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This report had my full report until I saw the unfounded attack on the seal of the confessional. Every report into the Seal has shown that abusers do not use it to cover up their abuse; there is clear guidance that a priest recommends the individual hand themselves into the authority and withhold absolution. The evidence showed that victims were more likely to bring up abuse in the confessional, it is a first point where a priest can help someone confidentially in realising their abuse wasn't their fault. As a survivor and a regular penitent, I would have to leave the Church of England if this Sacrament were destroyed by taking away confidentiality. Please remove this from your report, it is an unfounded attack on a beautiful sacrament, an attack on those who use sacramental confession, who will have no choice but to leave and a distraction to independent safeguarding.

Zinc are a business that performs ID, DBS and reference checks for many organisations. It lifts the burden from organisation staff, smooths out workflows (because much church recruitment is tied to school terms) and adds another layer of independence. They can also do social media checks, etc., which would add another layer of safety to sensitive positions such as youth workers. Other providers are available - I got this one from a granddaughter's boyfriend.

Just want to thank folk for joining the group and in a funny way say sorry as Graham and I had not planned or thought about anything post writing the report (including publishing it beyond passing it to Church House). We are truly open for people to pull it apart, say why it won’t work or for anything else I guess. We are happy for it to become a living document. We aren’t members of any pressure groups and neither have we been paid in anyway for producing the report.

Francis Martin has written an excellent article in Church Times, focussing on our proposal for a Certificate of Ministry. You can read it here: https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2025/15-august/news/uk/priests-propose-certificate-of-ministry-to-bolster-church-safeguarding

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