Latest news with #JoanneGrenfell
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Church missed opportunity to hear victims, says bishop
The Church of England's failure to adopt a fully independent safeguarding model was a missed opportunity to make clear it has listened to victims, the bishop tasked with leading on the issue has said. The Bishop of Stepney, Dr Joanne Grenfell, who is lead bishop for safeguarding, had put forward a motion to the General Synod for all Church-employed safeguarding officers to be transferred to a new independent body. Dr Grenfell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she was "very disappointed", but that the Church had nonetheless adopted changes that amount to a "big step forward". 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". It comes as the Church has faced intense scrutiny for its safeguarding practices in recent months after the the former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned over his handling of an abuse case. On Tuesday the Synod, the Church of England's governing body, voted overwhelmingly for a less independent option which will see the creation of an independent central safeguarding team, but with local diocesan and cathedral safeguarding officers remaining with their current church employers. Dr Grenfell told the BBC: "On the one hand 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. "On the other hand, what we did vote to get on with, 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." On Tuesday, the Synod had been expected to vote on the fully-independent model proposed by Prof Alexis Jay, who previously chaired the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and barrister Sarah Wilkinson. But following an amendment, the Prof Jay-backed model was not voted on at all, and an alternative was adopted. Church of England rejects fully independent safeguarding Church covered up 'abhorrent' abuse, report finds I know I have made mistakes, says under-fire archbishop 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. But Dr Grenfell said: "I don't think we can hide behind those complex structures, that's just not good enough for victims and survivors... "What I'm concerned about, is that it sounds, it feels to victims and survivors who I have spoken to, that we didn't hear what they were saying and I really want to say to them 'I hear you and we will continue to do this work'." The Survivors Trust group said public trust in the Church to effectively safeguard children "has been totally lost". "Church leaders must reconsider their approach and take immediate steps toward genuine, independent safeguarding reform," it said. Andrew Graystone, an 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". Dr Grenfell added the Church is going through a "really painful and necessary time of reckoning" and there is a "huge amount to think through before we appoint a new Archbishop of Canterbury". The Church has faced criticism for its handling of safeguarding issues, with a damning report into serial abuser and Christian camp leader John Smyth leading to Mr Welby's resignation. The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, who has temporarily taken on most of Mr Welby's responsibilities, has also faced criticism over his handling of an abuse case. Mr Cottrell has said he supports "independence in safeguarding" and was "disappointed" that it would now happen in "two stages". He said he would "fully commit" himself to "implementing Synod's decision and making it happen". Also known as the Church's parliament, the General Synod meets up to three times a year to debate and pass measures governing how the Church works. It is made up of 478 members who are elected every five years.
The Independent
12-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
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. 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 Bishop Joanne Grenfell 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 or call a free, confidential helpline on 0808 801 0818.
BBC News
12-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Church of England missed opportunity to show victims heard, says bishop
The Church of England's failure to adopt a fully independent safeguarding model was a missed opportunity to make clear it has listened to victims, the bishop tasked with leading on the issue has Bishop of Stepney, Dr Joanne Grenfell, who is lead bishop for safeguarding, had put forward a motion to the General Synod for all Church-employed safeguarding officers to be transferred to a new independent body. Dr Grenfell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she was "very disappointed", but that the Church had nonetheless adopted changes that amount to a "big step forward".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". It comes as the Church has faced intense scrutiny for its safeguarding practices in recent months after the the former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned over his handling of an abuse Tuesday the Synod, the Church of England's governing body, voted overwhelmingly for a less independent option which will see the creation of an independent central safeguarding team, but with local diocesan and cathedral safeguarding officers remaining with their current church Grenfell told the BBC: "On the one hand 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. "On the other hand, what we did vote to get on with, 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."On Tuesday, the Synod had been expected to vote on the fully-independent model proposed by Prof Alexis Jay, who previously chaired the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and barrister Sarah following an amendment, the Prof Jay-backed model was not voted on at all, and an alternative was adopted. 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 Dr Grenfell said: "I don't think we can hide behind those complex structures, that's just not good enough for victims and survivors..."What I'm concerned about, is that it sounds, it feels to victims and survivors who I have spoken to, that we didn't hear what they were saying and I really want to say to them 'I hear you and we will continue to do this work'."The Survivors Trust group said public trust in the Church to effectively safeguard children "has been totally lost"."Church leaders must reconsider their approach and take immediate steps toward genuine, independent safeguarding reform," it Graystone, an 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".Dr Grenfell added the Church is going through a "really painful and necessary time of reckoning" and there is a "huge amount to think through before we appoint a new Archbishop of Canterbury". The Church has faced criticism for its handling of safeguarding issues, with a damning report into serial abuser and Christian camp leader John Smyth leading to Mr Welby's Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, who has temporarily taken on most of Mr Welby's responsibilities, has also faced criticism over his handling of an abuse case. Mr Cottrell has said he supports "independence in safeguarding" and was "disappointed" that it would now happen in "two stages".He said he would "fully commit" himself to "implementing Synod's decision and making it happen".Also known as the Church's parliament, the General Synod meets up to three times a year to debate and pass measures governing how the Church works. It is made up of 478 members who are elected every five years.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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'. 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.
