13 October 2015
Methodist Church makes further progress on safeguarding
- Click here for the full list of Council papers
The Methodist Council has heard of the progress made by the
Church in addressing the concerns of the
Past Cases Review.
The independent review, which reported in May this year, made 23
recommendations about how the Church could become a safer space for
all, especially children, young people and vulnerable adults.
The Council, meeting from 12 to 13 October in Hoddeston, heard
that significant progress had already been made in implementing the
recommendations of the report. This includes the creation of a
draft supervision policy for ministers, guidance on best practice
for record-keeping and storage and a review of the Church's
safeguarding training material. Until the Methodist Church has more
robust accountability processes in place, there will be an annual
independent audit of progress on the recommendations.
"The recommendations invite us to explore ways of developing
excellence in our practice in accountable ways," said the Revd
Helen Cameron, Assistant Secretary of the Methodist Conference and
a member of the Past Cases Review implementation Group. "They also
invite us to ensure that ministries offered in the name of the
Methodist Church promote the fullness of life for which Christ
came."
The Methodist Council also received a report from the Methodist
Academies and Schools Trust (MAST) and which detailed how MAST
might work to more effectively help its schools to navigate the
process of academisation.
The report stated that; "If the Methodist schools can become
successful academies with a confident witness to the
Christian/Methodist ethos at their core...the Church will be
fulfilling its responsibilities to nourish and celebrate strong and
productive schools."
Other matters discussed by the Council included the Church's
response to the refugee crisis, property matters and a report from
the Methodist Heritage Committee.