CSSA publishes interim review findings into Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
17 September 2024
The CSSA today (Tuesday 17 September) publish their interim review findings into safeguarding Leadership, Governance, Ministry and Culture in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. The interim review, which looks at this one safeguarding standard (out of a possible eight standards), acknowledges that a much stronger culture of safeguarding is now evident in the Diocese, a culture which is being modelled from the top by Bishop Stephen Wright.
The CSSA report considers their previous recommendations from their 2023 report which found there to be significant failures in leadership which undermined safeguarding and potentially put people at risk.
The CSSA found that significant progress had been made in governance, which now focuses on driving safeguarding standards. The Board of Trustees now has a more even balance of lay and clergy members, with a lay chair of the safeguarding subcommittee. Auditors found evidence of the professionalisation of their Board. Significantly, there was a developed culture where people were encouraged to speak out.
Auditors found that initial steps had been taken to embed a culture of safeguarding. A message that ‘safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility’ was demonstrated in Bishop Wright’s communications across various platforms. Importantly, members were seen to be acting on these responsibilities in an open and collaborative way, with a culture of transparency being encouraged through a range of diocesan activities.
The Diocese has started work with victims-survivors, and others, some of which had been carried out through listening exercises. There has been acknowledgement of the deep hurt in the community. There is much more work to be done, and the Diocese has recognised this.
The CSSA has made further recommendations for Hexham and Newcastle, so they continue their journey of improvement. They will be audited in full by the end of 2024, with results being published early in 2025. These recommendations include widening the scope of their safeguarding plans, developing safeguarding practice as part of the wider governance review and to review listening exercises with victims-survivors to ensure they take every opportunity possible to drive safeguarding improvements.
Said Steve Ashley, CEO, CSSA: “This interim review for the Diocese was crucially important. Our team looked for evidence that previous failures of leadership were being addressed with urgency, and that people were currently as safe as possible. This was our priority at this interim stage.
“Hexham and Newcastle should be satisfied that new leadership under Bishop Wright has begun to turn things around. We have seen evidence of a renewed commitment to safeguarding. Cultural change takes time, and people in the Diocese are still hurting. So, the Diocese should now look to prove the longer-term impact of their commitment. We look forward to hearing the views of survivors and others in the Diocese about their more recent experiences as we begin work on the full audit of their safeguarding practice.”
The CSSA will be asking for information from the public as part of the full safeguarding audit programme.
You can read the CSSA’s Interim Report for the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle HERE
Journalists: Please initially contact Sarah Gleadall, Communications and Engagement Manager: sarah.gleadall@catholicsafeguarding.org.uk