Synod members to debate and vote on new safeguarding model for Church of England

Synod members will debate and vote on a new safeguarding model for the Church of England on Tuesday.

Two so-called models for independent safeguarding will be presented to Synod, following reviews in recent years by former chairwoman of the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) Professor Alexis Jay, and barrister Sarah Wilkinson.

The Synod is sitting for its first session since the resignation of the archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, after safeguarding failures.

He quit after pressure following a review which found Christian camp leader and prolific serial abuser John Smyth might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported him to police five years before the barrister’s death.

In standing down, Mr Welby also noted his “long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England”.

The safeguarding debate in the Church has been a long-running one, and calls have also been made in recent months for Mr Welby’s temporary stand-in, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, to stand down.

Mr Cottrell has refused to quit after disclosures that a priest at the centre of a sexual abuse case was twice re-appointed under him while he was serving as Bishop of Chelmsford.

He has acknowledged things “could have been handled differently” but, appearing to reject calls to resign, has pledged to “do what I can” to bring about independent scrutiny of safeguarding in the Church.

He has also said it was “not possible” to remove the priest in that case from office until fresh complaints were made in 2019.

One model, known as model four, would see all safeguarding officers currently working in dioceses, cathedrals and the national Church transferred to work for a new independent organisation.

A different option, known as model three, would see most national staff move to a new outside non-Church body, but other diocesan and cathedral officers remaining with their current Church employers.

Both options would see safeguarding work scrutinised by a second external body, but papers published last month say it would take “a minimum of two years to legislate for a scrutiny body as a statutory body”.

Mr Cottrell admitted on Monday he has “made mistakes” but said he is determined to “lead the change we all know we need” in the Church of England, which has been plagued by abuse safeguarding failures.

He also survived a vote to stop him giving a presidential address as the General Synod began on Monday.

Separately, Mr Cottrell has also “categorically rejected” allegations that he bullied members of a committee to secure John Perumbalath’s appointment as Bishop of Liverpool.

Mr Perumbalath resigned as bishop last month following media coverage of sexual assault and harassment allegations against him, which he denies.

Synod is also debating the Makin Review, which led to Mr Welby’s resignation and which Mr Cottrell said had “laid bare” Church failings on safeguarding.

He said Mr Welby had done the “honourable thing by standing down”.