Safeguarding failings 'watershed moment' for church, child abuse expert says

Jim Gamble said there should be a "root and branch" independent inquiry to "ensure that congregations are safe"

A series of "serious and significant failings" in safeguarding in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is a "watershed moment" for the church, a child abuse expert has said.

On Thursday, the PSNI said there were ongoing discussions with the church to ensure mechanisms are in place to support anyone who wishes to report abuse.

Failings in safeguarding within the church between 2009 and 2022 were disclosed on Wednesday leading to its moderator stepping down.

Jim Gamble, who headed up the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) police command, said there should be a "root and branch" independent inquiry to "ensure congregations are safe".

The church carried out an internal report, which has not been published.

The PSNI said discussions began after concerns were raised by the church following the conviction of an individual in 2024 for child sexual offences.

Mr Gamble is currently half way through a five year contract auditing safeguarding in the Church of England.

The church has put in place a response line for anyone who wants to share their story to get in touch.

The lack of information contained in Wednesday's announcement has come under some criticism.

Speaking to the BBC's Nolan Show, Mr Gamble said that the Presbyterian Church should be providing more information.

He said that the "ambiguity of some of the statements" the Church has made are "deeply concerning".

"By failing to share in as transparent way as possible what has gone wrong – the Presbyterian Church are proving the point that there must be a full and independent inquiry, a report that is published and remedial action that is taken urgently," Mr Gamble told the programme.

"Before these ambiguous statements do damage to people not in a position to defend themselves, the Church itself needs to step back, there needs to be an independent review."

'Stunned, shocked and greatly saddened'

Rev Latimer said Presbyterians are struggling to process events of recent days

Former minister of First Derry Presbyterian Church Rev David Latimer called for the moderator to step down with immediate effect and not wait until the end of the month.

"People are wobbling with faith issues, with belief issues and their confidence in the church has been shaken right to the very core so I probably would think it could be even more helpful that the step down should really be brought forward."

Rev Latimer described the safeguarding issues as "disturbing".

He told BBC Radio Foyle he was "stunned, shocked and greatly saddened" over recent days.

The retired minister said an independent review and more transparency are needed "as quickly as possible, indeed immediately".

Rev Latimer added it the results must be shared, recommendations made and brought into the public domain.

Bernie McNally is the chair of the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland

Earlier, the chair of the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland also said the Presbyterian Church in Ireland needs external support to set up a system which means the "voice of victims and potential victims can be heard".

Bernie McNally told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme that a system must be put in place so "people can have confidence" in the church.

Ms McNally said the system needs to be fixed from the "inside" and the best way of doing that is "to get external assistance".

Once a system is in place, Ms McNally said then the church will need "independent verification that the system is working and get some guidance and advice as to how to deal with these manners in a professional and appropriate way".

Ms McNally added that congregations "require some reassurance" as "people will be very distressed" and anxious to know that their children are safe".

"I think sometimes when there is a vacuum like that that it's filled with misinformation."

She said the Church "should make sure that those people who need to know do know and that the correct processes are put in place".

How are Presbyterians feeling?

Many church members, Mr Latimer said, are struggling to come to terms with the events of the past week.

"People are just finding it hard to embrace the story that's trickling out from the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church.

"Sunday's not going to be an easy day, the first Sunday for the congregational families to gather in churches across the island. They'll be coming in sombre mood with more questions than answers and what do ministers say?"

What happened?

On Wednesday, the acting clerk of the General Assembly, Rev Dr David Allen, said the church had initiated an investigation after receiving information from the PSNI in May.

"We became aware of the actions of a member of one of our congregations – not within that congregation, but in another area of his life.

"The PSNI told us they were investigating this individual.

"They prevented us from taking any action until their investigation was completed. When this investigation was complete, they gave us the go-ahead to carry out internal investigations into our processes."

He said there were three Presbyterian congregations "where we are aware of people who have come forward and spoken with us".

He said congregations on both sides of the Irish border had been affected.

How many cases is the church aware of?

The general council convener Rev David Bruce said the church does not know "precisely who has been harmed".

Rev Bruce said the number of cases they are aware of is "very small," however, he said the church was keen to hear from anyone with concerns.

Rev Bruce said the church had instituted a response line, because "we want people to get in touch with their stories".