Buckinghamshire review

GP’s to always document the name and the relationship of the person who the patient attends with for a consultation.

The importance of conducting proportionate secondary investigation when formulating an investigation plan should be re-visited in relation to student Officer training and the IDP programme. Stronger emphasis needs to be embedded into the revised training in order to ensure understanding and competence.

The benefits of co-location of the MASH are considered in any future review.

Work with Parishes asking them to regularly audit their volunteering processes and practices against CoE and Charity Commission standards regarding safer practices in volunteer recruitment, training, monitoring, support and supervision, including expectations regarding volunteer conduct to establish if proper processes and practices are being consistently delivered and are effective in identifying risks, volunteer support and development needs. (This could include reporting through the Archdeacons visits and peer review processes with other local groups)

For the Northampton RC Diocese (through the Safeguarding Commission) to review the final overview report and action plan and give consideration to any further improvements that may be required locally.

Clearer information given to staff and police around the governance of information sharing.

Consideration should be given to converting the current secondary investigation guidance on the ‘Knowzone’ into dedicated Operational Guidance (http://knowzone/kz-inv-si). The Guidance needs to include the importance of checking primary information systems including Command and Control and CMP for investigative actions. Reference should be made to Endeavour principle 5 and particular emphasis given to the understanding of proportionality of secondary research and subsequent lines of enquiry.

To fully review recording guidance and systems to ensure contemporaneous decisions and rationales can be recorded in safeguarding. This would therefore allow for decisions and their rationale to be clearly identifiable in the case record.

Apply the learning from the DO review, particularly in terms of the specific issues highlighted by this case review, to promoting a broader learning and development approach to safeguarding adults (e.g., use 7-minute briefing for awareness raising and in training […] and advocate for this to be incorporated as part of the delivery of the national safeguarding training strategy.

To share the overview report and action plan with the CSSA to consider the national context for safeguarding in the Catholic Church. Any learning to be shared on a national level across Dioceses in England and Wales.

Safeguarding managers need to ensure that when workers are on leave their cases have a minimum level of contact to assure safeguarding is maintained.

Consider developing and adopting a policy or protocol based on a review of what was helpful in this case, learning from Stowe, to provide tailored and targeted support for people affected and groomed by abusers, including Parish communities. This should include visibility of senior clergy, as happened in Stowe, at times of stress and distress to support the Parish and ensure that Parish leadership has the skills and abilities to support local parishioners to recover from trauma in any circumstances and is tailored to the situation that requires it.

To continue to incorporate the case learning within relevant future training and development sessions with clergy and lay volunteers, including those in a safeguarding role, as a learning tool.

Buckinghamshire Council to promote home visits when undertaking safeguarding visits or assessments. This has commenced.

Consider how resilience and self-care for licenced ministers and church officers can be improved still further, to be able to cope with traumatic events, through reviewing the provision of mentoring and peer support to maintain their wellbeing after ordination, encourage take up of what is on offer, and advocate for support mechanisms to be identified in clergy training.

To continue to promote attendance by the clergy, religious and laity at training and development events, including engagement with online training, which now includes a specific module on domestic abuse and violence.

Consider researching, selecting and promote the use of the most appropriate validated psychometric tools for psychological testing of all candidates as part of the discernment process for ordination and promote this nationally within the Church of England.

Consider mechanisms to increase transparency (e.g. publicising the names of people recommended to be trained for ministry) to enable concerns to be raised regarding suitableness of candidates for ordination and promote this nationally within the Church of England.