The Church of England has published the final report from the Makin Review Task and Finish group, looking at its response to allegations of sinister abuse by the late John Smyth.
The Task and Finish group was set up in 2025, to assess the church’s response to the original Makin Review. Released in November 2024, it set out 27 recommendations for church safeguarding. Last year, 24 of these were accepted.
The three which have not been fully accepted include: Victim’s direct participation in response groups, the mandatory disclosure of an individual’s “prior knowledge” of abuse, and a further recommendation to change ideas around canonical confession. The final point hinges on the sanctity of what a church member tells their priest; if someone confesses to doing something sinful, the priest would traditionally treat that with the strictest confidence. However, in the context of confessing to abuse, there is an ongoing church debate about breaking this “seal” to protect victims.
The newest report concludes that the Church has made “substantial progress” on all of the recommendations – including the three which are still in progress.
When assessing the recommendations, the Group said they sought to ensure that they were not merely focused on “technical compliance”, but whether the Church's response is capable of delivering meaningful and lasting change.
Progress so far includes the introduction of mandatory Safeguarding Codes of Practice, stronger disciplinary measures for clergy, independent safeguarding audits, enhanced whistleblower protections, and clearer processes for reporting safeguarding concerns to statutory authorities.
However, the report found that more work is needed on managing safeguarding in international contexts and in providing consistent support to survivors of abuse.
The Rt Rev Robert Springett, lead Safeguarding Bishop for the Church of England, said in the report’s introduction: “This report is, first and foremost, about people – all who have experienced abuse within the Church of England. We write with humility, and with a complete and unreserved belief in those who have come forward. This report is clear that safeguarding must always take precedence over institutional loyalty. Ultimately, what is needed is culture change: deep, sustained, and reaching to every level of the Church, from its national structures to every parish.”
The Church says it is committed to continuing the work of safeguarding reform and cultural change.
Premier Christian News has reached out to safeguarding charity ThirtyOne:Eight for comment.