9 minute read
NEWS REVIEW
Government launches review into child safeguarding deaths’
The recent deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson have brought the entire nation’s focus onto the plight of abused children. This has been further highlighted by recent data which found that 36 children were killed in 2020 by mistreatment or neglect. The figures were collated from the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel which investigates deaths of at-risk children, and show that on average, three children are killed by abusive families every month in England alone. The government has launched a national review of lessons to be learnt from the tragic death of six-year-old Arthur LabinjoHughes, to be led by the chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, Annie Hudson.
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In Dec 2021, 21 senior leaders from Christian denominations, safeguarding agencies and faith-based charities signed an open letter to the government pledging their support, cooperation, and expertise to the review.
Justin Humphreys, CEO of Thirtyone:eight, who jointly coordinated the letter said “There are fewer tragedies that occur in society that are more painful to contemplate than the death of a child. When a child's life is ended by the selfish and cruel acts of another person, we ought to be troubled to the core. The Church in the UK can and must take every opportunity to play a part in preventing the abuse of any child it has contact with. Standing together and reaching out into our communities to help create safer places we can make a difference - maybe just for one child or maybe for many. This is what we are called to do.” thirtyoneeight.org/openletter
Increase in children being targeted online
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has warned that younger children are being targeted by online groomers “on an industrial scale”. Their research shows that in 2021, (and during the pandemic) the organisation acted against 252,000 URLs which contained images or videos of children being raped and suffering sexual abuse.
In total there were 361,000 reports, often arising from contact from members of the general public, of suspected criminal material and more than they dealt with in the entire first 15 years of their existence.
Crucially, these figures include a disturbing increase in “self-generated” sexual imagery of young children. Children aged 11 to 13 remain the most targeted by groomers over selfgenerated content. Susie Hargreaves, chief executive of the IWF, said: “Children are being targeted, approached, groomed and abused by criminals on an industrial scale. So often, this sexual abuse is happening in children’s bedrooms in family homes, with parents being wholly unaware of what is being done to their children by strangers with an internet connection.”
“Parents need to be supported in knowing how to broach the topic with their children, and to give them the confidence to call out inappropriate behaviour when they see it.”
Members of a new “cathedral” of online worshippers formed since the first lockdown played a key role in the Church of England’s 100th national online service broadcast on 9th January. Prayers were read by people who joined a regular digital worshipping community that grew through YouTube and Facebook broadcasts of national online services.
Since the first lockdown services have been broadcast every Sunday – with additional services broadcast over Easter, Advent and Christmas. Revd Dr Isabelle Hamley, who oversees the Church of England’s national online services described the “bittersweet” milestone of the 100th service after the “grief, pain and anxiety” suffered because of the pandemic. She says the success of the online broadcasts has highlighted the number of people who were previously excluded from inperson worship. "We now know there is a regular worshipping community online, alongside many others, who meet as a community and pray for each other,” she said. The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said: “There is a real place for these online communities, and we recognise online worship is here to stay, not as a replacement for worshipping in person, but as a way of worshipping and building community in innovative and accessible ways."
@ChineMcDonald
I led the service at @TheBearChurch this morning and very grateful to @thirtyoneeight for their brilliant resource pack.
@dioceseoflondon
Today is #SafeguardingSunday. Churches across the country will be shining a spotlight on safeguarding. The resources from @thirtyoneeight could be used at a service anytime of the year.
@TomkinsonLinda
Thank you to @thirtyoneeight for great resources. We showed two of your videos in church today.
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@keepchildsafe
Do join us for a talk by @justhumphreysuk from @thirtyoneeight at the #FaithAndChildSafeguarding global summit, about ‘Creating and maintaining safer, healthier cultures’.
@cypnow
Congratulations to Medway Task Force @medwaycouncil, who have won The Safeguarding Award, sponsored by @Thirtyoneeight, for ‘Safety in Action 2021’ #CYPNowAwards
@MUChichester
Pls consider signing @thirtyoneeight open letter to the Secretary of State for Education & the Minister for Children & Families in response to the tragic deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes & Star Hobson.
