Church of England to increase oversight of abuse complaints – but safeguarding won’t be fully independent
The Church of England has voted to increase oversight of safeguarding measures – but stopped short of creating an independent body.
Members of the General Synod, the Church’s parliament, voted for the new measures for handling abuse allegations as it tries to restore trust among survivors after multiple scandals.
The motion was passed with 392 votes in its favour. Nine people voted against it – and there were six abstentions.
The five-day meeting of the Synod is the first since Justin Welby resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury amid condemnation over safeguarding failures.
Justin Welby resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury last year. Pic: Neil Turner/Lambeth Palace/PA Wire
He stood down in November after a report said he could and should have done more in the case of paedophile John Smyth – who for years sexually and physically abused more than 120 boys and young men.
The Bishop of Liverpool, John Perumbalath, has also just announced his retirement after accusations of sexual assault and harassment were made by two women – one a bishop. He denies any wrongdoing.
Survivors dismiss vote as ‘fudge’
‘High noon at Synod’ – as one contributor called it – came and went with the Church of England unwilling to grasp a total overhaul of its safeguarding policies.
There will be significant change over safeguarding. But even after repeated abuse scandals – including one which cost the job of the Archbishop of Canterbury who was forced to resign in disgrace – there still wasn’t a will to for the most far-reaching plan on the table.
Members of the General Synod – the church’s parliament – debated various models and argued over amendments. In the end it voted for what survivors of abuse called a ‘fudge’.
Repeatedly speakers at the Church’s parliament talked of the need to rebuild trust.
But there was confliction; division and suspicion over how that is done.
And there are clearly serious doubts about handing all safeguarding responsibility to an external body straight away.
Those who work with survivors believe this Synod wasted its opportunity. Bishops, clergy and laity also went against the recommendation of the most senior figures in the Church.
Perhaps all options miss the point that the Church needs an immediate culture change from within over safeguarding.
Is this vote about the practical ways to best implement safeguarding? Or does the ‘fudge’ vote mean the Church of England thinks it is above complete independent management and scrutiny?
The Bishop of Newcastle has told Sky News that she’s “furious” with the Synod’s decision.
One survivor, Will Harwood – vicar of St John the Evangelist’s Church in Truro – told Sky News he’s “concerned this seems like a fudge.”
“At the top end of the Church, there are people who don’t believe that they need to do more.
“There is a real danger that people think they are doing everything they can. Unfortunately – survivors of abuse don’t think that.
“They don’t feel like they’re being heard, and they will come away from today feeling let down. “
Abuse survivor Craig Freedman (right) outside Church House in London, where the vote took place. Pic: Aine Fox/PA Wire
Andrew Graystone, an advocate for abuse survivors, said today’s vote signalled the Church had decided to “keep it in the family”.
He said: “If you are abused by a vicar, you will still be expected to report it to a bishop.
“Safeguarding staff will still be located in church offices, employed by the very same bishop.
“The Church of England had an opportunity to start to rebuild trust, by admitting that it needed expertise from outside.
“But instead they have chosen to keep it in the family.
“Shocking arrogance, and a punch in the gut for victims and survivors of abuse.”
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Teenager living in ‘continuous pain’ after surgeon Dr Yaser Jabbar carried out ‘inappropriate’ operations
A 15-year-old boy who was operated on twice by a now unlicensed Great Ormond Street surgeon is living with “continuous” pain.
Finias Sandu has been told by an independent review the procedures he underwent on both his legs were “unacceptable” and “inappropriate” for his age.
The teenager from Essex was born with a condition that causes curved bones in his legs.
Aged seven, a reconstructive procedure was carried out on Finias’s left leg, lengthening the limb by 3.5cm.
A few years later, the same operation was carried out on his right leg which involved wearing an invasive and heavy metal frame for months.
He has now been told by independent experts these procedures should not have taken place and concerns have been raised over a lack of imaging being taken prior to the operations.
