NAPAC welcomes the latest report by IICSA into child protection in religious organisations and settings. The report is based on the direct testimony of survivors and includes descriptions of abuse and responses to disclosure. The experiences survivors describe in the report resonates with what survivors have told our support services.
What recommendations does the report make?
The report makes two recommendations:
(i) that all religious organisations should have a child protection policy and supporting procedures; and
(ii) that the government should legislate to amend the definition of full-time education to bring any setting that is the pupil’s primary place of education within the scope of a registered school, and provide OFSTED with sufficient powers to examine the quality of child protection when undertaking inspection of suspected unregistered schools.
What do we have to say?
NAPAC supports these recommendations. We also want to ensure that survivors of abuse in any setting have the support they need, as well as see changes made to improve the safety of children now. Trauma-informed support is key to recovery and healing from abuse, and all survivors need to know they can be heard and believed.
“I want to acknowledge the work of survivors and IICSA in making sure these experiences are heard. The report does not shy away from some hard-hitting conclusions about the moral failings and hypocrisy of religious institutions and settings where children were sexually abused.
Survivors deserve support now and in the future to recover from the trauma caused, as well as knowing that by sharing their experiences they are directly helping children to be safer, and other survivors to feel less isolated and more hopeful for their futures.”
Gabrielle Shaw, Chief Executive, NAPAC
External links
The IICSA page about the report
The report