THE diocese of Carlisle, and its cathedral, has a “positive safeguarding culture” according to an independent audit published on Thursday.
The INEQE Safeguarding Group found much to praise, but cited issues around safeguarding capacity which are familiar from previous reports on other dioceses and cathedrals.
The culture of safeguarding in the diocese is commended, with the auditors saying that it includes a “strong belief” among staff that “concerns can be raised without fear of reprisal, contributing to a sense of trust and confidence.”
However, they conclude that there is “room for improvement in engaging the wider community . . . Overall, the feedback suggests a culture that is receptive to change and improvement but also highlights the need for ongoing efforts to consolidate and strengthen practice and engagement, with an emphasis on reaching into parishes.”
Improvements in the dioceses’ safeguarding culture are credited to the “commitment and hard work of the many volunteers at the grassroots level”, as well as the diocese’s safeguarding staff.
The audit also praises the Acting Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Revd Rob Saner-Haigh, for his prioritisation of safeguarding, and strongly recommends that, when a new permanent diocesan bishop is appointed, he or she doesn’t delegate safeguarding to the suffragan bishop, as previously happened in Carlisle.
In a statement, Bishop Saner-Haigh said that “safeguarding remains a priority for us and we recognise that we can never sit still. We must always look to do and be better.”
He welcomed the recommendations, and said that the diocese was “committed to exploring how these can be implemented to further strengthen our safeguarding practices”.
The current Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (DSO), Joanna Van Lachterop, is described as a “clear asset” to the diocese, but the auditors go on to say that she has “been without appropriate support for far too long”.
The audit was conducted before the diocese had filled the newly created position of assistant diocesan safeguarding officer, and the report acknowledged that the diocese was “actively attempting to strengthen its safeguarding team”.
Oversight for clergy HR is held by the bishop’s chaplain, but INEQE advises that this could create a conflict of interest and recommends that this responsibility be separated from the role.
The auditors also recommend that the diocese’s safeguarding director is made an ex-officio member of the bishop’s leadership team, replacing the current arrangement in which they join selected meetings.
Carlisle is the tenth diocese to be audited by INEQE. Almost all of the other reports have raised similar concerns about the capacity and structure of safeguarding teams (News, 7 February).
In Carlisle, the “heavy workload” on the DSO “has created challenges and hindered potential progress”, INEQE’s report says.
“This over-reliance on a small team creates a risk of unsustainability and hinders the potential for proactive and comprehensive safeguarding practice,” the auditors say, recommending that the team be bolstered by the employment of a director of safeguarding with oversight across the diocese as well as the cathedral.
This recommendation tallies with INEQE’s vision for the structural changes required in C of E safeguarding.
Before the General Synod debate on the future of church safeguarding in February, the chief executive of INEQE, Jim Gamble, argued that it was this model, and not outsourcing diocesan safeguarding to an independent organisation, which should be pursued (News, 10 February).
INEQE also audited Carlisle Cathedral, which has a “memorandum of understanding” with the diocesan safeguarding structures managed by the Diocesan Board of Finance.
This includes the DSO spending one day a month at the cathedral site, as well as offering support remotely. Operational safeguarding is conducted by the Canon Warden, the Revd Dr Benjamin Carter, whose commitment the audit describes as “exemplary”.
The Cathedral also has a lay safeguarding lead, who is independent of the Chapter, and is developing a cathedral safeguarding group which the audit says “can play a crucial role in ensuring safeguarding is embedded within the Cathedral community”.
The audit recommends the employment of a dedicated safeguarding advisor, managed by the DSO, in order to further professionalise safeguarding provision at the cathedral.
Choristers engaged by the auditors were “overwhelming positive” about their experiences, and had a “clear sense” for who to approach if there were any concerns.
The Dean of Carlisle, the Very Revd Jonathan Brewster, said on Thursday that he was grateful to INEQE for the “supportive way in which the audit was conducted.
“We welcome the auditor’s constructive engagement with the whole cathedral community and their recognition of the work we have done to engage with victims and survivors of abuse through the Cathedral safeguarding season,” he said.
The full report is available on the Church of England website.
