'Naive' churches are a soft touch for paedophiles, experts claim

Convicted paedophiles often seek out places of worship on their release, warns head of safeguarding at the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service

Churches are still viewed as a “soft touch” by paedophiles hunting for victims, despite tighter child-protection measures after a series of abuse scandals, one of Britain’s leading experts on the issue has warned.

Justin Humphreys, the head of safeguarding at the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS), an independent body set up to combat clerical abuse, said convicted paedophiles often seek out places of worship on their release because of members’ belief in forgiveness.

Although churches now routinely carry out criminal-record checks for volunteer positions such as Sunday school teachers, Mr Humphreys said they are “undoubtedly” still missing out on large numbers of people who pose a threat to children, but have never previously been caught.

Churches of all denominations are still guilty of “naivety” on the issue of sexual abuse despite the revelations, he added.

A recent random survey by the CCPAS found no examples of churches carrying out the level of full scrutiny in application processes that it recommends. Keep reading

Also see
CCPAS Setting Standards for Safeguarding Home Page
Safeguarding Policies