IICSA - New Investigation into Religious Organisations and Settings
The inquiry has recently announced the launch of a new investigation into child protection in religious organisations and settings.
The inquiry has already conducted investigations into child sexual abuse in the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches in England and Wales and now considers it necessary to examine the child protection practices, policies and procedures in other religious settings. These include:
- places of collective worship (mosques, temples, festivals)
- places of religious tuition (Jewish yeshivas and chedarim, Muslim madrassahs, Christian Sunday schools)
- places where children gather in connection with religious beliefs, eg youth groups and camps.
Religions with a significant presence in England and Wales, eg non-conformist Christian denominations, Jehovah's witnesses, Baptists, Methodists, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Buddism will fall within the investigation's remit.
This investigation will not focus on particular case studies but will be thematic in nature and examine current organisational structures and child protection procedures within religious organisations and settings. The inquiry has identified the following themes it wishes to explore:
- The management of child protection including:
- Training, and the understanding of child sexual abuse
- Policies and procedures
- Vetting and barring and regulated activity as identified in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
- Responses to allegations of child sexual abuse, including the provision of pastoral support to complainants, victims and survivors
- Internal processes for auditing, inspection or oversight of the child protection practices and procedures
- The existing statutory framework for the protection of children from abuse and its application to religious organisations or settings
- The existing framework for auditing, inspection or oversight of the practices and procedures by either state or non-state institutions
- Whether there needs to be additional and/or different practices, processes or oversight (internal or external oversight) to ensure that children are protected from child sexual abuse within religious organisations or settings
The focus will be on obtaining evidence from institutions and individuals who are responsible for child protection within religious organisations, eg:
- Those who work with children within the religious organisation/setting
- Organisations providing training or services relating to child protection to religious organisations and/or those working with children within a religious organisation/setting
- Government departments and agencies
- Non-governmental and non-profit making organisations or associations eg charities, voluntary or community groups and co-operatives working with religious organisations or on their behalf
- Groups which work with, advocate on behalf of or represent victims or survivors of sexual abuse within religious organisations/settings.
The deadline for applications for Core Participant status is 13 June and preliminary hearing 23 July 2019. Public hearings will take place in 2020.