The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has been commissioned to undertake an audit of the safeguarding arrangements of each diocese of the Church of England. The aim of these audits is to work together to understand how safeguarding is working in each diocese, and to support the continuing improvements being made. Following pilot audits of four dioceses in 2015, an agreed audit model is being applied nationally during 2016 and 2017.
The audit of the Diocese of Canterbury was carried out by Hugh Constant (the lead auditor for this diocese) and Lucy Erber from 28 to 31 March 2017. Welcoming the report, the Rt Revd Trevor Willmott, Bishop of Dover and Bishop in Canterbury, said:
“We are hugely grateful to the Social Care Institute for Excellence for their thorough report on this crucial aspect of our life as a diocese. We take all the considerations raised by the report very seriously and are working on a plan to implement all necessary actions. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team for the excellent quality of their work and the commitment they have demonstrated in helping us work to be a safer Church for all.”
The full report can be found online here.