organisations and is an experienced leader, coach and mentor of senior teams. She has more than 20 years’ experience of work supporting vulnerable adults and children and has played an active role in shaping Health and Social Care policy at a senior level in the NHS, worked on a Government department merger and continues with a range of charity work which has included being a supervisor for Cruse Bereavement Care and chair of a local charity.
An independent recruitment firm was responsible for the selection of candidates and Lesley-Anne was interviewed by members of the Response Group including meeting with survivor representatives. One of the key criteria for selection was a professional, external voice who had not previously worked with the national Church. She will start work this week.
Speaking on her appointment Lesley-Anne said: “I am delighted to bring both my experience of leadership and managing complex change in a variety of settings, along with my personal experience and qualifications in engaging and supporting those whose trauma and circumstances have in some way stopped them having a voice. I believe that I inspire confidence, commitment and focus for those that I am called to lead and support, and that this role provides a unique opportunity for me to use my skills to the full. I have chaired several multidisciplinary boards, and I look forward to working closely with Bishop Joanne and the whole of the Response Group. I am an active member of my local church and work to support vulnerable people in my local community”.
The Church of England’s lead safeguarding bishop and co-chair of Response Group, Joanne Grenfell, said: “I welcome this appointment and the wide-ranging professional experience Lesley-Anne will bring to this role. It is vital that we have an independent voice that can offer challenge and scrutiny while the work of the Response Group moves forward on these two important safeguarding reports.”
The ToR for the group have been updated to include this: Wilkinson and Jay Reports Response Group Terms of Reference
Some additional information is available at LinkedIn and at Anume.
The Church Times reported it this way (scroll down):
New independent co-chair for Response Group
THE independent co-chair of the group responding to recent reports on safeguarding in the Church of England (News, 15 March) has been appointed. It is Lesley-Anne Ryder, a former charity chief executive with experience of work supporting vulnerable adults and children. She has worked on social-care policy in the NHS, is a supervisor for Cruse Bereavement Care, and chairs a local charity. The other co-chair of the Response Group is the Bishop of Stepney, Dr Joanne Grenfell, who is the lead safeguarding bishop. It is understood that the Response Group will conduct a consultation on responding to the recommendations in the reports by Professor Alexis Jay (News, 23 February) and Dr Sarah Wilkinson (News, 15 December 2023). The announcement on the C of E website, on Tuesday, says that an independent recruitment firm was responsible for the selection of candidates, and that Ms Ryder was interviewed by members of the Response Group and survivor representatives.
11 CommentsLLF Programme Board members announced
The Church of England has published this: LLF Programme Board update.
Details of LLF Programme Board membership confirmed
Following an update last month on the new Programme Board to steer the next steps of Living in Love and Faith (LLF), progress has been made in forming this Board, together with the three working groups.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has agreed to Chair the Programme Board, supporting the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, in his ongoing work as the lead bishop of LLF.
Additionally, the Bishop of Stockport, Sam Corley, the Acting Bishop of Coventry, Ruth Worlsey and the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich will also serve on the Programme Board, with a further member to be appointed.
Ex Officio members will be Jamie Harrison, Chair of the House of Laity, Alison Coulter, Vice-chair of the House of Laity, Luke Miller, Prolocutor of the House of Clergy and Kate Wharton, Prolocutor of the House of Clergy. They will be supported by staff from the National Church Institutions (NCIs).
Full details of the membership of the three working groups – Pastoral Guidance, Pastoral Provision and Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) – will be shared once all members have been appointed.
Together for the Church of England has published this Public Statement on LLF from Together (April 2024) (This organisation is an amalgamation of GSGSG (General Synod Gender and Sexuality Group and MOSAIC (The Movement of Supporting Anglicans for an Inclusive Church).
34 CommentsNew Dean of Llandaff appointed
On Easter Day, the Dean of Llandaff announced his retirement:
- The Dean of Llandaff Retires
- Church Times Ten days after his CDM exoneration, Dean Peers resigns from Llandaff
On Easter 2, one week later, the Bishop of Llandaff announced his replacement:
41 CommentsOxford disciplinary tribunal decision
Updated 7 April and again 9 April
Law & Religion UK reports: Dean Richard Peers CDM decision
On 21 March 2024, the Bishop’s Disciplinary Tribunal for the Diocese of Oxford handed down its Decision The Revd Canon Richard Peers – March 2024 and reasons in relation to facts and conduct.
Updates
- Philip Jones, Ecclesiastical Law: Clergy Discipline and Confidentiality: Gadd v Peers. Published on 3 April.
-
RULING IN RESPECT OF PARAGRAPH 309 CLERGY DISCIPLINE MEASURE 2003: CODE OF PRACTICE Published on 8 April.
Comments on this article remain closed.
0 CommentsSafeguarding: Advert for Wilkinson/Jay Response Group Co-Chair
Updated
This advertisement has appeared on Guardian Jobs, originated by Charisma Recruitment.
The full text is copied below the fold.
