The Church of England has expressed “profound concern” after a data breach involving the independent redress scheme, which was set up to provide support and compensation to survivors of abuse within the Church.
The breach, which occurred on Tuesday evening through the law firm Kennedys Law LLP, resulted in the disclosure of email addresses belonging to those who had registered for updates about the scheme.
In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the Church acknowledged the distress this has caused.
Here is the full statement:
"We have been made aware of a deeply regrettable data incident involving the independent Redress Scheme administered by Kennedys Law LLP.
"This incident resulted in the unintended disclosure by Kennedys Law of email addresses belonging to individuals who had registered for updates on the Redress Scheme. First and foremost, our focus is on those affected. We recognise the distress this has caused, particularly for survivors who trusted the scheme to handle their information with care and confidentiality.
"While the Church of England is not the data controller for the Redress Scheme and does not hold or manage the data in question, we are nonetheless profoundly concerned. We are in discussions with Kennedys to understand how this breach occurred and to ensure robust steps are taken to prevent anything similar from happening again.
"Kennedys has taken full responsibility for the incident and is contacting all those affected directly to apologise and offer support. They have reported the breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office and are investigating the circumstances thoroughly.
"This should not have happened. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and support efforts to restore trust and confidence."
Andrew Graystone, a long-time advocate for church abuse survivors, told Premier Christian News the situation was “deeply damaging".
“This is incredibly intrusive,” he said. “It is frightening and retraumatising for people who were already badly hurt. And it’s a catastrophic failure for a Church that claims it is rebuilding trust.”
Earlier this year, the General Synod approved the establishment of the redress scheme in response to a series of abuse scandals.
It came after the Most Rev Justin Welby stepped down as Archbishop of Canterbury in November 2024, following a review which concluded he “could and should have done more” to ensure allegations against John Smyth were properly investigated.
Smyth, a barrister and lay preacher who died in 2018 before facing justice, exploited his church-based charity work to abuse at least 30 boys and young men.
