An independent audit of safeguarding arrangements in the Diocese of Canterbury was published as part of a national programme of reviews commissioned by the Church of England.
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) was commissioned to audit the safeguarding arrangements of every Church of England diocese. The purpose of the audits was to build a shared understanding of how safeguarding operated locally and to support ongoing improvement. Following pilot audits in four dioceses in 2015, a nationally agreed audit model was rolled out across all dioceses during 2016 and 2017.
The audit of the Diocese of Canterbury took place from 28 to 31 March 2017 and was carried out by Hugh Constant, the lead auditor for the diocese, alongside Lucy Erber. At the time of publication, the Rt Revd Trevor Willmott, then Bishop of Dover and Bishop in Canterbury, welcomed the report, saying:
“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."