Diocese of St Albans statement to the Archbishops’ Council’s working group’s response to the Scolding Review

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The Church of England’s General Synod has today published its papers for the upcoming February sessions, which will take place from 10 February. Among the documents is ‘GS Misc 1402’, the Archbishops’ Council’s working group’s response to the Scolding Review. The full set of Synod papers is available here. This response addresses critical safeguarding concerns and reinforces the importance of cultural change across the Church.

A statement from the Diocese of St Albans

The Working Group of the Archbishops’ Council has rightly emphasised that fostering a good culture is essential for creating a safer church, and is undeniably more effective than relying solely on processes and checks, important as these are.

Soul Survivor Watford’s trustees and church leaders are actively working to address past failures and foster a healthier culture. Together with diocesan leadership, they have ensured that the new Bishop’s Mission Order (BMO), which comes into effect on 28 January, incorporates the governance and cultural provisions outlined in the Scolding Review.

In our December 2024 response to the Scolding Review, we acknowledged our shortcomings in respect of effective oversight and expressed profound regret for the harm caused. We reaffirmed our commitment to safeguarding measures and urged the Church of England to learn from the case of Soul Survivor Watford by reviewing key measures and guidelines, including the Mission and Pastoral Measure, oversight through Bishops’ Mission Orders (BMOs), and Ministerial Development Reviews (MDRs).

The Scolding Review was not the full account of the events that led to it, but it remains a critical step forward in the Church’s safeguarding journey, and so we welcome the alignment of the Working Group’s recommendations with the actions we have advocated. We remain committed in our support for survivors and victims, and to their place at the heart of all we do in creating safe spaces in our churches where people can encounter and worship God, build community, and thrive.

For further details, see our full response, Actions and Recommendations in Response to the Scolding Review, published in December 2024.