Church independent external safeguarding audits

The Index has not yet recorded a verbatim government response to this recommendation.

In response to the recommendations made in the IICSA Enquiry, an independent audit programme delivered by INEQE was commissioned across all dioceses, cathedrals & the National Safeguarding Team. INEQE use the National Safeguarding Standards to measure progress. The standards are available here: https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/national-safeguarding-standards To date, INEQE have reviewed the National Safeguarding Team and 22 dioceses, including their cathedrals. 17 of the reports have been published, and the remaining reports will be published soon. The reports can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/reviews-and-reports/independent-safeguarding-audit-programme INEQE is ensuring that all relevant parts of the Church of England are reviewed, including the Diocese in Europe, and the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The INEQE audit of dioceses is scheduled to run until early 2028 and INEQE also produces Annual Reports that highlight themes of good practice and areas for improvement.

On 29 March 2021, the Church of England (CoE) noted that the National Safeguarding Steering Group, House of Bishops and Archbishops’ Council remain committed to the programme of five yearly independent audits which began in dioceses in 2015. The safeguarding audits will continue during 2021, with a small number taking place in 2022. The CoE also stated that it will introduce a new quality assurance framework, which aims to develop national safeguarding standards against which the Church’s safeguarding practice can be measured. The draft standards were developed in the summer of 2020 and will undergo further consultation, with final approval expected in summer 2021. On 6 April 2021, the Church in Wales (CiW) stated that it plans to undertake an audit of a random sample of safeguarding casework during the course of 2021 and to agree a programme of internal and external peer review in 2022 and 2023. The CiW intends to publish the findings from these external audits and intends that they become a regular part of its landscape of quality assurance. On 14 September 2021, the Church of England (CoE) stated that its Governance Review Working Group has recommended changes to the Church's national governance structures. In line with the Inquiry's recommendation, it recommends that the oversight of the national Church’s safeguarding activities should be carried out by a separate independent body. The recommendation is to be considered by the Church's governance bodies during the autumn.