ROCHESTER diocesan synod’s vote of no confidence in the Archbishops’ Council’s oversight of safeguarding is being taken “very seriously” by the Council, its Secretary General, William Nye, has written (News,10 December).
In a letter to the synod’s clergy and lay chairs, dated 20 December, Mr Nye writes: “We are deeply conscious of the terrible hurt and lasting damage to survivors that has been caused by the actions of John Smyth, and the failings of the Church in its response. The Archbishop’s Council itself commissioned the independent Makin Review to properly examine and learn from these failings. Along with everyone in the Church, we are shamed by its findings.”
The trustees of the Council, he says, “always welcome conversations with all those across the Church” that can help their reflections on safeguarding.
He goes on to suggest, however, that the diocesan synod “may have been unaware” of how the Archbishops’ Council and National Safeguarding Steering Group, informed by the National Safeguarding Team (NST), were “actively responding to the recommendations of the Makin review”.
He lists the four-stage process for assessing individuals named in the review (News, 5 December), the proposals for independence to be put to the General Synod in February (News, 20 December), and the new Clergy Conduct Measure, due to be presented for final approval at the same meeting (News, 12 July).
A reference to a House of Bishops meeting that “will consider the proposals on 10th December” indicates that the letter was drafted before that.
Mr Nye also lists financial support for the Interim Support Scheme and Safe Spaces, and says that there has been “significant progress” on the work to establish the Redress Scheme. It is now four years since the scheme was proposed (News, 22 July 2022).
The Council is “aware of the absolute necessity for trauma-informed assessment in all our work on safeguarding”, he writes. “We particularly value advice from senior members of the National Safeguarding Team in this regard and look forward to further scrutiny from the National Safeguarding Panel under its newly appointed Chair, Nazir Afzal. We have asked him to challenge our work and to hold us to task, with the concerns of victims and survivors central to all the Council does” (News, 24 September).
The letter says: “We would value a conversation with the Diocesan Synod to further understand your concerns and we look forward to hearing the discussions at General Synod on the independent safeguarding recommendations.”
The motion, brought by the Vicar of St Margaret’s, Rainham, the Revd Nathan Ward, called for the Archbishops’ Council “to take the necessary reforms to restore trust, safeguard the vulnerable, and uphold the Church’s moral and legal responsibilities”.
Mr Ward said on Monday that he welcomed Mr Nye’s engagement with the issue. He said, however: “It is important to clarify that the motion did not suggest that the Archbishops’ Council is doing nothing to address safeguarding. Rather, it reflected a collective lack of confidence in oversight and accountability structures, as highlighted in the findings of the Makin Review and other reports.”
He also welcomed the Council’s offer to meet with the Diocesan Synod. “Such a conversation is essential for ensuring that the urgent need for systemic reform is met with decisive action. This is a critical moment for the Church of England to demonstrate transparency, accountability, and commitment to safeguarding reform. The concerns raised by the Synod are not merely about what has been done so far but about rebuilding trust and ensuring the Church is a safer place for all.”
This article was updated on the afternoon of 23 December to include Mr Ward’s comments.