Those of us in ministry licensed by the Church of England have to complete safeguarding training every three years. My three years was up in November, so once again I had to complete the CofE’s “Leadership” safeguarding module. The training was very different from three years ago. Previously there has been an emphasis on the rules and procedures necessary for preventing abuse, and then spotting and responding appropriately to any abuse which does occur. This time it was all about creating a culture of safeguarding such that our churches inevitably become safe and healthy environments for our children and vulnerable adults. As before the training included some interesting and challenging case studies.
For homework we were required to watch the BBC documentary, “The Church’s Darkest Secret” from January 2020. I found it a very uncomfortable two hours of television, but I learnt a lot and the programme changed my thinking and attitudes.
The programme concerned Peter Ball, who was Bishop of Lewes from 1977 to 1992. He was a charismatic figure who built a network of powerful contacts including Mrs Thatcher and the Prince of Wales. He made TV appearances including a programme about his house which he ran like a monastery encouraging young men to come and “Give a Year to God”. This gave him access to many young men, some of whom he abused terribly with sexual assault and beatings.
The programme followed the stories of his victims and police in trying to bring him to justice. There was a series of shameful failures whereby Bishops withheld important evidence from the police. In 1992 Peter Ball moved to become Bishop of Gloucester but he resigned a year later after receiving a police caution for gross indecency.
In the new millennium the CofE’s safeguarding departments began to get stronger. They got better at accessing crucial information, which they did share with the police. In 2015 Peter Ball pleaded guilty to some of his offences. He served 18 months in prison. He died in 2019 aged 87.
The programme shows how a powerful and manipulative perpetrator of abuse was able to avoid justice for decades. It shows the extraordinary difficulty that victims had in getting their stories believed and acted upon. It shows the great importance of the Safeguarding Officers in the CofE. It shows how important it is that disclosures of abuse are properly reported and information shared.
Often safeguarding can seem like a lot of work, with training to do, DBS checks to be made, policies, risk assessments and role descriptions to be updated. But learning about the horrors of the Peter Ball story makes it all feel very worthwhile. We have to make sure that the church is a safe place.
With prayers and best wishes, Fr Patrick
Prayer from a CofE Safeguarding Training Course
May the doors of our churches be wide enough to receive all who come seeking God and fellowship.
May the doors of our churches be narrow enough to shut out pettiness and pride, envy and enmity.
May the threshold of our churches be no stumbling block to young or frail feet.
May the threshold of our churches be too high to admit complacency and self-seeking.
May our churches be, for all who enter, a safe place and the doorway to a richer life in Christ. Amen