,[Church of England] The lead bishops on safeguarding for the Church of England, Stepney Bishop Joanne Grenfell and Tewkesbury Bishop Robert Springett, have issued a statement a year after the publication of the Makin Report, acknowledging the harm caused by the abuses committed by John Smyth and failures in the church’s response once that abuse was known.
Smythe was a British lawyer who engaged in “physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks” on young victims he met at youth camps tied to the Church of England. His delayed actions on these allegations led to the resignation of the former archbishop of Canterbury, the Rev. Justin Welby.
In their statement Grenfell and Springett said, “This week, we mark the first anniversary of the publication of the Makin Review and acknowledge again the deep harm caused by the abuse committed by John Smyth and the failures in the church’s response.
“We are profoundly sorry for the ways in which the church failed to protect children and vulnerable adults and for the lasting impact of those failures. Over the past year, we have continued to listen to survivors, offer them support, and respond to the recommendations and observations in the independent learning lessons review. These came immediately to the National Safeguarding Steering Group and have continued to be scrutinized and acted on over the year, with implementation now well underway. Survivors are a key part of this work.
“Our commitment is clear: to create a church that is safe for all, where safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and where survivors’ voices inform our decisions. We know this process will require humility, accountability and sustained action.
“We want to thank all, particularly those with lived experience, who continue to hold us to account and shape the improvements that are needed. We are committed to transparency, continued progress and lasting change.”
The National Safeguarding Steering Group has published a paper that will be presented to General Synod in February, setting out progress on the Makin Review recommendations and next steps.
The paper details final approval of the majority of the recommendations from the Makin Review. Of the recommendations, 24 are accepted fully and three in part. The steering group will continue to scrutinize the implementation of all the recommendations to support rapid and continuous improvement of safeguarding practice across the whole church.
This paper updates the work that has gone on during the past year to implement recommendations from the Makin Review.
A new Code of Practice is in place, which places anyone working or volunteering in a church under a legal duty to report any safeguarding concern they are made aware of. The code specifies the process and timescales for reporting. Failure to comply with the code can result in disciplinary action.
The National Safeguarding Team has sought to bring disciplinary proceedings against 11 members of the clergy who were criticized in the review, eight of which are currently in progress. The Anglican Church of Southern Africa has undertaken and published its own report into the abuse that took place there.
The development of an independent scrutiny body is underway, which will provide external oversight of safeguarding practices within the church and hold church bodies to account with powers to require compliance. Alongside this, the strategic and operational independence of the National Safeguarding Team is being reviewed.
A program of independent safeguarding audits of cathedrals and dioceses already is underway. So far 15 cathedrals and dioceses have been audited and had their reports published, with clear recommendations for action. The church now has a set of National Safeguarding Standards that provide a framework that aids the consolidation, analysis and implementation of both the Makin recommendations and those from other reviews, including the Future of Church Safeguarding and from the independent audit program.