Safeguarding and spin: An insider account worth reading
This testimony raises uncomfortable questions about power, truth and who really controls safeguarding responses.
Blog
When apology is refused and evidence is blurred: how the Church failed again
When given a clear opportunity to apologise, show lessons had been learned and provide moral leadership, Stephen Cottrell and Sarah Mullally chose to walk by on the other side. Read how safeguarding rhetoric collapses when Church leaders are confronted with real accountability.
General Synod safeguarding report: a report written as if nothing has happened
The Archbishops’ Council publishes a safeguarding report “as if nothing has happened”.
After regulatory rebukes, reopened survivor complaints, and Parliament rejecting Church legislation — this is not ignorance. It is contempt.
⬇️ Read why
Why the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919 needs urgent review
Parliament approves Church of England legislation with the force of an Act — but cannot amend it, correct it, or always even publish its concerns.
That is not scrutiny.
It’s a constitutional defect.
Why the 1919 Act matters ⬇️
The draft Clergy Conduct Measure: why approval without draft rules is untenable
Parliament explicitly asked for draft rules.
They were not provided.
That alone should have stopped the Clergy Conduct Measure in its tracks.
Why this matters — and why it’s not a technicality.
Why I am publishing background briefings – and why they matter
Secrecy in the Church of England isn’t accidental. It’s procedural.
I’ve launched a series of background briefings to document how power is structured, how scrutiny is limited, and why survivors keep hitting the same walls.
Read why ⬇️
Fine words, no change: What the diocesan responses to the Charity Commission really reveal
Two dioceses. Two safeguarding failures. The regulator has spoken — but the Church still deflects, disagrees, and delays. It’s time for independent, statutory safeguarding.
Safeguarding, secrecy, and accountability: Why the Charity Commission’s warnings must be a turning point for the Church of England
The regulator has spoken: safeguarding in the Church of England is failing, and trustees are now on notice. Real reform needs real accountability at the top.
Oh dear – here we go again!
Has the Church of Engalnd used its safeguarding “watershed moment” to put things right and to learn the lessons it has previously ignored?
In memory of Clive Billenness
Clive was one of the good guys who used his position to advance the cause of victims and survivors of church-based abuse.