Diocese of Truro Launches Independent Listening Service for Those Who Have Suffered Abuse Within the Church

By Helen Dale
The Packet
July 21, 2016

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/14633735.Diocese_of_Truro_launches_independent_listening_service_for_those_who_have_suffered_abuse_within_the_church/

The Church of England in Cornwall has teamed up with a charity to provide free and independent help for anybody who feels they may have been subject to any form of abuse from within a church context.

The Diocese of Truro has commissioned Skoodhya to provide its Authorised Listeners, who are there to provide a first point of contact for people who feel they may have experienced abuse.

Diocesan safeguarding adviser, Sarah Acraman, said: “We wanted to provide somewhere people could go and be actively, professionally and confidentially listened to, while they decide whether or not they want to take things any further, and maybe consult police or seek formal counselling for example.

“It is about us taking responsibility for those who may have been let down by the church, and offering a first step to recovery for those who need to talk. Sadly this has not always been the case for the church. While of course we are doing everything we can to prevent abuse, we have to acknowledge that it can and does happen within lots of organisations and the church is no different. Therefore the time has come to take responsibility, and really listen to our members.

“Our choice of partner has been important, because there can sometimes be nuances that relate specifically to the context of the church, such as people who might feel they have been abused spiritually, or their Christian faith has impacted on how they have coped or made sense of their experiences, for example.

“Commissioning Skoodhya also enables us to support a charity which does a lot of work to support victims of sexual abuse.”

The Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Rev Christopher Goldsmith, welcomed the move. He said: “As Christians we strive to help every person and every community to flourish. For that to happen people need to be and to feel valued and safe, especially in and around the church.

"In the past as the Anglican church in Cornwall we tragically haven’t always lived up to that standard. Now we are ensuring that there is an easy, accessible and independent means by which any concerns and complaints can be heard and acted upon. We are committed to being a place of safety for all.”

Skoodhya is a Cornish charity offering support to people who have experienced sexual abuse. It operates the Willow Centre, in Truro, which is the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The SARC provides a range of services to people who have been affected by sexual violence and abuse, whether it happened recently or in the past. Skoodhya has a team of independent sexual violence advisors (ISVAs) covering the whole of Cornwall, supporting men and women (aged 13 years and above).

Skoodhya chief executive, Sally Piper, said: “Our ISVAs and volunteers are specially trained to listen to survivors of abuse. We believe them. Our role is not to investigate. Our role is to provide effective emotional support and practical help, and to support them to retake control of their life when they are ready to do so. We will help them access other appropriate on-going support such as specialist counselling and if the person chooses to report to the police, we will be with them every step of the way.”

People who want to access the service should in the first instance contact the diocesan safeguarding adviser, Sarah Acraman, by calling 01872 274351 or emailing sarah.acraman@truro.anglican.org. Alternatively they can make contact through their parish priest or parish safeguarding advisor. The safeguarding advisor will speak to you to clarify the request and arrange for you to be contacted by an authorised listener within three weeks.