Released On 14th Apr 2023
The Church of England Redress Scheme
The Church of England is developing and finalising a national Redress Scheme which it is said will include compensation and a range of non-financial services including, therapeutic, spiritual and emotional support. Perhaps for the first time the Church will also acknowledge wrongdoing on its part and will offer apologies and support to victims and survivors of sexual abuse by its clergy or lay members.
The Church was one of the many organisations at the centre of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse whose various reports provided damning evidence of abuse by clergy and lay members, and a `cover up' culture to protect the reputation of the Church. After the Inquiry the Church’s General Synod accepted it needed to change its stance toward victims of sexual abuse and to move the institution toward a more victim and survivor-centred approach. Specifically this was referred to in the Church's final IICSA report, published in October 2020 (see Recommendation 7).
The rules of the Redress Scheme are still awaited and will be developed during 2023.
Various interim measures have been put in place and to date a Victim and Survivor Working Group has been set up involving seven survivors of sexual abuse by clergy and lay members. The group’s purpose is to ensure that the views of victims and survivors taken into account in the development of the Scheme.
If you are a survivor of sexual abuse by Church of England clergy or lay members you should contact us so we can advise you about: -
1. The Interim Support Scheme for victims and survivors in need of urgent or immediate support.
2. Safe Spaces. This is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused by someone in the Church.
3. MACSAS. This is an independent organisation that supports men and women who have been sexually abused, as children or adults, by clergy or lay members of the Church.
4. Survivors Voices. This is an organisation that runs support groups for victim-survivors of all kinds of abuse, including faith-based abuse.
Robson Shaw Solicitors has acted for countless victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse, including those who have suffered abuse at the hands of clergy or lay members of the Church.
We are committed to ensuring our client’s receive the compensation they are entitled to, and offer No Win No Fee Agreements to avoid the financial headache of funding litigation. If you or anyone you know is the victim or survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of a Church member, please contact Robert Shaw on his direct dial, 01392 345332, or email him on robert@robsonshaw.uk for a free no obligation and confidential discussion.
Other helpful contacts are:-
https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/redress-scheme
https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/safeguarding-news-releases/interim-support-scheme
https://www.willispalmer.com/church-of-england-introduces-redress-scheme/