National Church have commissioned the INEQE Safeguarding Group to carry out Independent Safeguarding Audits of every diocese in the Church of England, and are currently undertaking an audit within the Diocese of Bristol.
This work is happening to ensure that dioceses, cathedrals and palaces are doing all they can to create environments where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.
Safeguarding is part of our core faith and an integral feature of Christian life in our parish churches. We are grateful for all your hard work in keeping churches within the Diocese a safe place for our communities to worship.
With Advent fast approaching, and considering the volume and frequency of similar survey requests from National Church, we understand that this request will feel challenging/demanding to many in our parishes. Unfortunately, with the deadline for this work falling so soon (4 January 2024), we reservedly ask for your input to the audits, so that we can learn from your experiences and improve our support. It will take just 10 minutes to complete the relevant survey to you.
We value your input!
What you tell INEQE will help inform the recommendations of their independent audits. With this in mind, they have created a series of surveys for different groups within the diocese.
The surveys are both anonymous (we are not seeking to identify you) and confidential (you will not be identified). We would therefore ask you to be open and honest with your responses. The survey results are received directly by INEQE’s Audit Team and not by the Church of England or the Diocese of Bristol.
The surveys are now live and will close at 11.30 pm Thursday 4th January 2024.
If you wish to take part in a survey then please click on the link relevant to you below. We also ask that you share the relevant surveys with your communities so that they can also have their say.
Clergy, staff, volunteers, adult choristers/choir members, bell ringers, some of the neighbours who live/rent shops etc. in the surrounding area, and those involved in other committees or fundraising projects etc:
Parish Workforce Survey
Parishioner, worshipper or attendee of another activity at the parish:
Parish Community Survey
Chapter, clergy staff, Cathedral volunteers:
Cathedral Workforce Survey
Those who attend, visit or worship at the cathedral:
Cathedral Worshipping Community
Making sure all voices are heard...
We are committed to promoting a safer church environment within our parishes and communities for everyone, including those who are survivors of abuse.
As part of this important process, INEQE are asking for survey responses from those who have experienced abuse, as well as children and young people within the Diocese of Bristol.
If you work directly with survivors of abuse, or with children and young people, please take the time to let them know about this opportunity to get their voice heard.
We want to hear about the experiences of those who are under 18:
Children or Young People Survey
We want insight and input from survivors or victims of church-related abuse, into current Church of England safeguarding practices:
Survivors or Victims
Spreading the word...
Listening to and learning from parishes is an important part of the Audit, which is why we are asking you to spread the word about the Audit widely.
If you are able to share the survey information with your congregations during your Sunday services or church notices ahead of 4th January, we would be very grateful for your support. INEQE have created some resources for you to do this.
Be part of the conversation
The surveys will be open until 4 January 2024.
If you have any questions, please contact our Safeguarding Team: Adam Bond or Katheryn Caithness, by emailing safeguarding@bristoldiocese.org.
Contacting the Audit Team
Should you wish to share any further information or if you would be interested in participating in a focus group you can also click here to contact the Audit Team directly. This is monitored only by INEQE’s Audit Team.
NOTE: The only time an individual’s confidential engagement with the Audit Team might be breached would be in the event of a disclosure of suspected harm to a child, adult at risk or criminal conduct. In such circumstances, the information will only be shared with the appropriate statutory agency.