Inquiry into safeguarding in faith communities seeks input from survivors

Members of Parliament leading an inquiry into whether safeguarding laws in the United Kingdom need reform in order to better protect children within religious settings are calling for survivors with lived experience to submit evidence before presenting a report on its findings to the Government.

Back in April, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Safeguarding in Faith Communities officially launched an inquiry into the effectiveness of current legislation at protecting children from harm and is expected to produce a report making recommendations to Government by March 2027. The inquiry is focusing specifically on the definition of ‘regulated activity’ and whether it needs to be amended so as to close loopholes used to exploit vulnerable children in religious groups.

At present, adults only require criminal record background (DBS) checks if their contact with children falls within specific categories and time periods. Providing “teaching, training, or instruction, care for or supervision of children” for instance, is only considered regulated if it takes place for more than 3 days in a 30-day period. This means no checks would be needed if an adult were to run kids activities at their local Church, so long as it occurs less than three times a month, leaving a loophole that could potentially be exploited by convicted child sex offenders. The system also relies on faith communities acting in good faith, with no overseeing regulator or provision designed to monitor whether organisations are carrying out the appropriate checks when needed.

When the inquiry was launched back in April, APPG Chair Ruth Jones MP said she had heard from a number of faith communities who expressed dissatisfaction with the concept of opening an inquiry into safeguarding rules, but made it clear in no uncertain terms that if these groups have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear in assessing whether the current framework adequately protects children from harm.

The Gov.uk website explains current regulations apply to anybody working with a child, whether paid or unpaid, however DBS checks are only needed if contact occurs outside specified thresholds:

A paper published last year by Thirtyone:eight, the secretariat to the APPG, warned of “significant gaps” in the current definition of regulated activity and included examples such as Sunday schools and religious residentials where volunteers may come in to contact with children but fall below the threshold of being regulated. “Current loopholes mean many volunteers and workers who have unsupervised access to children are not subject to enhanced DBS checks due to the frequency of their role, increasing the risk of harm,” it reported. “Faith leaders and other trusted figures may not be properly vetted, leading to misplaced trust.”

The inquiry has set out to assess the understanding and application of the definition of ‘regulated activity’ for faith communities and organisations; identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas of risk related to the definition of ‘regulated activity’ for faith communities and organisations; and provide findings and recommendations, as appropriate.

It is now seeking input from survivors and is inviting written submissions to inform their report. Submissions may include, their website states, “case studies, examples of practice, or lived experience, research, data, and policy analysis that help illuminate both the strengths and challenges relevant to the inquiry’s focus. While contributors are welcome to reference practical examples, the inquiry will not consider broader debates outside the scope of the inquiry’s remit.”

The inquiry has set out a series of guiding questions and is asking for submissions to answer at least one of the following:

• To what extent is there a shared and consistent understanding and application of the definition of ‘regulated activity’ across faith communities and organisations?
• What are the strengths of the current definition in the context of faith communities and organisations?
• What complexities and loopholes arise from the application of the current definition in the context of faith communities and organisations?
• What are the associated risks of the current definition for faith communities and organisations?
• What are the implications of these associated risks for safeguarding practices and promoting safe environments for faith communities and organisations?
• What would strengthen the current definition of ‘regulated activity’ and understanding and application of the definition in practice for faith communities and organisations?

Submissions must not exceed 2,500 words and can be submitted via email to appg@thirtyoneeight.org. The website states “contributors are encouraged to include their name, organisation and role, and to indicate clearly if they would prefer not to be referenced or quoted in the final report. You should not include names or identifiable details about individuals or specific safeguarding cases without consent.“

“Your evidence will play an important role in shaping the inquiry’s findings and recommendations. We are grateful for the time and expertise you contribute and thank you in advance for your engagement.”