I am a victim/survivor

Reporting abuse can be very difficult, if you have either been abused or are being abused now, there is help and support available.

If you have been affected by abuse, however long ago, we want to help. On this page you will find:

Who to contact in the Diocese
Raising a complaint or concern about our safeguarding practice
Signposts to external organisations that can offer support
Links to victim/survivor-led websites
 

Who to contact in the Diocese

The Rochester Diocesan Safeguarding Team is committed to supporting victims and survivors of abuse. Please contact us so that we can help you. 

• Greg Barry-  Lead Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser
  07585 952174
  email: greg.barry@rochester.anglican.org

• Caroline Smith - Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser
  07768 036590
  email: caroline.smith@rochester.anglican.org

• Anthony Glockling - Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser
  07825 315748
  email: anthony.glockling@rochester.anglican.org

• Larry Deabreu - Rochester Cathedral Safeguarding Officer
  email: Larry Deabreu larry.deabreu@rochestercathedral.org

• Dr Liza Thompson - Chair of the Diocese of Rochester Safeguarding Advisory Group
  email: DSAPChair@rochester.anglican.org

We are very grateful to all those with lived experiences of abuse who engage with us in order that we can improve our support to victims and survivors. If there is something you think we can be doing better or something missing from this page that you think would be helpful, please contact a member of the team.

Raising a complaint or concern about our safeguarding practice

As a Safeguarding Team, we endeavour to provide the highest level of professional service and support as possible.

However, if you are concerned about any safeguarding practice or service you have seen or received either from the team, a church, or another part of the Diocesan support structure, please do contact us.

If you do not feel comfortable raising it with the team directly, you can approach the Chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel, Dr Liza Thompson on DSAPChair@rochester.anglican.org

The Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel is a group of external safeguarding professionals, along with senior clergy and officers from the Diocese and the Cathedral, who provide quality assurance and challenge in regards to safeguarding.

In this short video, Dr Liza Thompson, the Independent Chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel, explains more about how victims and survivors can help us shape and improve our response. (Captions available)

Signposts to external organisations that can offer support

We have compiled a downloadable list of national and local organisations and services that can be approached for support. We highlight some of the key ones below:

Links to victim/survivor-led websites

Here are details of some websites and blogs which have been established by victims and survivors of abuse.

• Independent Safeguarding Advisory Board (ISB)  -  The ISB has been founded and supported by the Archbishops Council. Its role is to hold the Church to account, publicly if need be, for any failings which are preventing good safeguarding practice from happening. They are also available to be contacted by victims and survivors who may wish to share their experience or make a complaint about the response they have received from the Church.
   
• House of Survivors - This is an information-based site for Survivors of Church of England-based abuse and Safeguarding employees within the Church of England. Please be aware that a disclaimer on this site warns that it contains some distressing content.  Please exercise self-care.  Should you need support, please visit one of the services listed on the website or use the Quick Exit button available on the site itself.
   
• Survivors Voices - Survivors Voices is a survivor-led organisation that harnesses the expertise of people affected by abuse in order to transform society’s response to trauma and abuse. They state that they are ‘experts by experience’, survivors of all types of abuse, experienced as a child or as an adult, 'turning our pain into the power to create something good.' 
   
• Surviving Church - A blog aiming to offer support to those who have been through negative church experiences of various kinds. Edited by Stephen Parsons, it seeks to offer commentary, insight, as well as challenge, to church leaders for their past and present failures in protecting the abused.

Key Contacts