Bishop Martin responds to the Jay Report
Bishop Martin has written to all his clergy in the Diocese of Chichester in response to the Jay Report published on 21 February 2024.
On Wednesday 21 February the Church of England published a report by Professor Jay entitled The Future of Safeguarding in the Church. It was commissioned by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.
This comes after the departure of the members of the Church’s Independent Safeguarding Board, about which a report was published in December 2023.
The Jay report has caused concerns about safeguarding in a number of quarters.
I wish to assure survivors, parishioners, clergy and my safeguarding colleagues, that this report does not call into question specifically the work of our safeguarding team, the sincerity and effectiveness of our parish safeguarding officers, and our commitment to the uniform implementation of safeguarding policy and its periodic review, in order to ensure that in this diocese our sacred spaces and church institutions are safe places for vulnerable people of every age.
Professor Jay chaired the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). That Inquiry undertook an exhaustive investigation into the Church of England’s failures to protect children from sexual abuse and its failure to respond effectively to allegations.
These failures have had a catastrophic effect on the lives of many hundreds of people. They were particularly evident in the diocese of Chichester, which was identified for particular investigation by IICSA.
Professor Jay was asked ‘to provide options and recommendations for forming an independent safeguarding and scrutiny body for the Church of England’. The report recommends ‘the creation of two separate charities, one for operational safeguarding and one for independent scrutiny of safeguarding’.
The Church of England is already well on with developing a programme for independent scrutiny of safeguarding officers. The proposal for a separate charity that is empowered to undertake operational safeguarding (at parish and diocesan level) has taken many people by surprise, since it contrasts with the IICSA recommendations that we have been working hard to implement.
The Jay report will come to this weekend’s General Synod in order to begin consideration of its recommendations. The tone of the report is disappointing in offering an assessment of safeguarding practice that is grudging in its recognition of years of hard work and the attainment of good practice in this area.
More specifically, an independent committee, the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel, has held to account our Safeguarding team, bishops and archdeacons. They have reviewed casework, examined statistics, and demanded improvement when needed. We have also referred ourselves to the National Safeguarding Team when appropriate.
We look forward to contributing to consideration of the Jay review. Any recommendation that is agreed will take time to implement.
Meanwhile, I wish to affirm confidence in the skill, experience and ecclesial intelligence of our Safeguarding Team. They have given us outstanding service and will continue to do so while the nature of the Church of England’s safeguarding provision is agreed.
+Martin