Yaser Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence last year. Pic: LinkedIn
His doctor at London’s prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital was former consultant orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar. Sky News has spoken to others he treated.
Mr Jabbar also did not arrange for updated scans or for relevant X-rays to be conducted ahead of the procedures.
The surgeries have been found to have caused Finias “harm” and left him in constant pain.
“The pain is there every day, every day I’m continuously in pain,” he told Sky News.
“It’s not something really sharp, although it does get to a certain point where it hurts quite a lot, but it’s always there. It just doesn’t leave, it’s a companion to me, just always there.”
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Finias’s surgery pictures
Care of over 700 patients being assessed
Mr Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence in January last year after working at Great Ormond Street between 2017 and 2022.
The care of his 700-plus patients is being assessed, with some facing corrective surgery, among them Finias.
“Trusting somebody is hard to do, knowing what they have done to me physically and emotionally, you know, it’s just too much to comprehend for me,” he said.
“It wasn’t something just physically, like my leg pain and everything else. It was emotionally, because I put my trust in that specific doctor. My parents and I don’t really understand the more scientific terms, we just went by what he said.”
Doctors refused to treat Finias because of his surgeries
Finias and his family relocated to their native Romania soon after the reconstructive frame was removed from his right leg in the summer of 2021.
The pain worsened and they sought advice from doctors in Romania, who refused to treat Finias because of the impact of his surgeries.
Dozens of families seeking legal claims
His mother Cornelia Sandu is “furious” and feels her trust in the hospital has been shattered. They are now among dozens of families seeking legal claims.
Cyrus Plaza from Hudgell Solicitors is representing the family. He said: “In cases where it has been identified that harm was caused, we want to see Great Ormond Street Hospital agreeing to pay interim payments of compensation for the children, so that if they need therapy or treatment now, they can access it.”
Finias is accessing therapy and mental health support as he prepares for corrective surgery later in the year.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital told Sky News: “We are deeply sorry to Finias and his family, and all the patients and families who have been impacted.
“We want every patient and family who comes to our hospital to feel safe and cared for. We will always discuss concerns families may have and, where they submit claims, we will work to ensure the legal process can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Finias with his mother and sister
Service not ‘safe for patients’
Sky News has attempted to contact Mr Jabbar.
An external review into the wider orthopaedic department at the hospital began in September 2022.
It was commissioned after the Royal College of Surgeons warned the hospital’s lower limb reconstruction service was not “safe for patients or adequate to meet demand”.
The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Sir Keir Starmer has said closer ties with the EU will be good for the UK’s jobs, bills and borders ahead of a summit where he could announce a deal with the bloc.
The government is set to host EU leaders in London on Monday as part of its efforts to “reset” relations post-Brexit.
A deal granting the UK access to a major EU defence fund could be on the table, according to reports – but disagreements over a youth mobility scheme and fishing rights could prove to be a stumbling block.
The prime minister has appeared to signal a youth mobility deal could be possible, telling The Times that while freedom of movement is a “red line”, youth mobility does not come under this.
His comment comes after Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said on Friday work on a defence deal was progressing but “we’re not there yet”.
Sir Keir met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later that day while at a summit in Albania.
Ursula von der Leyen and Sir Keir had a brief meeting earlier this week. Pic: PA
If agreed, the deal will be the third in two weeks, following trade agreements with India and the US.
Sir Keir said: “First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that’s jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising.
“More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses.
“Tomorrow, we take another step forward, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union.”
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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she is “worried” about what the PM might have negotiated.
Ms Badenoch – who has promised to rip up the deal with the EU if it breaches her red lines on Brexit – said: “Labour should have used this review of our EU trade deal to secure new wins for Britain, such as an EU-wide agreement on Brits using e-gates on the continent.
“Instead, it sounds like we’re giving away our fishing quotas, becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again and getting free movement by the back door. This isn’t a reset, it’s a surrender.”
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