In 2027, The Diocese of Derby will take part in an independent safeguarding audit carried out by the INEQE Safeguarding Group.
INEQE has been appointed by the Archbishops’ Council to take an independent look at safeguarding across Church of England dioceses and cathedrals, as well as the National Safeguarding Team.
They want to check how things are working day to day and help us make sure our churches and worshipping communities are places where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.
This audit is a chance to celebrate what we do well, be honest about what we could do better and learn and improve together.
It’s an important part of the Church’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding and being open, accountable and willing to learn.
Everyone is invited to take part in the independent INEQE safeguarding audit, designed to strengthen and support best practice in safeguarding in the Church of England.
The surveys provide an opportunity to share your experiences and perspectives of safeguarding across the Diocese of Derby, including what’s working well and where things could be better.
There are different surveys for:
- Diocesan workforce
- Parish workforce
- Parish community members
- Cathedral workforce
- Cathedral worshippers
- Children and young people
- Victims and Survivors of church-related abuse
When is the audit happening?
The INEQE Safeguarding Audit will begin across the Diocese of Derby in February 2027, with online surveys opening for up to 8 weeks. The team will submit evidence of our safeguarding practices via INEQE’s 360° audit tool, with auditors on site in the diocese and cathedral.
Once published, INEQE’s independent safeguarding audit report will be made available on their website, as well as our diocesan and cathedral sites.
February 2027: Evidence Submission
INEQE open the online portal for our team to submit evidence of our safeguarding practices.
February to April 2027: Surveys
Online surveys are live to the whole diocese, hosted on INEQE’s webpages. Every voice matters.
June 2027: Audit Visits
INEQE Auditors will visit the diocese and cathedral to review practice, gather evidence and hear more voices.
Date tba: Report Published
The full report will be published online with comment from senior staff.
Most dioceses have received over 30 recommendations.
The National Safeguarding Standards
INEQE are carrying out the audit in relation to five safeguarding standards that were established by the National Safeguarding Team of the Church of England.
The Five Standards are:
- Culture, Leadership and Capacity: Church bodies have safe and healthy cultures, effective leadership, resourcing and scrutiny arrangements necessary to deliver high-quality safeguarding practices and outcomes.
- Prevention: Church bodies have in place a planned range of measures which together are effective in preventing abuse in their context.
- Recognising, Assessing and Managing Risk: Risk assessments, safety plans and associated processes are of a high quality and result in positive outcomes. The assessment and management of risk is underpinned by effective partnership working.
- Victims and Survivors: Victims and survivors experience the timeliness and quality of Church bodies' responses to disclosures, and their subsequent support, as positively meeting their needs, including their search for justice and helping their healing process.
- Learning, Supervision and Support: All those engaged in safeguarding-related activity in Church bodies receive the type and level of learning, professional development, support and supervision necessary to respond to safeguarding situations, victims and survivors, and respondents, effectively.
Find out more about the standards here.
The Online Survey
INEQE are inviting people in our diocese to share their experiences through online surveys. The more people who take part, the clearer and fairer the picture will be – so we’re really hoping many of you will take the time to have your say.
There are different surveys for:
- Diocesan workforce
- Parish workforce
- Parish community members
- Cathedral workforce
- Cathedral worshippers
- Children and young people
- Victims & Survivors of church related abuse
You can fill in more than one survey, depending on your role(s) in the parish, diocese and cathedral.
Taking part is completely voluntary, but every response matters, as your voice can help shape meaningful improvement.
All responses are anonymous and confidential – they go directly to the INEQE audit team, not to the Diocese, Cathedral or Church of England.
We’d like people to speak openly and honestly, sharing what’s working well and where things could be better.
What can I do to support the audit in my parish?
Complete the online surveys
Encourage others to fill in the surveys, supporting those who may have accessibility issues
Spread the message in parish newsletters and notices
Put up the survey posters in church buildings and hand out postcards
Get your safeguarding training up-to-date
Be part of a focus group – it’s everyone’s audit
Update the parish safeguarding dashboard and provide information for the 360° Tool, where applicable
Support
If you need advice about a safeguarding matter, please visit our diocesan website safeguarding pages or contact the diocesan safeguarding team
Alternatively, call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk
Read more about the Safeguarding Audit on the INEQE website.
The Standards are broad statements of what the Church of England wants to achieve in the most important dimensions of its safeguarding work.
Each Standard has several ‘What Good Looks Like’ indicators, to identify safeguarding strengths as well as areas for learning and development.
Using the Standards is NOT a compliance-based, tick-box exercise.
The Standards and their indicators have been developed over a three-year period, working with dioceses, cathedrals, parishes and victims and survivors and were approved nationally in 2023.
A series of tools and resources have been developed to assist in measuring or evidencing of how well the Standards are being met, as well as help share best practice.
