The Charity Commission has written to Church of England (CoE) General Synod members who are charity trustees to remind them of their duties around safeguarding.

The reminder has been written to members of the church’s policy making body as they prepare to consider improvements to safeguarding next month.

This follows a spate of safeguarding scandals and reviews within the church, including last year’s publication of the Makin Report, which criticised church officials for knowing about and failing to act on abuse committed by a lawyer linked to the CoE.

Their letter also follows a meeting earlier this month between Commission officials and church leaders, including the Archbishop of York.

The Charity Commission acknowledges that while it does not regulate the General Synod, decisions made by its members impact charities within the Church of England.

“The Commission is writing to all members of the General Synod who are also trustees of Church charities to draw attention to their legal duties, specifically their duty to take reasonable steps to protect from harm people who come into contact with their charity,” said the regulator.

“This includes ensuring that processes, procedures and training are fit for purpose, and that safeguarding concerns are not able to be ignored or covered up.”

The letter urges trustees within the Synod to consider which improvements being considered to improve safeguarding “will enable you to comply with your duty to take reasonable steps to keep all who come into contact with your charity safe”.

Charity Commission chief executive David Holdsworth added: “The Makin Review underlined concerns about the sufficiency of changes made by the Church of England in implementing improvements to safeguarding.

“The Commission has been in active dialogue with national Church bodies to monitor their response to the Makin Review.

“As part of that engagement, we have made clear that safeguarding related matters to be considered at the forthcoming General Synod must fully address any structures or processes which may prevent trustees of charities within the Church from fulfilling their legal safeguarding duties.

“We have made clear the time for review has passed, and now is the time for action.

“We have also made clear our regulatory expectations that the necessary changes must be implemented as soon as possible, with the Church using its legal powers if needed to expedite the action required.”

The Church of England General Synod is due to meet between 10 and 14 of February, with debates including future structures of church safeguarding independence.

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