Never be alone with children, clergy told

UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph

An inquiry into child abuse in the Diocese of Chichester found “many and longstanding failures” in safeguarding children and other vulnerable people.

By Telegraph reporters
8:41AM BST 31 Aug 2012

Clergy will be reminded never to be alone with children under new rules proposed by an inquiry into sexual abuse in the Church of England.

They will also be expected to keep records of all meetings with parishioners, while priests accused of abuse will be immediately suspended, it was reported.

Investigators looking into child protection policies following child abuse scandals in the Diocese of Chichester found that safeguarding had fallen “woefully short” of what should be expected.

Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury who set up the inquiry, said its interim report “confirms that there have been many and longstanding failures in implementing a robust and credible safeguarding policy in the Diocese of Chichester”.

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