(no. 38/2024)
Dear friends,
This Sunday we are marking Safeguarding Sunday, a time when we can reflect on the importance of safeguarding as a church and as individuals. This feels particularly poignant as we react to the news that Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned over serious safeguarding failures outlined in the Makin report that was released this week.
In her statement regarding the news of his resignation Bishop Sarah, Bishop of London, has written:
“Archbishop Justin’s decision today provides the urgent impetus we need to change the face of safeguarding in the Church of England.
“The crimes that John Smyth perpetrated were absolutely appalling. So too was the Church’s failure to act in response. At the heart of these events are people who were abused, and who are still being abused.
“The Church of England now needs a reset in how safeguarding is scrutinised. Archbishop Justin’s decision reflects a recognition of the standards to which we are all held. It also creates the necessary space to enable change. We need a genuinely survivor-focused approach, with independent scrutiny and mandatory reporting at its heart. From this moment, the Church must drive fundamental safeguarding reform.”
While large scale reports and events like these can raise the importance of safeguarding, they can also make us feel intimidated. When we see how it can go wrong, we can often be worried that we ourselves will fail victims or be viewed as not having done the right thing.
I hope this is why it will be so useful for us as a congregation to mark Safeguarding Sunday, so we can all think about how best we can respond to safeguarding challenges. This also, I hope, will give us more confidence when it comes to safeguarding and feel equipped and empowered to know what to do when any concerns arise. By creating a culture of safeguarding, by all of us looking out for each other, we can better show love of our neighbour and work towards the safer church we owe it to ourselves and others to be.
With Love and Prayers,
Mthr Clemency
If you would like to know more about safeguarding and how to keep people safe in a church context, training is available here. Or you can speak to a member of the ministry team, especially Naomi, our safeguarding officer.
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