Bishop: Church vote a missed chance to show abuse victims their pain is heard

The Church of England cannot hide behind the complexities of moving to fully independent safeguarding and must realise the “nation is watching”, a leading bishop has said.

Bishop Joanne Grenfell, the Church’s safeguarding lead, had put forward a motion to the General Synod for a new model which would have seen all Church-employed safeguarding officers transferred to a new independent body.

But members instead voted overwhelmingly for a less independent option, which will see diocesan and cathedral officers remaining with their current Church employers while most national staff move to a new outside body.

Representatives of survivors branded the outcome a “punch in the gut” for victims of abuse and said it showed the Church had decided to “keep it in the family”.

Ms Grenfell told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “I’m really disappointed, as were many, that Synod missed the opportunity to send an unequivocal message to victims and survivors and the wider nation that we hear their pain and concerns.”

She said the option chosen for the set-up of an independent scrutiny body “is actually quite a big step forward in itself but we need to do that further work around operational independence, and I’m really committed to doing that”.

Bishop of Blackburn Philip North, who proposed the amendment to endorse the less independent option while work was done to see if the other one was “legally deliverable”, described the latter as “eye-wateringly complex” and said it could take years to implement.

Ms Grenfell said while she understands concerns some might have had about the complexities of transferring peoples’ jobs, that is not something the Church can “hide behind”.

She told Today: “I understand that people had concerns about the challenge of bringing staff from 85 different bodies, cathedrals and diocese into one.

“And we knew that that was going to be complex, but we did believe it was possible, and we promised to come back with the further detail on that, which we will now do.

“I don’t think we can hide behind those complex structures. That’s just not good enough for victims and survivors. So yeah, we’re complex, but we need to change, and that means changing our structures.”

The bishop said victims and survivors of abuse – some of whom had gathered outside the venue ahead of Tuesday’s debate urging Synod members to vote for fully independent safeguarding – felt they had not been listened to.

She said while members had “heard the complexity of doing this, and they wanted further assurance about the governance responsibilities around that”, they had not “heard strongly enough that the nation is watching and that victims and survivors say that this is what they need to restore trust and confidence”.

Andrew Graystone, a long-time advocate for abuse survivors, accused the Church of “shocking arrogance” and said the Synod had “voted for a measure that will leave the power of bishops completely unchanged and unchallenged”.

The Survivors Trust group said: “Public trust in the Church to effectively safeguarding children has been totally lost.

“Church leaders must reconsider their approach and take immediate steps toward genuine, independent safeguarding reform.

“The protection of children and vulnerable adults should not be left in the hands of those who have historically failed them.”

Following the vote, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said he was “disappointed”, having backed the more independent model.

The Church has been plagued by safeguarding controversies over the years, with a damning report into serial abuser and Christian camp leader John Smyth leading to the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Mr Cottrell, who has taken on most of that role’s responsibilities temporarily, has also faced calls to quit over failures in handling abuse cases, and admitted this week the Church has “failed greatly” on safeguarding.

The process to find a new Archbishop of Canterbury – the most senior bishop in the Church of England – is under way, with a public consultation launched last week.

The Church has said the consultation “is an opportunity to gather the views of a wide range of people from across England and the Anglican Communion on the gifts, qualities and skills needed” for the role.

Ms Grenfell said there is “a huge amount to think through” before the 106th appointment to the role.

She said: “I think this is a really painful and necessary time of reckoning. I said in a debate earlier in the week that we’re ministering as a broken church. I still think that’s true. I also see what’s improved.

“I mean, I’ve got really great safeguarding colleagues who I really trust. This isn’t about them. Their work is good. It’s about the bigger structures around it.

“And I think that there’s a huge amount to think through before we appoint a new Archbishop of Canterbury, about what that looks like and about the kind of culture change.”

It is expected there could be an announcement on a new archbishop by autumn.

:: Anyone affected can visit www.thesurvivorstrust.org or call a free, confidential helpline on 0808 801 0818.