The Bishop of Southwark has welcomed the publication of an independent safeguarding review into the case of a survivor known as ‘TT’. The independent review, commissioned from thirtyone:eight, examines the Church of England’s handling of the case of TT, focusing on the response to allegations of rape, sexual abuse and spiritual abuse by two clergy youth officers, together with the Church’s subsequent management of those disclosures and the National Safeguarding Team (NST) investigation undertaken between 2019 and 2022. The allegations were first reported in 2001 but relate to events which occurred from 1979 and 1992.
The review considers the involvement of, and the actions taken by, the Dioceses of Southwark, Oxford and Leeds in response to TT’s allegations and related matters. The review considered whether the Church’s actions were thorough, proportionate, just, and consistent with safeguarding best practice, particularly in relation to survivor-centred and trauma-informed approaches.
The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, said: “This report makes for sobering reading and I would like to reaffirm the apology that I have already offered the survivor in this case – both for the original abuse that she suffered at the hands of church officers and for the further harm done to her by the Church’s numerous failures to respond well to her original disclosures of that abuse. This report speaks not just of a lack or failure of processes, but about failures in compassion and pastoral care – and of a culture that has failed to prioritise the needs of those who have been harmed. We are deeply sorry.
“In more recent years, I am pleased that our diocese – alongside others – has been able to offer more trauma-informed support to TT and enable her to tell her own story as part of this process. We do believe that our culture now – though not perfect – is far removed from that experienced by TT when she first disclosed her story in the early 2000s. However, we recognise that there is always more work to be done and we remain committed to improving both our systems and our engagement with survivors of abuse. We are grateful to TT for her courage in sharing her story again and to thirtyone:eight for its work in shining a light on the failings of the past and the limitations of our present systems.
“Many of the report’s recommendations speak of the need for clear national guidance and for processes that build a culture of accountability, reflective practice and trauma-informed safeguarding. We welcome these recommendations and have already begun to address a number of the issues highlighted through separate governance processes that have been underway for some time now. The remainder of the Review’s recommendations will be considered alongside those that will come out of our INEQE audit report and the national work under the Safeguarding Structures Reform Programme in due course.”
Key recommendations include embedding survivor-centred and trauma-informed practice throughout safeguarding processes, strengthening record keeping and communication standards, improving workforce stability and professional development, clarifying information-sharing arrangements, recognising spiritual abuse within safeguarding frameworks, establishing clearer routes to apology, accountability and redress, and implementing independent safeguarding scrutiny and oversight.
