The Makin Report – a response from Church Army

Church Army are appalled by the horrific abuse carried out by John Smyth as described in the recent Makin report. The lasting damage and distress experienced by the victims is unimaginable, and our hearts go out to all those who have suffered so much. As an Anglican Mission Agency, we recognise that this case, alongside many others, has eroded trust in the church as a safe place and we all have a lot of work to do to repair that trust. 

Everyone in Church Army, whatever their role or context, is responsible for protecting and safeguarding the welfare of every child, young person and adult who is within our care. We want to acknowledge that while the cases of abuse outlined in the Makin report don’t relate to the work of the Church Army, it is important for us to be open and transparent in how we handle any safeguarding concerns. You can find the full details of our safeguarding policy here.  

Church Army takes allegations of abuse very seriously. We recognise the need to be vigilant and to continually reassess and improve our safeguarding procedures to ensure a safe culture for all those with whom we work. All concerns or allegations must be reported to the Church Army’s Safeguarding Team who seek external safeguarding advice from Thirtyone:eight, and work with other statutory bodies and the police, where it is a criminal matter.

If you have any concern regarding a Church Army evangelist or member of staff, this should be reported immediately to: safeguarding@churcharmy.org  

If you would prefer to contact an independent organisation, you can do so by contacting Thirtyone:eight on 0303 003 1111 or helpline@thirtyoneeight.org.  

For those who have been impacted directly by the publication of the Makin report and want to talk to someone independent of the Church of England, please call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk