The Church of England has published its most extensive report into how it has handled safeguarding cases. The Past Cases Review 2 (PCR2) was launched in the summer of 2019.

The aim is to ensure that all known cases of concern about the behaviour of clergy and church officers towards children and vulnerable adults are dealt with appropriately.

Sixty-five independent reviewers have examined more than 75,000 files across all 42 dioceses, as well as at Lambeth and Bishopsthorpe palaces and in the National Safeguarding Team. Dioceses are releasing their findings on an individual basis. Today’s report is a compilation of local findings and recommendations.

The report highlights a number of failures and contains 26 national recommendations. For more details, click here.

The findings from the Diocese in Europe are not being released today. Travel restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the research for PCR2 that had to be done in continental Europe. The necessary work reviewing all the files has now been completed. The Diocese aims to report on its findings before the end of the year.