Last week saw the publication of the report by John Makin KC into the Church of England’s handling of the allegations of serious abuse perpetrated by the late John Smyth in the 1970s and 1980s. This was followed yesterday by the announcement of the resignation of Archbishop Justin Welby.
The Makin report is detailed and the abuse it describes is extreme and disturbing. It continued over many years. The report is critical of the Church of England’s response as an institution as well as criticising several senior individuals. The response to queries raised about John Smyth was negligible at the time and it took many years for victims’ accounts to be heard.
For all of us it represents a stark reminder of the need to follow our processes with care and urgency and to exercise due curiosity in all cases of concern.
The Diocese in Europe is committed to the very highest standards in safeguarding practice with the interests and the voice of victims and survivors at the forefront of all activities. In the introduction to the Safeguarding Policy Bishop Robert writes: ’Safeguarding is a theological priority that is integral to the mission of the church. It is an area where the church should lead and not just follow. Safeguarding continues to be a top priority for me – and I expect this to be the case across our Diocese. We have a duty before our Lord to enable the church to be a safe and secure place for all.’
As the Church of England’s Lead Safeguarding Bishop Joanne Grenfell puts it in response to the report: ‘We wholeheartedly endorse the reviewer’s emphasis that safeguarding must be everyone’s responsibility in the Church, working closely with safeguarding professionals.”
This weekend 15 – 17 November there is a special focus on Safeguarding across the Diocese in Europe.
On Friday 15 November there will be an online Safeguarding Service of Worship at 1800CET (1700 GMT), on Saturday there is the Safeguarding Conference for Chaplaincy Safeguarding Officers and others.
If you have any concerns do not hesitate to contact our Safeguarding Officer Sue Wilcock
Email: chaplaincy.safeguarding@gmail.com

Safeguarding Sundays in our Chaplaincy

During November we will be joining in with many churches in Europe and in the United Kingdom in marking Safeguarding Sunday.
This is a chance to find out more about Safeguarding in our Chaplaincy, but also to think about what it means to protect ourselves and our congregations from harm, thank God for what we have, and ask for his guidance for the future.
Services at Courcelles on 3rd November, and Chef Boutonné on the 24th November will be dedicated to Safeguarding. The service on 10th November at Cognac, will have a safeguarding update.
I hope you will be able to join in with one of these services.
Sue Wilcock
CSO

I am Sue Wilcock and have been the Safeguarding Officer for the Chaplaincy for the past year. I am a retired Advance Nurse Practitioner with experience working in General Practice and heading up several teams, all of whom had training and involvement in Safeguarding. The role of the Safeguarding Officer is to be the named person to whom volunteers and churchmembers report any concerns, disclosures or child protection issues. This role is regularly communicated within the church to ensure church members are aware of this role and who they should approach with any concerns. We also have posters in each worship centre to guide people who to contact in an emergency. Information about safeguarding in our Chaplaincy can be also be found on the website : churchinfrance.com. There is also a ‘ Safeguarding Corner’ in every issue of Jubilate. It was a pleasure to be involved in a service for Safeguarding Sunday this year, and I hope that we can expand this to all our worship centres in the future. Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and vulnerableadults, protecting them from abuse or maltreatment and preventing harm to their healthor development. Proverbs 31v 8 says ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.’As a Chaplaincy we want to ensure that the children and vulnerable adults in our communityare protected and we recognise the calling and duty to love and care for the vulnerable andmarginalised and protect all from abuse. In the Chaplaincy of Christ the Good Shepherd we want to make sure we have clear procedures in place and a culture where safeguarding is taken seriously. We are aware that the wider church has failed in this area with regards to historic abuseand where church leaders have abused their positions of authority and exploited churchmembers and this highlights the importance of having clear policies and procedures withregards to safeguarding.In the past year we have had no new Safeguarding cases but this has not meant that we haven’t maintained and continued to work hard to promote good safeguarding practice and ensure our worship centres and congregations are safe.Volunteers/DBS checks:We have achieved 100% of all our chaplaincy volunteers, ministry team and clergy renewing or having completed a Confidential Declaration form for the first time over the past year. Those volunteers and church officers who require DBS and French Police checks have also completed these. Checks are required to be renewed every three years.Training:The diocese in Europe have a comprehensive training programme in place based on the Church of England courses. These Church of England courses are online and are the Basic Awareness online training which all church officers and volunteers undertake. This is the course that all Church members can do online. This year all members of our chaplaincy volunteers had already completed or have completed this course. In addition, all members of the Council and any church officers, ministry team and clergy are required to do Foundation level training, we are also very close to achieving 100% compliance with this training too.The ministry team and clergy are required to attend Safeguarding Leadership training which is a two part zoom course. I am very happy to report we are 100% compliant with this as a Chaplaincy. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in achieving this, it is much appreciated and shows that my nagging paid off in the end!Some will know I am also involved with Safeguarding Training and over the last year I have helped facilitate four Leadership courses, each comprising of two zoom training sessions online. It has been a privilege to be a part of the training across Europe. Safeguarding Policies:Our Chaplaincy have this year reviewed the Chaplaincy Safeguarding Policy at our Council meeting and have adopted this. It is published on our website. We have also signed up to using the Diocese in Europe Safeguarding Policy available on the Diocese in Europe’s website. I report to Council at every meeting regarding Safeguarding and produce an action plan (parish safeguarding dashboard) with ongoing actions and any issues to bring to council. This makes sure Safeguarding is always on our agenda. We have adopted new initiatives this year, made sure all activities are kept safe and helped individuals navigate Safeguarding for the first time.Conclusion:Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Acting on your concerns or seeking advice israrely a bad idea. People often question ‘What if I’m wrong’ but we have to also askourselves ‘what if I’m right’. We can’t assume that someone else has seen what we mayhave seen or will pass on concerns.I am happy to be asked for advice about any concerns people have and happy to chat things through. The Safeguarding team for Europe are an essential resource and are always happy to be contacted regarding any Safeguarding questions or concerns. Sue WilcockChaplaincy Safeguarding Officer chaplaincy.safeguarding@gmail.com

The Chaplaincy considers Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults to be of the utmost importance.
Please contact the Chaplaincy Safeguarding Officer Sue Wilcock with any Safeguarding concerns :
chaplaincy.safeguarding@gmail.com

“The Church of England is called to share the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. The life of our communities and institutions is integral to how we address this task. The good news speaks of welcome for all , with a particular regard for those who are most vulnerable, into a community where the value and dignity of every human being is affirmed and those in positions of responsibility and authority are truly trustworthy. Being faithful to our call to share the gospel therefore compels us to take with the utmost seriousness the challenge of preventing abuse from happening and responding well where it has .”
(From ‘Promoting a Safer Church ’, The Church of England’s Safeguarding Policy Statement)

If you believe that you have information or knowledge of a safeguarding issue in the Chaplaincy which suggests that someone poses a risk of serious harm to others, or that an individual may be at risk of serious harm from others, it must be reported immediately.
You can do this through your
Chaplaincy Safeguarding Officer Sue Wilcock
chaplaincy.safeguarding@gmail.com
or contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team europe.safeguarding@churchofengland.org
Reporting Line: +44 (0)207 898 1163

Where you are concerned that the person is likely to be in immediate danger, then call the Gendarmes or Police on 17 or 112.