Safeguarding

“St Michael and All Angels Church, Sutton Parish takes its duty and obligation to protect all extremely seriously. We have adopted the national Church of England's robust procedures and guidelines. You can find out more about the national policies and procedures at www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding

If you have any safeguarding concerns or issues on a safeguarding matter then you can find useful contact information at http://www.liverpool.anglican.org/safeguarding”

Bishop Paul to write to all parishes regarding the Past Case Review

The Church of England and the Diocese of Liverpool are committed to the best possible safeguarding practice. Recent evidence from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse has shown that we need to be extremely diligent in handling allegations to make sure the victim's voice is heard and acted on. The Past Case Review is one way in which we are doing this.

Bishop Paul will be writing to every parish to set out how we are carrying out the review. He said “The recent, shocking BBC documentary on Bishop Peter Ball is a sobering reminder of the consequences of a failure to take safeguarding seriously. It compels us to work hard to make sure that no victim goes unheard and unsupported. So the Past Cases Review is much more than a tick box exercise.

For this reason we are requiring each parish to examine its records and memories to make sure that there are no past cases where safeguarding fell short or was ignored. Everyone needs to make this review, honestly and very carefully. If nothing emerges in your church, then this will be a relief. But if there is any lingering doubt then it must be brought to light so that we can examine each case carefully, properly and diligently.

This is a very serious matter and an absolute priority; a proper re-examination of the past so that we can be clear and confident about our record in safeguarding as we go into the future. I must therefore require all parishes to address this with the utmost seriousness, and to encourage anyone who may be concerned about past or present abuse to contact our Diocesan Safeguarding Team or use the confidential helpline.

Thank you so much for your co-operation in this.”

Bishop Paul Liverpool

The Diocese of Liverpool is committed to promoting a safer church. Every parish can play its part.