Religious organisation child protection policies

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

No statement on delivery from Religious Organisations has been found in the sources searched. This is separate from the response above.

On 28 February 2022, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (CCJW) stated that Jehovah’s Witnesses have a child protection policy in place which is reviewed regularly and has been updated following publication of the Inquiry's report. The CCJW response also stated that elders are directed to comply with all mandatory reporting obligations and that in jurisdictions without a mandatory reporting law, like England and Wales, elders are directed to report an allegation to the statutory authorities whenever it appears that any child might be at risk of abuse from the accused. On 4 February 2022, the Baptist Union of Great Britain said it was working to find ways to gather more data on safeguarding incidents and concerns in its churches, recognising the challenges of this in a non-hierarchical movement. It said it will continue to work with its churches, associations and colleges to gather and analyse this data which will be used to provide more targeted support for those who are victims of abuse in church and community settings and to prioritise safeguarding resources for its churches. On 2 September 2021, the Methodist Church in Great Britain stated that it will examine its child protection policy, along with the procedures and training, as part of its ongoing cycle of learning and review to see what changes might be needed in light of the Inquiry’s report. On 28 October 2021, the Methodist Church in Great Britain stated that their updated safeguarding policy includes the importance of training for those involved with people who are on a safeguarding contract and a simplification of the safer recruitment policy. An anti-bullying policy was also added. On 2 September 2021, the Muslim Council of Britain stated that it “is committed to providing resources and support for its affiliated organisations, and to sharing good practice already out there, to foster safe and nurturing environments for children in religious settings.” On 11 June 2022, the Muslim Council of Britain stated that it is producing mosque-specific safeguarding guidance and templates, that are planned to be made publicly available to member organisations by Q3/Q4 of 2022. On 2 September 2021, the Quakers in Britain stated that the Inquiry has prompted them to make improvements, such as creating a new national case management database. The Quakers in Britain now work more closely with local Quaker groups to record and share information appropriately. On 2 September 2021, the United Reformed Church (URC) stated that it has robust policies and procedures in place to ensure the welfare and protection of all who attend church and who use its premises, and that it will continue to make sure that safeguarding remains a priority. On 6 October 2021, the Faith Communities Forum of the Inter Faith Network for the UK stated that its member organisations are committed to use learning to ensure that all their faith leaders and lay leaders are trained, aware and committed to best practice, and that all their community places are safe places for the young and for any who are vulnerable or potentially vulnerable. On 9 February 2022, Triratna Buddhist Order and Community stated that Triratna charities are provided with annually updated model safeguarding policies and guidance documents related to protecting children and adults from harm in the course of charities’ activities, including guidance on receiving disclosures of child sexual abuse.