The Diocese of Guildford is being audited by INEQE Safeguarding Group as part of the national programme commissioned by the Archbishops’ Council. The audit will assess safeguarding arrangements across the parishes, Cathedral and Church House, while recognising good practice and identifying areas for improvement against the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Standards.
From the end of October, INEQE will engage with the Diocesan Safeguarding Team, Cathedral and a range of stakeholders, including parish staff, volunteers, parishioners and survivors. This may include surveys, interviews, focus groups and reviews of policies, records and safeguarding practices.
Parishes can prepare by ensuring safeguarding remains a regular PCC agenda item, reflecting on local safeguarding arrangements, and being ready to share examples of both good practice and challenges.
The audit is independent, evidence-based and designed to support continuous improvement in safeguarding across the diocese.
Bishop Paul said: “Good safeguarding practice is not a simple box-ticking exercise. As Christians we are called to protect the vulnerable and uphold their dignity. I’d like to thank you all for the progress that continues to be made, and I encourage you to engage positively and openly with this audit as we strive to make our churches safe for all.”
For questions about the audit, please contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Team on this dedicated email address, ineqe@cofeguildford.org.uk.
Survey details and further information about the audit will be shared once available.
INEQE Audit Q&A
Who is INEQE?
INEQE Safeguarding Group is a leading independent safeguarding organisation. The group delivers safeguarding solutions to a wide spectrum of clients in the public and private sectors, using education and innovate technology.
The organisation was appointed by the Church of England to carry out independent safeguarding audits over the next four years.
Why is the Diocese of Guildford subject to an audit?
All 42 Dioceses and Cathedrals will be audited as part of this independent safeguarding audit programme for the Church of England. The audit was commissioned by the Archbishops’ Council and is overseen by the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team (NST).
The purpose of the audit is to assess the sufficiency of the safeguarding arrangements within the CofE dioceses and cathedrals.
What will the auditors look at?
The anonymous surveys are designed to glean information from a varied communities across the Diocese who have differing levels of awareness and involvement in safeguarding practice. Respondents will include Cathedral workforce, Cathedral worshipping community, Diocesan Board of Finance staff, office of the Bishop Workforce, parish staff, parish community, victim/survivors, children and young people.
In general, the auditors want to identify strengths and work with the Diocese of Guildford in identifying areas of practice that could be reinforced or accelerated. They will assess whether we are creating environments were people feel safe, as well as looking at issues around culture, leadership and capacity, and how well we respond to the victims.
How can parishes help?
Please fill in the survey when it is released and promote it across your church community, including groups who use and visit your church buildings. Please also offer help to those completing the survey where it is needed.
Parish members may be invited to participate in online, or in-person focus groups between October to December 2026.
Once, the surveys and the initial part of the audit is completed, (likely around March 2027) the audit team will be in Guildford for a week, working closely with colleagues in the Cathedral and those based at Church House. They may also select a few parishes or parish activities where they would like to carry out a site visit.
How can the parishes prepare for the audit?
The best way to prepare for the INEQE audit is to ensure that you are in the best position you can be with regards to safeguarding in your parish.
There is the possibility that you could be visited by an auditor so it would be good practice to check that your safeguarding posters are up to date and visible, signposting for support is available, relevant policies and key role holders are accurately displayed.
Using the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard and Parish Safeguarding Hub is also good preparation as this will highlight any areas that may require focus.
What will happen afterwards?
The reports and action plans from individual diocesan and cathedral audits can be read on the Church of England website. The Diocese of Guildford audit results will be shared there and on our diocesan website when they are published around June 2027.
The recommendations of the audit will inform our ongoing practice improvement in the same way as previous audits and reviews have. Dioceses and Cathedrals that have already received their reports have typically received between 30 and 40 recommendations.
Contacting us about the audit
Should you wish to share any further information or if you would be interested in participating in a focus group should this be an option, you can contact the safeguarding team through INEQE@cofeguildford.or.uk