The Independent
11-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Church's parliament urged to back independent safeguarding to ‘restore trust'
The Church of England must choose to make its safeguarding processes independent to 'restore trust' among abuse survivors, its parliament has heard ahead of a significant vote on the issue. General Synod members are choosing a new model for how abuse allegations are handled, but views have differed on how independent it should be. Of the two being presented on Tuesday one, 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. Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, Archdeacon of Liverpool This is the option generally favoured by abuse survivors, with a lawyer supporting some who gathered ahead of the meeting in central London saying it is a chance for the Church to 'step away from secrecy and self-protection'. 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'. They are being presented 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. This five-day session of Synod is the first sitting since the resignation of the archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who stood down amid condemnation over safeguarding failures. Archdeacon of Liverpool Miranda Threlfall-Holmes urged members to vote for model four, branding the Church a 'ridiculously complex institution' which is in need of more simplified processes. To restore trust, we need to set things up in a way that means there can be no actual or perceived conflicts of interest or undue pressure exerted from anyone inside the Church Bishop Joanne Grenfell She said: ' Model four represents the seriousness with which we need to take this. 'Yes, it will be expensive and complex but…we are a ridiculously complex institution. 'But we, Synod, are the lawmakers. We can change that. It is ridiculous that there are 85 different employers and systems for safeguarding. Let's sort that out. Let's take the pain now and just have one.' Labour MP Marsha de Cordova, who represents the Church in the House of Commons, said choosing model four was the 'first step towards restoring trust', noting it is the approach preferred by Prof Jay and abuse survivors. Echoing this, lead safeguarding bishop, Joanne Grenfell, who put forward model four to be debated and voted on, said, while 'much has changed and improved' on safeguarding, the Church must listen to survivors 'telling us that they don't have confidence that we can do this ourselves'. She added: 'To restore trust, we need to set things up in a way that means there can be no actual or perceived conflicts of interest or undue pressure exerted from anyone inside the Church.' Bishop of Leicester Martyn Snow said model four would ensure a 'cultural reset', but other members voiced concerns. Arguing for model three, Bishop of Rochester Jonathan Gibbs said it could help towards a change in culture 'where safeguarding professionals embedded at the diocesan level are able to see and challenge the way things are done day by day'. He suggested model four 'could actually make it harder, in some ways, for us to bring about the cultural change we need, and that would be a loss, though it may be one we have to accept as a consequence of our collective failures'. Reverend Nicki Pennington, based at a Church in Cumbria, said she was 'concerned as to whether culture change can be effectively driven and supported by an outside agency'. Leaflets being handed out by demonstrators in front of Church House ahead of the debate branded the Church's attitude and processes to date a 'safeguarding failure'. One man, who was abused as a child in Liverpool saying the Church should 'close its doors' if Synod does not back this option. Craig Freedman was abused by John Roberts, who was based at St Peter's Church in Woolton, Liverpool, and was convicted in 1989 of indecent assault. But instead of being defrocked, Roberts was eventually promoted to the position of Canon before he retired in 2013. Mr Freedman said he felt 'persecuted' through the Church's actions in allowing Roberts to continue. He told the PA news agency: 'I'm banking on Synod to vote for independence through model four.' Mr Freedman said this would show the Church's 'willingness to make change'. He added: 'I'd call for the Church to close its doors if it doesn't vote model four. I have lost all my faith. As far as I'm concerned the Church has persecuted me throughout my life.' Abuse lawyer David Greenwood stood in solidarity with victims on Tuesday. He said the vote presented an 'opportunity to step away from secrecy and self-protection'. The lawyer said: 'Model three won't deal with conflict of interest, deference, and uneven funding arrangements. 'I support model four, subject to policy being created by an independent body and bishops and officials being mandated to comply with the external body's advice. 'The project board and scrutiny body will also need to be independent from the Church.' One Synod member, also backing model four, praised Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley for having had 'the guts to stand up to the archbishops'. Cornwall-based priest William Harwood, who said he is a survivor of Church-based abuse, described her as being 'the bishop of courage and transparency' for speaking out on abuse. She was the only bishop to publicly call for Mr Welby's resignation and has also called on the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell to quit over safeguarding failures. Responding to her comments this week about feeling isolated, he said: 'You are not alone. 'You are not the bishop of negativity, you are the bishop of courage and transparency and you give a dissenting voice at the top levels to so many survivors who have no voice.' As his voice broke with emotion, he was met with applause. He said survivors like himself will 'never trust the House of Bishops without wholesale change'. A vote is expected to take place on Tuesday afternoon.
