SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) have made a survey available in relation to survivors of abuse. The initial closing date for this is 8th August, for a first summary being published in October. The survey will remain open after this date, though, and all responses will be reviewed again in January 2019.
SCIE are hoping for a wide-range of people to respond. If any of the following applies to you, then you may wish to complete the survey:
You, or your family member or friend, might have:
- a) Been abused, mistreated or bullied by any member of the clergy, including bishops, or other persons related to the Church such as a music director, someone working in church administration or a volunteer such as a PCC member or youth worker. We refer to this as ‘ecclesiastical abuse’.
- b) Been abused, mistreated or neglected by someone not related to the Church such as a relative, work colleague, carer or friend, in other settings such as at home, at school or in hospital.
- c) Needed help to keep safe because of difficulties in life circumstances that led you to seek or need pastoral support from the Church, such as bereavement, crime, relationship breakdown, redundancy, occupational stress, physical or mental ill health, drug or alcohol dependencies, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, old age, emotional fragility or distress
- d) Had safeguarding concerns over potentially hazardous church activities or the presence of known perpetrators of abuse taking part in church services or activities.
If you have had, or feel you should have had a response from the Church of England, please take part in this survey. You can be a lay person, clergy or lay Church officer. You can be a friend or family member, as well as people with first-hand experience.
Participating in this survey may be painful or difficult for you. Please don’t feel obliged to complete it if it feels too difficult to do so. If you wish to discuss this confidentially or would like to explore further support, please contact Brett Riches or Becca Faal, Diocesan Safeguarding Officers on 01452 835516. Alternatively, you can also make contact with NAPAC on 0808 801 0331 (napac.org.uk).
The initial deadline is to help maximise the impact of responses, with it being timed to match the timing of Diocesan audit findings. However, SCIE will continue to receive responses until the end of the year, to allow as many people as possible to respond and not to feel rushed by the process.
The survey can be accessed directly HERE.
The survey and background information can also be downloaded in Word format HERE
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