INEQE Safeguarding Audit

The Diocese of Norwich will receive its INEQE safeguarding audit visit in January 2027. Audits are designed to ensure that Church of England dioceses and cathedrals are doing all they can to create environments where everyone feels safe, valued and respected. The Archbishop’s Council appointed the INEQE Safeguarding Group to undertake the current round of independent external audits in August 2023.

Diocese of Norwich surveys

Diocese of Norwich surveys are currently LIVE for a limited period. Take part now.

Take part in the survey here

Our commitment to safeguarding

The Diocese of Norwich is committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of everyone within our church community. We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate this through the audit process and to learn how we can continue to improve.

We are grateful for the work of the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and Parish Safeguarding Officers, and for the commitment shown by clergy, lay workers, church officers and PCCs in embedding a positive safeguarding culture.

We recognise that there is more to do. Victims and survivors remain at the centre of our work as we seek to grow and be transformed by Christ in ways that are prayerful, pastoral and prophetic.

Preparing for the audit

We are using the audit as an opportunity to review how we approach safeguarding across the diocese.
This includes:

Reflecting on our current practice
Learning from other dioceses and external organisations
Strengthening our culture, approach and impact

We look forward to the post audit feedback and to continuing our work in partnership with parishes, chaplaincies, the Cathedral and other Extra Parochial Places. Our aim is to ensure that everyone who comes into contact with our churches is safer as a result of our shared work.

About the INEQE audit

In August 2023, INEQE Safeguarding Group was appointed by the Archbishops’ Council to carry out the next round of independent external audits of Church of England dioceses and cathedrals. The purpose of these audits is to make sure dioceses, cathedrals and palaces are doing all they can to create environments where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.

The independent audit programme will run for 5 years from 2023 to 2028, with audits commencing in January 2024. Audits will be carried out in the diocese and cathedral at the same time (previously this was done separately). To ensure the most productive use of time, INEQE’s approach during the independent safeguarding audits will be to analyse all available information in advance of site visits, using the online 360° Safeguarding Audit Tool.

The 360° Safeguarding Audit Tool is a series of questions modelled against the CofE’s ‘National Safeguarding Standards and Quality Assurance’ framework. Issued to both DBFs and cathedrals, the tool is used to capture baseline evidence about policies, practice and other information relevant to each audited body. The tool will be completed by the Diocese of Norwich project team a minimum of three months in advance of their audit site visit.

The majority of individual stakeholders from within the DBF, parish and cathedral communities are engaged through online surveys. These were designed as mechanisms through which the audit team could hear about the experiences and views of those involved with the Church. They were both anonymous (the Audit team was not seeking to identify individuals) and confidential (individuals who chose to provide their details were not identified in our report). The Audit Team also engaged with a range of individual stakeholders as part of the NST audit, including the national workforce, local diocesan and cathedral staff and victims and survivors of abuse who had engaged with the NST.

Diocese of Norwich surveys are currently LIVE for a limited period. Take part by clicking here.

One audit report is produced per diocese based on geographical area (i.e., usually a single report covering the diocesan board of finance, diocesan bishop’s office and cathedral(s)). The audit and subsequent report identifies and recognises areas of good practice and success. It also includes meaningful recommendations for each individual Church body to help them develop and improve the quality of their safeguarding practice. Following drafting and feedback stages, reports are published on INEQE’s Church of England webpage.

We recommend reading the annual reports undertaken by INEQE that reflect the consistent trends across the diocese audited. These can be found here.

The INEQE survey

As part of the audit process, the team from INEQE would like to engage with a wide spectrum of individuals from dioceses, parishes and cathedral communities through online surveys. These surveys will act as a mechanism through which individuals can comment on matters relevant to the audit’s focus.

The surveys are both anonymous (the audit team are not seeking to identify individuals) and confidential (individuals will not be identified in our report). The purpose of the surveys is to enable the audit team to conduct a wider analysis of practice across Church bodies and give individuals the opportunity to contribute to the audit.

No one from the Church of England or other body will be provided with or have access to survey responses.

The Audit team have designed seven surveys for the following stakeholders, with each of the 7 survey groups being able to select their chosen survey from the Diocese of Norwich landing page on the INEQE website;

Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF), Diocesan Board of Education (DBE) and Office of the Bishop Workforce – Including, for example, DBF staff or volunteers, Staff of the Diocesan Bishop’s Office or Diocesan Synod.

Parish Community – Including, for example, parishioner, worshipper, or an attendee of another activity at the parish.

Cathedral Workforce – Including, for example, the Chapter, clergy, staff, volunteers, choristers, or bell ringers.

