An independent safeguarding body is the “only way to restore trust and confidence” in the Church of England following the recent abuse scandal, the chair of a public inquiry has said.
Professor Alexis Jay was made a CBE by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace for services to the prevention of child sexual abuse.
She was commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York to produce a report on safeguarding in the Church of England in 2022.
Speaking after the ceremony on Thursday, she said the Church’s internal safeguarding procedures made the chance of abuse being “swept under the carpet” more likely.
Earlier this month, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation over failings in his handling of the case of prolific abuser John Smyth after days of mounting pressure.
This came after a separate review concluded that Smyth, who abused as many as 130 boys and young men over five decades, might have been brought to justice had the archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013.
Of her safeguarding proposals presented to the Church Synod in February last year, Professor Jay said: “The Church needs to take my recommendations and make Church safeguarding fully independent of clergy and others, and this, in my opinion, is the only way to restore trust and confidence in how the Church operates in these extraordinary circumstances in which, if it remains within the diocese’s control in 42 dioceses, the chances of issues being swept under the carpet and ignored are much more likely.”
“It’s taking too long to implement it,” she added.
“It will go back to the Synod in February of next year – that’s a year on, when things could have moved much faster.”
It's a difficult subject matter, but essential that there's some public understanding of it.
Professor Jay, who also led the independent inquiry into child sex abuse in the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile scandal, said she felt “frustrated” that none of the probe’s recommendations had been implemented more than two years after its conclusion.
She said: “My inquiry in its final report made 20 recommendations, and none of these have been implemented yet.
“That was in October 2022, and it is hugely important that this Government takes up these issues and gives us a timeline for implementation.
“We spent eight years and a great deal of money – it’s in the nature of a public inquiry that they cost a lot, but more important is that the outcome of it is that those recommendations are implemented.”
Asked why she thought there had been no implementation of the recommendations, Professor Jay said: “I can’t say. I don’t know why that might be the case.
“It’s a difficult subject matter, but it is essential that there’s some public understanding of it.
“But we can only do what we can to press the Government to look at the delivery of all of this.
“It doesn’t need more consultation, it does not need more research or discussion, it just needs to be done.”
