Church of England’s safeguarding director says listening is at the heart of his work
[Church of England] The Church of England’s safeguarding director, Alex Kubeyinje, has reflected on the church’s safeguarding work, the importance of listening to victims and survivors, and his own leadership during a wide-ranging conversation with the Social Work Unfiltered podcast.
Kubeyinje’s career began in social work, shaped by growing up in a deprived area where many had limited opportunity. He recounts how his early experiences gave him a strong sense of purpose and a deep understanding of what it means to protect and support others. That perspective, he says, continues to influence how he approaches safeguarding today: not as a set of policies, but as work that is fundamentally about people, trust and doing the right thing.
On the podcast, he talks about his leadership experiences throughout his career, describing the challenges of navigating spaces where he has often been the only Black person in the room, and how authenticity is a key element of his leadership approach.
The conversation focuses heavily on safeguarding and the church’s responsibility to victims and survivors. Kubeyinje is open about the church’s past but speaks about the progress made in recent years, including new safeguarding codes approved by General Synod, the national Safer Recruitment policy, a consistent case recording and management system introduced in the last two years, and the appointment of regional safeguarding leads to provide professional supervision for the first time.
He stresses that the church’s commitment to survivors must be more than words, saying, “It doesn’t make sense saying sorry if we’re going to do the same thing tomorrow.”
He says that working with victims and survivors is central to everything. He also speaks about the importance of listening, learning and building trust, and about the need for leadership that is grounded in experience and open to change. Those principles, he believes, are essential if the church is to make lasting progress.
