INDEPENDENT SAFEGUARDING AUDIT
This page explains the process of independent auditing of the Diocese of Chichester's safeguarding arrangements, and gives you information about how you can participate in this.
In 2020, following their extensive investigation into the Church of England's safeguarding work, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual abuse made a series of recommendations. One of these, Recommendation 8, involved independent auditing:
Recommendation 8: Auditing
"The Church of England should continue independent external auditing of its safeguarding policies and procedures, as well as the effectiveness of safeguarding practice in dioceses, cathedrals and other Church organisations. Audits should continue to be conducted regularly and reports should continue to be published".
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.
As part of their audit , INEQE hope to engage with people involved in the life of the Diocese of Chichester and Chichester Cathedral through an online survey. The survey will act as a mechanism through which individuals can comment on any matters relevant to the audit’s focus. The survey is both anonymous (INEQE are not seeking to identify you) and confidential (you will not be identified). Survey responses are collected and analysed by INEQE, not by either the Diocese of Chichester or Chichester Cathedral. We would ask you to be open and honest with your responses.
INEQE's survey for Chichester can be found by clicking on this link.
It is really important that as many people as possible complete the survey, so that INEQE can get as accurate a picture as possible, so that they can make recommendations that will assist the Diocese and Cathedral to continue to improve our safeguarding practice and provision.