Co-Chair
- Employer
- Church of England
- Location
- Remote
- Salary
- Unremunerated with reasonable expenses paid*
- Closing date
- 8 Apr 2024*
Reparatory Justice: Oversight Group recommendations
Updated Tuesday
The Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice describes itself this way:
A seed for growth and change
In 2023, the Church Commissioners for England published a report into its historic links to African chattel enslavement. In penitence and hope, the Church Commissioners proposed a fund to address a legacy of racialised inequality that scars the lives of billions to this day.
The Church Commissioners appointed an independent Oversight Group to make their recommendations on how the fund should be used. This group is acutely aware that the crimes against humanity rooted in enslavement have caused damage so vast it will require patient effort spanning generations to address. They believe this fund represents a start to breaking the chains of discrimination.
The Oversight Group has a bold vision for the £100m Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice which they would like to see grow to £1bn and act as a catalyst for real change.
Other recent documents about this:
- Press release from the Church Commissioners: Church Commissioners for England warmly welcomes Oversight Group’s report
- Recommendations from the Oversight Group
- Full report from the Oversight Group to the Church Commissioners
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about the Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice
Church Times: Church Commissioners look for partners to boost reparatory-justice fund to £1 billion
Updates
Guardian Harriet Sherwood ‘It’s not a lot when you consider the harm’: Why bishop is calling for £1bn in C of E reparations for slavery (Interview with the Bishop of Croydon)
Archbishop of York We need a conversation about justice (Article in the Sunday Times)
90 CommentsLLF: re-formation of working groups
New programme board to help steer LLF next steps
08/03/2024Lead Bishop gives update to Synod members
Following discussion at the February meeting of General Synod, further details of plans for a new Programme Board to oversee the ongoing work of Living in Love and Faith (LLF) have been shared with General Synod members.
The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, the lead bishop for LLF, has written to Synod members to outline plans for a new oversight board and the re-formation of three working groups: the Pastoral Guidance Working Group, the Pastoral Reassurance Working Group and the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) Working Group.
Synod members have been invited to express their interest in joining the groups which will be formed of bishops, other clergy and laity.
In addition to these working groups, meetings with stakeholders will be organised to help enable progress ahead of a meeting of The House of Bishops’ meeting May.
Two formal groups will also be formed, as agreed following the commendation of the PLF:
- A Pastoral Consultative Group – to aid bishops, diocesan staff and others with answers to the broad questions that arise from the implementation of PLF and other LLF work. This group will comprise a small number of bishops, supported by consultants.
- An Independent Review Panel – to consider concerns about the implementation of the PLF and application of the Pastoral Guidance, and make recommendations for addressing justifiable concerns.
A timeline is being finalised to allow these groups to make progress ahead of the House of Bishops’ meeting later in May, which will feed into the General Synod sessions in July.
Read the full letter to Synod members from the Bishop of Leicester.
Church Times report on this: Synod members invited to apply to join LLF working groups
16 CommentsJay report on Church of England safeguarding published
UPDATED
This report was commissioned by the Church of England and first announced on 20 July 2023. Details followed in August: see Future of Church Safeguarding.
The report is now published: The Future of Church Safeguarding (55 pages)
There is also a press release: Report into the future of safeguarding in the Church of England
And there is a video.
There is also this Legal Advice note (35 pages)
——–
The Church of England has issued a press release.
And there is this: Terms of Reference for the Jay and Wilkinson Reports Response Group
42 CommentsCorrespondence re Secretary General
On 18 January, we published a letter addressed to the archbishops calling for the suspension and investigation of the Secretary General, William Nye. This letter was written by Martin Sewell and signed by 20 members of General Synod. The full text of the letter is here.
A reply to this letter was sent on 6 February from Carl Hughes, Chair of the Finance Committee of the Archbishops’ Council.
Martin Sewell replied to this on 8 February. The formal response is here, and there is also a covering note and an addendum.
Carl Hughes replied to this on 11 February.
39 CommentsLLF: roundup of recent statements and news reports
Updated
Since we posted the statement of the Bishop of Newcastle on Thursday morning, there have been several further statements. Some of these have been linked in the comments, but I am repeating them all here, as not everyone reads all the comments…
- Statement from the Bishop of Leicester
- Statement from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
- Statement from Emmanuel Theological College
The Church Times has carried several news reports so far:
- Bishop of Newcastle stands down from LLF over ‘serious concerns’ about interim adviser
- Bishop of Leicester names ‘provisos’ for continuing as LLF co-chair
These include quotes from others, including from Dr Tom Woolford, and the Bishop in Europe.
Monday Updates
Helen King has written: Processing the process: LLF continues which contains much detail concerning these recent events.
A second interim theological advisor has been appointed: Statement: Interim Theology Advisers
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have announced the appointment of a new interim Theology Adviser, the Revd Canon Dr Jessica Martin, currently Canon Residentiary for Learning and Outreach at Ely Cathedral, to work alongside the Revd Dr Tom Woolford. Tom and Jessica will work as Joint Interim Theology Advisers to the House of Bishops and Secretaries to Faith and Order Commission (FAOC), on secondment for a six-month period starting in March 2024. These interim roles are in place while a substantive recruitment process is underway for a permanent successor to the Revd Dr Isabelle Hamley, who leaves the NCIs at the end of February to take up the role of Principal of Ridley Hall…
Tuesday Updates
Helen King has written a further blog article:One down, one to go: the LLF appointment saga continues
55 Comments