In November 2023 the Trustees of Soul Survivor festivals, Soul Survivor Watford, and Soul61 (collectively known as Soul Survivor) commissioned Fiona Scolding KC to conduct an Independent Review into the culture and practices of Soul Survivor, following the National Safeguarding Team’s investigation into Mike Pilavachi.
Responses
A statement from Richard Scorer is copied below the fold.
Richard Scorer, specialist abuse lawyer at Slater & Gordon who acts for some of the Soul Survivor complainants said:
‘This report confirms that senior leaders in Soul Survivor knew about Pilavachi’s behaviour and failed to stop it over a long period- a damning conclusion but an unsurprising one. However, the report leaves some issues unexplored and questions unanswered. Although Fiona Scolding KC has done her best within the limitations imposed on her, some victims and survivors were unwilling to speak to a review paid for by Soul Survivor itself. The Church of England National Safeguarding Team did not share all or even most of the information in its possession with the reviewer, so much of the picture remains hidden. This report concludes that many in the Soul Survivor leadership knew about Pilavachi’s behaviour, but there is too little forensic analysis of individual culpability. This means that those who enabled Pilavachi’s behaviour can hide behind the conclusion that ‘everyone knew’, whilst evading personal responsibility. A big question is how Soul Survivor can truly reform itself when the people leading it now were also in leadership roles during the years when Pilavachi did these things, and the report fails to provides an answer. ‘The report because of its limited remit could not address the wider lessons of this case for the Church of England as a whole. The report suggests that it was only under media pressure that the Church of England National Safeguarding Team started to probe this case properly, but we still don’t know what they really learned, and what action has been taken. As members of General Synod have said, there still needs to be a proper independent inquiry into the Church of England’s failings in this case. In the meantime survivors will continue to pursue every avenue to ensure that accountability is achieved and lessons are truly learned”.
Mr Scorer refers I think to the debate at General Synod in July 2024 about Robert Thompson’s Private Members’ Motion calling for the Archbishops’ Council to set up a KC led independent inquiry with a wider remit into Soul Survivor. I don’t think it is unfair to say that Robert’s PMM was derailed by the Lead Safeguarding Bishop’s amendment, which passed by narrow majorities. https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/op-iv-july-2024.pdf. I’ve just listened to the debate again on Robert’s PMM on 7 July. I recommend a full listen but as we’re all busy, I’d especially recommend speeches by Sean Doherty (c 2.48) and the Deputy Lead Safeguarding… Read more »
Who are Church of England National Safeguarding Team safeguarding?
Certainly not abuse victims.
This has been turned around quite quickly – unlike the Makin report. Despite Richard Scorer’s reservations, I think Fiona Scolding has done a good job of identifying some important issues (though I have only skimmed the re[port as yet). This despite swathes of information being withheld from her.
Many victims & survivors refused to take part in Fiona Scolding’s review because they distrusted SSW & the NST. Their decisions appear to be vindicated by the fact that: ‘NST did not share all or even most of the information in its possession’ ’little forensic analysis of individual culpability’ ’report could not address lessons for Church of England’ ’NST only started to probe the case because of media pressure’ ‘there needs to be a proper independent inquiry into the Church of England’s [including particularly the Diocese & Bishop of St Albans] failings in this case. etc etc It is not… Read more »
This is an impressively nuanced report despite the limitations imposed on Fiona Scolding KC. I wish there had been some way to get around the ‘hiding’ behind data protection and give her access to all the material that she was asking for. I think her recommendations – all of which seem eminently sensible – would have had a bit more bite. I note that, while Mike Pilavachi and Andy Croft have resigned, no one further up the governance chain has either resigned or been the subject of any kind of disciplinary procedure. This happens time and time again in relation… Read more »
I can’t imagine an average CofE parish advertising its coffee mornings, bring & buy sales and youth club would include a semi-naked massage by the vicar. It is jaw-dropping that those working for Soul Survivor thought their extra-mural sporting and massaging activities were just part of Christian discipleship. Naivety hardly covers it. More heads should roll.
I’m of the view that the Bishops Mission Order should have been suspended or cancelled. I know there will be howls of protest for all sorts of reasons but the amount of damage that has been done and the cost to the survivors has to be justification in itself. SS may have been a prestige project as far as the Diocese is concerned but so what? Vanity seems to be worth the cost is the message that comes across.
The Executive Summary says it will refer to him as Mr Pilavachi but then slips into calling him ‘Mike’. Almost as though his grooming made it onto the pages of his own judgment.
The Guardian this week writes about 82 year old retired priest Sue Parfitt who had her PTO removed for taking part in a Just Stop Oil protest. She is awaiting trial for allegedly damaging glass at the British Library, and there is a picture of her holding up a placard saying the government is breaking the law. Contrast this with the treatment given to the cohorts of ‘great and good’ who turned a blind eye to the goings on of Mr Pilavachi and who have sought to draw the teeth of anyone trying to make proper enquiries into his long… Read more »