Parish Workforce – Including, for example, clergy, parish staff, volunteers, choristers, bell ringers, or worshippers.

Cathedral Worshipping Community – Including those who visited, attended services or worshipped at the Cathedral.

Victims/survivors of church-related abuse
Children or Young People

Accessing the survey

The Diocese of Norwich surveys are now live!

Take part in the surveys by clicking HERE

The surveys are only open for a limited time, so please ensure that you and those within your Parish take the opportunity to have your say.

Resources

Questions

Through our engagement events we have listened to feedback from Parish representatives across the diocese. You can read through these questions and our answers here.

You can also watch a recap of our recent Zoom session where we discuss the INEQE Audit Surveys here.

Contact

If you have any questions about the survey or how to complete it please contact ineqe@dioceseofnorwich.org

INEQE audit FAQs

1.Why is the Diocese being audited?

The Archbishops’ Council has commissioned INEQE Safeguarding Group to carry out independent safeguarding audits across all Church of England dioceses, cathedrals and palaces. The purpose of these audits is to help ensure that our churches and organisations are doing everything they can to create environments where everyone feels safe, valued and respected. The Diocese of Norwich is taking part as part of this national programme and welcomes the opportunity to review and strengthen safeguarding practice. Surveys will open in September with the auditors visiting the diocese in January 2027.

2. How can I get involved?

The easiest and most important way to get involved is by completing the INEQE survey. The survey allows a wide range of people to share their experiences, views and suggestions. Every response helps auditors build a clear picture of safeguarding across the Diocese. We encourage everyone who is eligible to take part and to share information about the survey with others who may wish to contribute. Please note that the survey will only be available for a limited period, so we encourage you to complete it as soon as possible.

3. Can I meet the auditors?

INEQE will identify individuals and groups they would like to meet based on the information gathered through surveys and documentation submitted during the audit. The Diocese may also suggest stakeholders whose perspectives would be valuable to the audit process. If you feel you have important information to share or would like to discuss meeting the auditors, please contact the Project Team at: ineqe@dioceseofnorwich.org

4. Is the survey anonymous?

Yes. Survey responses are collected directly by INEQE and are designed to help gather honest feedback from a wide range of participants. Individual responses will not be shared with the Diocese in a way that identifies respondents.

Diocese of Norwich surveys are currently LIVE for a limited period. Take part by clicking here.

Who are INEQE?

INEQE Safeguarding Group is an independent safeguarding organisation with experience in reviewing safeguarding arrangements across a range of sectors. They have been commissioned by the Archbishops’ Council to conduct these audits independently. They are members of The Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub (RSH), a UK International Development partnership to provide global access to safeguarding expertise.

What areas will the audit look at?

The audit will consider a range of safeguarding arrangements, including policies, procedures, culture, leadership, training, support arrangements and how safeguarding is experienced by different groups across the Diocese. The aim is to identify strengths, areas for improvement and examples of good practice.

What happens after the audit?

Following the audit, INEQE will produce a report outlining its findings and recommendations. The Diocese will use these recommendations to further strengthen safeguarding arrangements and support ongoing improvement.

Will the audit affect my church or parish?

The audit is intended to support learning and improvement across the Diocese. While individual churches and parishes may be invited to contribute information or take part in discussions, the focus is on understanding safeguarding arrangements and identifying opportunities to strengthen practice.

What if I have concerns about safeguarding?

If you have an immediate safeguarding concern, please follow the Diocese’s safeguarding reporting procedures and contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team directly. The audit is not a mechanism for reporting urgent safeguarding concerns. Information about reporting concerns can be found on the Diocese of Norwich website.

How can I find out more about the audit?

Updates and information about the audit is available through this webpage and is shared through diocesan communications. (see also keeping in touch section of this webpage). If you have any questions about the audit process, please contact the Project Team: ineqe@dioceseofnorwich.org

Thank you for reading this page. Your interest and involvement are important in helping us continue to develop a culture where everyone feels safe, heard and supported. If you have any questions that you feel would help others please raise this with Project Team: ineqe@dioceseofnorwich.org

Keeping up to date

The Diocese of Norwich and Norwich Cathedral are currently preparing for a Safeguarding Audit being carried out by INEQE Safeguarding Group, an independent organisation commissioned by the National Church of England. Our audit is scheduled for 6 – 18 January 2027 and will take a close look at the safeguarding practices and culture across our Diocese including the Cathedral and parishes, as part of a national review happening in every diocese across the country. Keep up to date with news surrounding the audit and read the bulletins being sent to Parish Safeguarding Officers.

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