Responding Well to Domestic Abuse Practice Guidance

Dear Colleagues,

In 2006 the Church of England produced the ‘Responding to Domestic Abuse: Guidelines for those with Pastoral Responsibilities’. This was in response to a motion passed by the General Synod of the Church of England in July 2004:

That this Synod, noting that domestic violence is regarded by the Home Office and the police as a crime:

(a) view with extreme alarm the number of incidents being regularly reported, as being an unacceptable picture of suffering and abuse;

(b) call for national guidelines to be issued by the Archbishops’ Council for those with pastoral care responsibilities, as to the appropriate relationship with both victims and perpetrators;

(c) recognise the special circumstances associated with domestic violence, and therefore the special needs of victims, in minority ethnic communities; and

(d) urge all dioceses to consider ways in which they could i) work in partnership with other agencies, co-operating sensitively with those serving minority communities, to provide the resources needed by victims and their families; ii) speak out against the evil of domestic violence; and iii) work for justice and safety in the homes of this nation.

The Church remains committed to those who have been survivors/victims of domestic abuse and to addressing the processes that lead to domestic abuse. Domestic abuse in all its forms is contrary to the will of God and an affront to human dignity. All need to play their part in preventing or halting it.

I hope that this updated practice guidance will help church communities address the issues in an informed way and be of use to anyone entrusted by victims, survivors or perpetrators to hear their story. In doing so, we acknowledge the excellent work that is already taking place in many churches, by many Christians and by those working in voluntary and statutory organisations and we are grateful for their help in drawing up this revised practice guidance.

Yours in Christ’s fellowship,

The Right Reverend Peter Hancock
Bishop of Bath and Wells
Lead Bishop on Safeguarding

Aim

This document sets out the Church of England’s Domestic Abuse Policy and the detailed practice guidance on how the Church of England will implement ts Domestic Abuse Policy. It supports the Church’s commitment to address and respond effectively to domestic abuse both within its own community and wider society.

It replaces and updates ‘Responding to Domestic Abuse; Guidelines for those with pastoral responsibilities 2006’.

The practice guidance is intended to raise awareness and to highlight some of the areas that need to be considered in making our churches safer places. To encourage churches to become places of safety where domestic abuse is taken seriously, victims/survivors are believed and respected and alleged or known perpetrators are challenged.

It aims to inform, direct and equip those working at a local level, not only those working in authorised ministries such as clergy, readers or pastoral assistants, but also those who may be entrusted by victims/survivors or alleged or known perpetrators to hear their story and who want to offer the most appropriate care.

Scope

This policy applies to all church bodies ^[*] and officers ^[*] . Full understanding of, and adherence to, this policy should lead to a deepening in the understanding of, and respect for, the rights of children, young people and adults as people of faith in the life of the Church.

Under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, ^[*] all authorised clergy, bishops, archdeacons, licensed readers and lay workers, churchwardens and PCCs must have ‘due regard’ to safeguarding guidance (sections 1, 2 and 3 of this document) issued by the House of Bishops (this will include both policy and practice guidance). A duty to have ‘due regard’ to guidance means that the person under the duty is not free to disregard it but is required to follow such guidance unless there are cogent reasons for not doing so (‘cogent’ for this purpose means clear, logical and convincing). Failure by clergy to comply with the duty imposed by the 2016 Measure may result in disciplinary action.

The Ecclesiastical Insurance Group has made it clear that their insurance cover is only valid where House of Bishops safeguarding policy and practice guidance is being followed.

Outline

Section 1 outlines the Church of England’s Policy on Domestic Abuse. Section 2 outlines the procedure for responding to domestic abuse and Section 3 outlines the training requirements. This is supported by 9 Appendices which provide good practice reference material and templates.

This is not an all-inclusive resource, excellent resources that cover this subject more thoroughly can be found in Appendix 9. The guidance recognises that often the Church’s role involves supporting victims/survivors, empowering them to seek professional care from the relevant agencies. The Church can also support alleged or known perpetrators of abuse, by encouraging them to recognise their personal needs and seek appropriate help or by reinforcing what is being done by others to help them to take responsibility for and address their abusive attitudes and behaviour. This may include referring individuals to a programme for alleged or known perpetrators of domestic abuse.

Additional associated House of Bishops Practice Guidance documents supplement this practice guidance and are referenced in this policy.

Building on this, church bodies may provide additional local procedures and guidance in line with the House of Bishops policy and practice guidance.

Where to find the policy

It will be distributed via email to all dioceses, cathedrals and other Church bodies. The most up to date version of the policy, model templates and the associated practice guidance, will always be available on the Church of England website.

News of updates will be included in information circulated by the National Safeguarding Team.

Relevant information will be updated online, where the policy and associated practice guidance can be downloaded easily for local use, so that it is not necessary to supply large quantities of printed papers, which can become out of date all too quickly.

For those who do not have access to the internet, hard copies of the policy and associated documents can be supplied via their Diocesan Safeguarding Team or via Church House Publishing, on request.

Please note that the aim will be to move to a full electronic manual in 2017.