“We’ve got to learn to put actions behind the words because sorry is pretty cheap”.
These are the words of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury following the report into safeguarding published by IICSA in October 2020.
So what is the Anglican Church doing following the report from IICSA which found that the Anglican Church created a culture where abusers were able to hide and often offered more support to alleged abusers than to the victims?
The Archbishops’ Council, a leadership body of the Church of England, has formally accepted in full the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), including:
- Setting up a support and redress scheme
- The introduction of diocesan safeguarding officers
- The creation of an independent safeguarding board
- The development of an information-sharing agreement between the Church of England and the Church in Wales
Much of the work is underway. The Archbishop’s Council announced on 26th September 2020 shortly before the publication of IICSA’s report, that it had voted unanimously to create a fund to provide payments to survivors and victims of church-based sexual abuse.
In a joint statement, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said:
“We are profoundly sorry for our failings, but today our words of sorrow are matched by actions that will believe will lead to real change. We hope that this will provide some hope for the future.”
“The pilot scheme is designed to enable the Church to respond in particular to those survivors’ cases which are already known to the Church, where the survivor is known to be in seriously distressed circumstances, and the Church has a heightened responsibility because of the way the survivor was responded to following disclosure. Experience with these pilot cases will help inform the setting up of the Church’s full redress scheme for victims and survivors of abuse as that is developed.”
More details regarding a full Redress Scheme are awaited.
How we can help
At Nelsons, our team of personal injury solicitors in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham understand that there are many motives for a survivor of childhood abuse wanting to bring a civil claim and we will guide you through the process. Whilst it is important to understand that the ultimate aim of a personal injury claim is to obtain financial compensation for the effects of the abuse you suffered, we will always try to obtain for you, if possible, the answers and apology you deserve.
If you suffered abuse, even if it was a long time ago, in a church setting, residential care or foster care, a sports setting or anywhere else you may be able to make a claim for compensation. If you would like confidential, free advice on whether you can claim compensation, please contact Dianne Collins or Helen Froggatt on 0800 024 1976 or via our online enquiry form.