The Church is often very comfortable with working-class people, provided they are on the receiving end of its generosity. Food banks and other charitable work are invaluable, but invite a working-class professional to the decision-making table, particularly one who questions authority, and the welcome can become rather less enthusiastic.

"The Church of England has appointed Her Honour Heather Baucher as the Appeal Authority for the Redress Church of England scheme for survivors of Church related abuse. The Appeal Authority is the independent judicial role responsible for determining appeals made under the Scheme.” Let’s examine this independence a little.

The Church of England has become painfully good at surviving scandal...Accountability becomes a process rather than a consequence.

An “urgent review” afterwards isn’t due diligence. It’s damage control. The Church of England has become remarkably good at things suddenly “coming to light”. The trouble with keeping things buried is that somebody always brings a shovel.

A person walking into a BMO should be able to discover who governs it, who holds its leader accountable, who oversees safeguarding and where they can complain or whistleblow without needing to understand the internal machinery of the Church of England...We have already seen what can happen when charismatic leadership grows faster than the structures capable of challenging it.

Independent safeguarding reviews have become one of the Church's favourite forms of institutional theatre: commission a report, express concern, promise change, and carry on much as before. After reading enough of them, scepticism isn't cynicism. It's a rational response to an institution that has become far better at reviewing failure than confronting it.

If Synod leaves believing that the seal of the confessional is the Church's biggest safeguarding problem, it will have missed the central lesson of the last thirty years.

Jonathan Fletcher has now been found to have committed indecent assaults spanning decades. The court this week heard allegations involving humiliation, psychological domination, and abusive “discipline” presented within the language of spiritual mentoring. But the truly damning part is that this was not hidden abuse suddenly uncovered. This went on for years.

At what point does an “improvement plan” stop looking like progress and start looking like an admission that the system itself has been profoundly dysfunctional for years?

If you haven’t yet watched Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards , be prepared: it is difficult viewing. But it is important viewing, not simply because of the subject matter, but because of what it reveals about trust, and how easily that trust can be misplaced. Huw Edwards was not just a public figure; he was a trusted presence in the homes of millions. For years, his calm, measured, and mellifluous delivery offered reassurance during moments of national significance and colle

Archbishop of Canterbury History was made this week at Canterbury. The installation of a woman as Archbishop marks a significant moment for the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, particularly for generations of women whose vocations were resisted, delayed, or denied. But history does not exempt leadership from scrutiny. It sharpens it. In her first sermon, the Archbishop acknowledged harm within Christian communities: “ We must not overlook or minimise the pa

This blog reflects on themes raised in Martin Sewell’s recent commentary, published on Surviving Church, about the experience of victim-survivors and the institutional response to persistent or ongoing safeguarding concerns within the Church of England. His reflections raise difficult and necessary questions about accountability, whistleblowing, and safeguarding culture. The reflections that follow draw on my own experience and build on earlier posts on Guarding the Flock.

I am deeply grateful for every single one of you and for the encouragement you continue to show.

Victim-survivors don’t experience safeguarding as a policy. They experience it as a decision: will you protect me, or will you protect yourselves?