As she was confirmed in post last week, Archbishop Sarah acknowledged again the vital importance of good safeguarding. General Synod will next week debate the latest proposals for new safeguarding structures to seek to ensure we are the safe Church we all aspire to be.
Closer to home, Andrew Bickley, our new Independent Chair of Safeguarding chaired his first Panel meeting a fortnight ago. His leadership created a productive and respectful space for both challenge and support.
The experiences shared by some of our survivor group on Safeguarding Sunday in November remain firmly in my mind.
We heard of the walls survivors build to protect themselves after abuse, of how trauma can so easily build on trauma, of the crucial importance of first responses that show deep listening with a lack of any judgement or being in problem-solving mode.
It can take 40 years for someone to have the courage and ability to communicate what happened to them.
Listening to their individual experiences made me reflect on how important it is to that we continue to learn about how to respond well to victims and survivors.
We know now that, whilst compliance is important, good safeguarding is primarily about culture.We are pleased to have received external funding for a one-year project to support parish safeguarding officers further in their vital preventative work.
I am encouraged that over 200 PSOs have signed up to attend a focus group.
Please remain curious – and don’t hesitate to seek advice from our safeguarding team where you may need their support and expertise.
Mark Humphriss
Diocesan Secretary
If you have ANY safeguarding concerns here in our parish, do please contact our Safeguarding Officer via this link