COVID RESEARCH

C vid research

During the Covid-19 pandemic churches responded by reaching out to support the most vulnerable in society. Research* shows that 88% of churches were working during this time to meet the needs of vulnerable people.

We’ll all be familiar with the many ways that the Covid-19 restrictions have impacted nearly all areas of life. However, what was less known the impact this has had on safeguarding, and the challenges faced by safeguarding leads, many of whom are volunteers. In order to understand how, Thirtyone:eight partnered with the University of Chester to explore the ways in which various restrictions imposed have impacted safeguarding in churches and other organisations. The purpose of the research was to explore the experiences of safeguarding leads in their roles in Christian faith contexts in the United Kingdom before, during and post Covid-19. The headline findings and key themes from the research were announced at an online roundtable event in June 2021. Joining Thirtyone:eight's Claudia Bell, Head of Learning and Influence, and Lee Carmichael in speaking at the event were Dr Lisa Oakley and Professor Moira Lafferty from the University of Chester who undertook the research, Diane Regan from Kintsugi Hope, and Bekah Legg from Restored.

Key themes:

Some of the key themes and insights which emerged from the research included: Hidden people Hidden harm and how we might prepare and equip ourselves to deal with a potential increase in disclosures or concerns about harm and abuse as people reconnect. Mental Health

The impact of the pandemic on mental health and how this interrelates with safeguarding as we emerge from the pandemic. Hybrid Church Navigating the longer-term implications of safeguarding in the hybrid church and equipping those with safeguarding responsibilities to create safer places online as well as offline.

Key statistics:

47%

stated their church or organisation conducted international work with 32% of these reporting that at least some of their international work had stopped due to the pandemic.

69%

of participants stated that COVID-19 had impacted safeguarding in their organisation.

of participants said that they had felt overwhelmed in their safeguarding role at some point.

70%

reported it had impacted or changed the way they conduct their safeguarding duties.

87%

of participants feel supported in their role in their local church or Christian organisation context.

78%

felt individuals in their local church or Christian organisation understand their safeguarding role.

82%

had access to support for their role outside of their local church or organisation.

The safeguarding challenges identified were:

• Non-compliance or barriers to adhering to procedures and to creating a safeguarding culture within their contexts and complexities in working with external organisations. • There were additional challenges associated with the pandemic including lack of contact with people to identify safeguarding needs and issues related to online support. • Safeguarding challenges associated with the pandemic included concerns related to recommencing meeting together, blended provision and online safeguarding, lost connections to individuals, increased disclosures and responding to abuse experienced during lockdown. • The negative aspects of training were: lack of opportunity to network, discuss and ask questions. 23% of those who responded to the question stated there were no negative aspects to the training they experienced. • Impact on international work included not being able to go overseas to take part in work, not being able to identify harm or vulnerability, limited communication for some and the increase in online communication.

Most were unable to predict when international work would recommence. Justin Humphreys, CEO (Safeguarding) at Thirtyone:eight, said: “The learning from this study will help to inform the development of support that we can offer and help the future direction for Thirtyone:eight. “It will also help other organisations and individuals who are interested in safeguarding in these various contexts, in order that we can all continue to offer the best possible support to people working on the frontline and underpin effective safeguarding within the Christian faith community. We hope that this will contribute towards safer places for the many thousands of vulnerable and ‘at risk’ people at this difficult time. “Safeguarding leads play an integral role and it is important they continue to experience support. This study has implications for training and support. The challenges related to the pandemic necessitate careful reflection and planning in order to ensure organisations can respond to and manage the recommencement of activities post lockdown and into the future.”

To find out more about the research and its findings go to: Thirtyoneeight.org/research

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