THE words “supportive”, “respectful”, and “welcoming” were the three most often used to describe the safeguarding culture across the diocese of Lincoln and at Lincoln Cathedral, the INEQE Safeguarding Group has reported.
“Several key individuals” in the diocese, however, described some safeguarding processes as “dysfunctional”, specifically in the arrangements between the suffragan bishops and archdeacons.
INEQE has been conducting an audit of every diocese and cathedral in the Church of England. The full report on Lincoln diocese was published on 13 March.
The Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd Stephen Conway, is praised for having a “clear and unambiguous commitment to safeguarding”, a judgement that, the auditors say, is backed up by documents that the auditors examined, and by people with whom they spoke.
The report recommends, however, that he develop a framework with diocesan safeguarding staff to set out clearly the responsibilities of suffragan bishops and archdeacons on issues that include clergy compliance with safeguarding training and DBS checks.
As in previous INEQE audits, it is recommended that the diocese establish the post of Director of Safeguarding, to provide “greater autonomy and credibility when challenging senior clergy and ensure that safeguarding is prioritised at the highest level”.
Another familiar theme from previous audits is the concern about the capacity of the diocesan safeguarding team to deal, in the long term, with the volume of work.
“The team’s willingness to go above and beyond is commendable, but ultimately unsustainable,” the report says. It recommends the appointment of a new member of full-time staff.
The team’s “low-threshold model of practice . . . promotes a culture that encourages reporting”, the audit says, praising this as good practice. But the tendency of some people to “use safeguarding channels for non-safeguarding issues” leads to “unnecessary pressure” on the team.
To help manage capacity issues, the auditors recommend that the team draw up a document defining the types of cases for which it is responsible.
At parish level, most respondents to the audit survey said that safeguarding had improved, but INEQE recommended that more signposting to national church resources be integrated into communications.
Concerns about the “timeliness and consistency” of communications were also raised by some victims and survivors. INEQE recommends that the frequency and level of communication should be agreed with each individual at the outset, to ensure that it met their needs and that they knew what to expect.
In a statement, Bishop Conway said that he was “deeply grateful to everyone in our diocesan family who engaged in so many ways with this important work. On behalf of us all, I want to extend a particular thank-you to victims and survivors of abuse in church contexts who courageously shared their experiences and voices as part of this process.”
He thanked INEQE, and said that he found the audit to be “both robust and extremely helpful. There is good news to be commended and new learning for us all. . . With the publication of this report, we have been given fresh energy to address the good work necessary to go forward, so that we can go on growing safer with INEQE’s encouragement.”
The audit of Lincoln Cathedral concluded that, despite “starting from a challenging position”, it was now “experiencing a wave of positive change”.
The new Dean, the Very Revd Dr Simon Jones (News, 26 April 2024), is identified in the report as “instrumental” in this process, and described as “fostering a more open and collaborative environment”.
Dr Jones welcomed the report, but said that there was “no room for complacency”.
In a statement, he said: “We understand and acknowledge the life-changing impact that previous safeguarding failings have had on all those affected. We will continue to review and refine our victim-centred approach to safeguarding and are committed to creating an environment based on the values of inclusivity, honesty and respect.”
Although the audit report on the cathedral was generally positive, INEQE said that a “significant minority” of staff felt that safeguarding was not fully embedded. “Addressing their concerns is crucial to maintaining momentum,” the auditors concluded.
A cathedral safeguarding officer has recently been appointed, and both Dr Jones and the designated cathedral safeguarding lead (CSL), Canon Nick Brown, understood and accepted their responsibilities for safeguarding.
INEQE recommends, however, that responsibility for safeguarding be transferred to an “independent non-executive”, to avoid any “perceived conflict of interest” by having a CSL who also holds other responsibilities in the cathedral.
Safeguarding allegations against a canon at the cathedral in 2019, which eventually concluded with a finding that there was no case to answer, led to the suspension of the then Dean and Bishop over concerns about handling of the allegations (News, 16 March 2020, 18 June 2021).
