In August 2023, INEQE Safeguarding Group was appointed by the Archbishops’ Council to carry out the next round of independent external audits of Church of England dioceses and cathedrals. The purpose of these audits is to make sure dioceses and cathedrals are doing all they can to create environments where everyone feels safe, valued and respected. The Diocese of Norwich will receive an audit visit in January 2027.
The Diocese of Norwich is committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of everyone within our church community and we welcome the opportunity to evidence this as part of the audit process, as well as learning how we can improve further.
We are deeply grateful for the way the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and Parish Safeguarding Officers have worked tirelessly to develop a positive safeguarding culture and for the way clergy, lay workers, church officers and PCC’s have taken the safeguarding agenda to heart. We know there is still much to do and victims and survivors are always at the forefront of our minds as we seek to be transformed by Christ, prayerfully, pastorally and prophetically.
We are using the audit as an opportunity to review afresh how we go about safeguarding and using the learning from other dioceses and external organisations to develop our culture, our approaches and our impact. We look forward to the post-audit feedback in order to see how work, in partnership with parishes, chaplaincies, the Cathedral and other Extra Parochial Places, can continue to improve well beyond the audit itself. Ultimately, our prayer is that people coming into contact with our churches will be safer as a result of our shared endeavours.