There are 3 handy documents for parishes to use: Parish Booklet Parish Poster 1 Parish Poster 2
The Diocese of Derby is pleased to announce that Lisa Marriott has been appointed as Head of Safeguarding.
Lisa joins the Parish Support Team from Derbyshire County Council, where she was the team manager in the Children's Services, Early Help and Safeguarding team.
On starting her role, Lisa said: "I am thrilled to be here at Derby Church House to support parishes and churches with their safeguarding responsibilities.
"I am extremely passionate about safeguarding and making people feel safe and being able to live their life how they want to live it.
"I want us to be transparent about the way we work and for people to have full confidence in our churches as safe places where we welcome everyone."
Lisa also holds the designation Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) and will advise the bishop on matters relating to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
She will lead the Safeguarding team and sit within the operational Senior Leadership Team.
This is an update regarding DBS checks for PCC members, because guidance has recently changed.
Whether PCC members and churchwardens are entitled to an enhanced DBS check is dependent on the nature of the arrangements in the particular church body - requirements will therefore vary across different parishes and churches.
Being a member of a PCC does not automatically mean that the DBS threshold for an enhanced DBS check is met, unless the parish conducts work with children or vulnerable adults. This is because an enhanced DBS check without barred list check can only be applied for if the PCC itself qualifies as a children's or vulnerable adult's charity, or if an individual PCC member is undertaking work with children or vulnerable adults.
Therefore, if your parish does NOT do any work with children and/or vulnerable adults, your PCC members do NOT need an enhanced DBS check. If you wish to carry out a DBS check, that will be limited to a Basic check at the cost to the parish of £22.79 each (correct as at 15 May 2024).
If your parish DOES do any work with children and/or vulnerable adults, your PCC members should have an enhanced volunteer DBS check (without barred list), in their capacity of trustee. The Charity Commission states that 'whenever there is a legal entitlement to obtain a DBS check in respect of such a trustee, a check should be carried out'. The PCC member does not need to work with children or vulnerable adults themselves tobe eligible for this check - they are being checked because of the work of the charity.
The Diocese of Derby has created a template policy for the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders which may be downloaded and completed by Benefices and Parishes. It can be downloaded here.
The Diocese of Derby Safeguarding team in partnership with the Derby Association of Church Bellringers (the Assiociation) has developed guidance which applies to all Bellringers in Church of England towers in the Diocese of Derby, whether or not they belong to the Association.
The Guidance can be downloaded here
Predatory Marriage - Daphne Franks
Joan Blass and Daphne Franks at Joan’s 90th Birthday Party, April 2014
Please watch the documentary about our story – the third in the series “Inheritance Wars: Who Gets the Money” – Channel Five, 9pm, October 1, 2023 and on Channel Five catch-up after that
“Your mother and her man friend – did you know they were married?” So, with a phone call from Joan Blass’s doctor, began a horrific series of events which have highlighted the gaps in safeguarding for the elderly and the vulnerable, both at the time of marriage and in the Law.
In March 2016 Joan Blass was almost 92 years old, with severe vascular dementia and terminal cancer. She was unable to make the simplest decision and never knew that she had remarried just five months before her death.
Joan’s daughter Daphne Franks tells the story of a secret marriage, a revoked will, an unmarked grave, grooming, gaslighting, a Private Member’s Bill and a campaign to highlight all the issues. The Franks family hope to fill all the gaps so nothing like this will ever happen to another family in the future – because, as they have learned, it’s currently happening to many of our elderly and vulnerable and their families.
This story is “right up there amongst the most shocking we’ve come across in the ten years that we’ve been making this programme.” - Angela Rippon, Rip-Off Britain, BBC Television.
Daphne Franks, 67, is a teacher who worked at Leeds Medical School for many years, teaching Communication Skills and other non-clinical courses. She is still teaching freelance part-time. Daphne now lives in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, with her husband Stephen, son Oliver, daughter-in-law Alex and adorable granddaughter Linnet, two!
Issues with current safeguards*:
- • If the victim has set up a power of attorney, the attorney is not notified if the victim marries.
- • Notifications of marriage are displayed on notice boards in register offices and are not easily searchable or listed online.
- • No evidence is kept at the point of marriage – no video or audio recordings – once a marriage certificate is attained the following impact on wills is almost impossible to challenge.
- • Registrars have responsibility for judgment of mental capacity on the day. These persons may not have training on dementia or mental capacity.
- • There is an absence of joined up safeguarding between different relevant organisations and an absence of standardised safeguarding or mental capacity training.
(* Credit: Hourglass March 2022)
www.predatorymarriage.uk
www.justiceforjoan.com
www.facebook.com/predatorymarriage
info@predatorymarriage.uk
This information may be downloaded here
Past Cases Review 2
The Diocese of Derby has taken part in the most extensive review of safeguarding records ever conducted by the Church of England.
