Diocese seeks volunteers for survivor-led safeguarding panel

Tuesday 7th October 2025

Our diocesan Department for Safeguarding has announced a new initiative that seeks to work with survivors of Church-based abuse to help shape its safeguarding policies and practices. 

The Survivors Reference Panel is being created to put the real-life experiences and testimonies of survivors at the heart of our work to protect against all forms of abuse.

Through establishing this new panel, we are seeking to work closely with those hurt by the actions of the Church in the past to ensure the voice of survivors plays an integral role in how we safeguard against all forms of Church-based abuse, and how we continue to provide meaningful support and healing to those affected.

The panel will be entirely confidential and led by six volunteer survivors, who can choose to remain anonymous, a member of the clergy who is themselves a survivor of Church-based abuse, as well as the professional support services of diocesan staff.

We particularly welcome input from survivors who are no longer engaged with the Church, especially as a result of their experience of abuse.

Jenny Clayton, Head of Safeguarding at the Diocese of Salford, said: “Through this new initiative, we want to reach out and to listen to survivors of Church-based abuse; to learn from their experiences to help us continue embedding a robust and compassionate culture of safeguarding across all departments and areas of work and ministry in the Diocese of Salford.

“It is with deep regret that we acknowledge the pain and trauma that has been inflicted by members of the Church in the past, and our aim is to genuinely learn from those experiences to guide systemic change, improve accountability, and to work towards a renewed relationship based on trust, transparency, learning, and healing.”

To begin the process, we are now inviting survivors of abuse of all kinds – whether sexual, physical, emotional, financial, or more – to form part of this panel and to share their insight to ensure the policies, practices, and support services of the diocese are as rigorous, empathetic, and as survivor-centred as possible.

This latest initiative also offers an additional dimension to progress already achieved with Healing through Community, which provides counselling-specific services to survivors. Whilst healing and support remains available through that valued service, this panel creates a new opportunity for survivors to ensure their voices are heard at every level of strategic and operational output across the diocese.

The National Picture

The invitation also coincides with a national survey from the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA), which invites everyone engaged with the Catholic Church, including clergy, religious (Consecrated Life), parish safeguarding representatives, employees, volunteers, and parishioners to contribute their experiences. The aim of this survey is to better understand how the Catholic Church engages with survivors.

Information regarding this survey can be found here.

Jenny said: “We are pleased to be united with the Church across England and Wales, and indeed the world, in working to protect people against Church-based abuse of any kind, and we firmly believe it is the duty and responsibility of all branches and sectors of the Church to be proactive in ensuring the best possible practice in their own community.

“As such, we are hopeful that this panel will provide fresh eyes, meaningful dialogue, and a new perspective on our already robust structures and procedures, ensuring our diocese continues to operate at the highest possible standards in a way that compassionately reaches out and resonates with the people we are here to serve.”

Joining our Panel

We are now looking to reach out to survivors within our Church network and beyond to complete our panel.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a panel member, please contact our Department for Safeguarding directly by emailing safeguarding@dioceseofsalford.org.uk or calling 0161 817 2206 to discuss the next steps.

For any further information or to speak with our team on any safeguarding matter, please get in touch via the details above.

Tagged | Diocese | Safeguarding