The Church of England has issued two new Codes of Practice on Safeguarding:
These will be presented to the February General Synod as “deemed business”. The Codes of Practice were circulated under section 5A of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 and will be deemed to be approved unless 25 members give notice in writing to the Clerk by the date given with the paper that they wish the Code to be debated.
Section 5A replaces the former rules under which safeguarding guidance has been issued. Section 5A differs in two important respects from the former rules: i] it replaces the former ‘duty to have due regard’ with a ‘duty to comply’ with the requirements of the Code. This was a recommendation arising from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA); ii] it extends the list of ‘relevant persons’ to whom this Code applies.
An outline of the Business 10 – 14 February 2025 is here, and information on the GS Papers and General Business will be posted here. If approved, these Codes will go live on 1 September 2025 (Managing Allegations) and 1 March 2025 (Religious Communities).