Safeguarding reform in the Church of England is lacking sufficient urgency and pace, according to the Charity Commission.

In a statement published today, it said the Archbishops’ Council “should implement independent safeguarding structures as endorsed by the Church’s General Synod in February 2025 within 18 months from now – a year sooner than current plans indicate – and in the meantime, put robust interim measures in place to keep people safe.”

The Commission’s engagement with the Archbishops’ Council began towards the end of 2024, following the publication of an ‘Independent Learning Lessons Review’ into the case of John Smyth and other independent reviews into safeguarding failures.

It found there is “insufficient urgency and pace in implementing responses to past safeguarding reviews, and the current approach to doing so is fragmented and overly complex.”

The Commission also said that currently the Church does not treat allegations of abuse from an adult not assessed to be “vulnerable” as a safeguarding allegation. The Commission’s guidance makes clear that trustees must take reasonable steps to protect from harm all people who come into contact with their charity.

Charity Commission Chief Executive, David Holdsworth, said:

"It’s time for the Archbishops’ Council and the Church of England to move from review to reform, and from debate to delivery.

"Everyone recognises that improving safeguarding is an ongoing journey, but in the Archbishops’ Council’s case the progress on that journey must be made in bigger, bolder steps, informed by the experience of victims and survivors.

"The Commission will monitor the charity’s progress against our Regulatory Action Plan, and reserve all regulatory options for the future if sufficient progress is not made at pace."