The Church of England\u2019s National Safeguarding Steering Group (NSSG) has rejected an independent review\u2019s recommendation to centralise safeguarding nationally and strip diocesan bishops of oversight of diocesan safeguarding advisers.<\/p>\n
The suggestion that safeguarding be made a solely national responsibility came from a new report by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), which has recently audited each dioceses\u2019s safeguarding procedures.<\/p>\n
Its report, published on Thursday, is broadly positive. Its diocesan audits concluded that there had been a \u201cmajor improvement in the safeguarding resources, national policies and training courses\u201d since 2015, which was clearly trickling down to the dioceses.<\/p>\n
But the report also describes how the work of diocesan safeguarding advisers (DSAs) is managed by diocesan bishops and their staff \u201cwithout any requirement to have safeguarding knowledge and expertise\u201d.<\/p>\n
This lack of a \u201ccommand and control structure\u201d from the national Church means that inconsistencies in the way parishes and dioceses deal with child abuse are inevitable, the SCIE concludes.<\/p>\n
But the NSSG has decided against employing diocesan safeguarding advisers nationally. A senior C of E official said that cultural change was the priority, and, therefore, each bishop had to maintain control over diocesan safeguarding and remain personally invested in the work.<\/p>\n