The purpose of PCR2 was to identify both good practice and institutional failings in relation to how allegations of abuse have been handled, assess any identified risks and respond to these where appropriate, and to provide recommendations to the Church that will lead to improvements in its safeguarding work.
The Rt Revd Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby, writes:
I, along with diocesan colleagues and Derby Cathedral, welcomed the opportunity offered by PCR2 to reflect on our practice.
We also welcome the advice and challenges arising from the report.
We are grateful for the level of detail in the 40 recommendations made by the Independent Reviewers for consideration by the diocese, cathedral or Church of England.
Many of these recommendations reiterate a process change that had been recognised by senior officers, and are underway or have already been completed.
We are committed to attending to the recommendations made and have been glad of the opportunity this process has provided to learn and improve.
Executive Summary of the Diocese of Derby Report
The PCR2 was jointly commissioned by the Diocese of Derby and Derby Cathedral.
It was completed between 26th April and 29th October 2021 by two independent safeguarding professionals.
The review process was overseen by a PCR Reference Group with an appointed independent chair.
The process achieved the PCR2 specific objectives and complied with the PCR2 Practice and Policy Guidance (PCR2 PPG) issued by the Church of England PCR2 Management Board.
In compliance with PCR2 PPG, the diocese was in Category B - those dioceses who did not need to carry out a repeat of the original PCR but who have not conducted further review work since January 2007.
The diocese did not seek any exemptions in the file review phase.
Derby Cathedral and the Diocese of Derby actively engaged with the PCR2 process, meeting all the requirements specified in the PCR2 PPG and the review was welcomed as a learning opportunity by the bishop and all those supporting the review, many of whom were new in post and seeking to benchmark their ongoing work.
The content of the PCR2 report was drawn from documented information, and discussion between the independent reviewers and key stakeholders in the diocese and Derby Cathedral.
In the Diocese of Derby, the file review phase consisted of 1,164 files and, as a result, one new case was identified.
Of the files reviewed, 70 were cathedral files.
>> Download the Diocese of Derby's Executive Summary [.pdf] (Republished on 7 October 2022 with a data amendment)
The PCR2 report can be read in full on the Church of England website.
Support
Support is available for anyone for whom this prompts the need to talk or seek help and the diocese is keen to help anyone who contacts them about safeguarding matters, however long ago they may have happened.
Contact details for the Safeguarding Team:
safeguarding@derby.anglican.org | 01332 388678
Further information - Downloads
>> PCR2 Background and Overview [PDF]
The latest Safeguarding Newsletter has just been sent to all Parish Safeguarding Officers. If you do not receive a copy and would like to read more about the work happening in Safeguarding in the diocese and a little more about one of the safeguarding team you can download the newsletter here.
Technology can help to keep people safe. But abusers can also use technology to cause harm.
This day marks the start of 16 Days of Action for Violence Against Women and Girls. So to support this campaign, The ann craft trust is raising awareness of the role technology has in exacerbating instances of domestic abuse.
A poster is avaialble to download highlighting that technology could be used to empower domestic abusers and can be had to spot and difficult to escape. You may download it here.
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Todays theme for Safeguarding Adults Week is Elder Abuse.
Elder abuse is a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person.
The World Health Organisation has found that rates of elder abuse have increased since the pandemic. Around one in six people aged 60 years and older experience some form of abuse in a community setting. Also, rates of elder abuse are high in institutions such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Two thirds of staff report that they have committed abuse in the past year.
A poster to promote awareness can be downloaded here
Continuing the week of contemporary safeguarding issues today we look at safeguarding in everyday life. One of the main ways we can achieve this is to promote safer cultures. This is all about how our Churches and individuals can take steps to minimise harm occurring in the first instance. It’s also about embedding appropriate policies and procedures. In this way, people will know what to do if they have a concern to report. In addition, the churches will have a plan in place for acting on concerns. All PCC's must have a Safeguarding Policy in place.
You can download a poster to promote Safer Cultures here
Conitinuing the theme of Safeguarding Adults week 2022 of contemporary issues of Safeguarding, todays isue is Self Neglect. The ann craft trust writes
"The term “self-neglect” covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings.
We’ve seen a rise in self-neglect cases over the last two years, particularly for older people.
On this day you can explore how you can spot the signs someone is at risk of self-neglect. We’ll also provide practical guidance about how to start difficult conversations and respond to those at risk, while maintaining autonomy."
You can download a poster here to encourage people to explore this area themsleves.
Criminals Are Forcing Adults at Risk to Traffic Drugs. Please see the downloadable fact sheet from the ann craft trust here.
National Safeguarding Adults Week 2022 will take place from 21 to 27 November and will focus on the theme of responding to contemporary safeguarding challenges.
Please choose the audit/review you would like to know more about:
