The audit was carried out by the INEQE Safeguarding Group as part of a rolling programme across The Church of England to be completed by 2028 and involving all dioceses. The audit makes a number of important recommendations, which the Cathedral has accepted in full.

The Cathedral has already taken swift action to address the most urgent of these, including:

Partnership with the Diocese for the management of safeguarding casework
Appointment of two new members of Chapter with safeguarding experience
Planning for the establishment of an independent Safeguarding Improvement Board
Transferring all case records to the National Safeguarding Case Management System
Proactively seeking professional partnerships with other statutory bodies

Commenting on the audit, a Cathedral spokesperson said:

We welcome the INEQE report and the courage and commitment of everyone who supported this important work, especially those survivors of abuse who were able to share their experiences.

Safeguarding is our number one priority and we have taken swift and decisive action to implement the most urgent recommendations.

We are committed to making the Cathedral a safe and welcome environment for all, and welcome the continued support of the Bishop of Blackburn and the Diocese as we implement the recommendations of today’s report in full.

We apologise unreservedly to anyone who feels let down by our previous safeguarding arrangements. Support is available via Safe Spaces (0300 303 1056) and the Cathedral Safeguarding Team.

The INEQE Independent Safeguarding Audit identifies 28 recommendations for the Cathedral, covering leadership, governance, case-management, recruitment, communications and culture.

In addition, it makes a number of recommendations about how safeguarding provision can be improved across the Diocese.

The full INEQE audit report can be found here.