30
Response
Accepted
Amend Canon C30 on safeguarding due regard
Recommendation
The Church of England should amend the current canon requiring clerics to comply with the Bishop's Guidance on Safeguarding. The use of the words 'due regard' in Canon C30 is an acceptable term of art, but lacks sufficient clarity. Very few individuals who gave evidence to the Inquiry said they understood what this meant, including the Archbishop of Canterbury himself.
Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- On 26 April 2021, the General Synod approved the Safeguarding (Code of Practice) Measure, which strengthens and clarifies the obligation on clergy to follow safeguarding guidance (Government Response, Church of England, April 2021).
- In May 2023, the government confirmed that the General Synod had approved the Measure amending Canon C30 (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
- In May 2023, the government confirmed that the General Synod had approved the Measure amending Canon C30 (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by claude-opus-4-6 on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
England
Section Reference
E
Response
Accepted
Response
Accepted
Accepted
UK Government
22 May 2023
On 26 April 2021, the General Synod approved the Safeguarding (Code of Practice) Measure which strengthens and clarifies the obligation to follow safeguarding guidance. The statutory code replaces the existing duty to have 'due regard' to safeguarding guidance. On 20 October 2021, the Measure came into force.
Responsible Bodies
Church of England
Primary
Themes & Tags
Recommendation age
6.9 yrs
Last formal update
1054 days ago