@andydipper
Thoroughly recommend this excellent organisation and the important work they do. How about joining the team? @thirtyoneeight
New APPG for Safeguarding in faith communities
Friday 16 July 2021 marked the launch of a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to promote the responsibility and opportunity of faith groups in safeguarding. The group is co-chaired by Janet Daby MP for Lewisham East in London and Lord Bishop Viv Faull, Lord Spiritual and Bishop of Bristol with the Secretariat for the group being provided by Thirtyone:eight. The inaugural meeting of the group, which was held online due to COVID restrictions, saw the election of officers from across the House of Commons and House of Lords.
Janet Daby said “Engaging in public life in this way is an important activity for Christians and groups of other faiths. If we do not offer our voice in constructive ways to the development of policy, legislation and broader thinking on matters that affect faith in society, we will have missed a great opportunity to be a part of affecting change that represents the interests, challenges and needs of our distinct communities.”
IICSA report published into religious organisations
On Thursday 2nd September, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) published the report from its investigation into child protection in religious organisations and settings, of which Thirtyone:eight was one of the core participants. The report of the investigation, which obtained evidence from 38 religious organisations with a presence in England and Wales, details the key findings from the investigation and includes 35 conclusions and two recommendations.
The investigation found that “the current oversight of child protection within religious organisations and settings is one of patch work influence” and that there “was clear evidence that some standard-setting and oversight is required” although what this may look like and how this might be legislated for will be looked at within the Final Report of the Inquiry. Religious organisations are being asked to publish a response to the report along with a timetable for implementation of the recommendations within six months of publication.
New criminal offences and major changes have been proposed in the UK's landmark Online Safety Bill, which seeks to regulate social media and tech giants. A new parliamentary report calls for adding scams and offences, like sending unwanted sexual images and promoting violence against women and girls. A named senior manager at the tech giants should also be made personally liable in court for failures, it said. Those behind the report said "we need to call time on the Wild West online".
Online Safety Bill
Damian Collins, chairman of the joint committee issuing the report, said: "What's illegal offline should be regulated online. "For too long, big tech has gotten away with being the land of the lawless.... the era of selfregulation for big tech has come to an end."
The Online Safety Bill is seen as one of the most far-reaching attempts to date to regulate online content, which could have global implications.
Getting set for success
We have all come through an amazing period of challenge personally and organisationally. For many that has been at great personal cost and has probably impacted our view of the future.
When we reflect upon where we have come from and where we are going, it seems like we have spent a significant period in between what was and what is yet to come. Maybe we have been in survival mode and our next task is to get back on our feet, find our path and walk forward.
It is as if we have been in some form of liminal space, that is, the space in time where we cannot return to what was before because it is no longer there, and we can’t yet step forward into what is yet to come because that is not yet available to us. Richard Rohr, the Franciscan Friar and Writer said this:
“Where we are betwixt and between the familiar and the completely unknown. There alone is our old world left behind, while we are not yet sure of the new existence. That’s a good space where genuine newness can begin. Get there often and stay as long as you can by whatever means possible…This is the sacred space where the old world is able to fall apart, and a bigger world is revealed.”
So, what do we do with this time in between? At Thirtyone:eight, our team have been working hard to continue to deliver the high standards of service that are members expect from us, while also listening to our members to help us consider what the future might look like for us as an organisation serving churches, charities and community organisations. The key to making the best of this time in between is to reflect, review, refresh and refocus so that we are ready to step into a future with some confidence and clarity.
What might this future look like?
It is clear from our recent research conducted by the University of Chester into the evolving nature of safeguarding throughout the pandemic, that this has been a difficult time bringing much change. This change is expected to continue for some time yet. Among the findings were: • Hidden People and Hidden Harms -
The impact of a loss of connection between people throughout the pandemic and the harms that can so easily go unseen, • The impact of the pandemic upon emotional wellbeing and mental health, • The benefits and challenges of blended and hybrid approaches to working and connecting with others • The implications for safeguarding policy and practice in an ever-changing environment of enforced restrictions
• The impact of the pandemic on maintaining safe contact with those working and overseas, and • The emerging pastoral care needs for those working in these challenging circumstances.
