Every diocese in the Church of England either has or will be taking part in a . These independent audits are conducted by the INEQE Safeguarding Group and will take place in the Diocese of Canterbury in November 2026.
The audits are an important part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding and accountability.
This comprehensive review aims to assess current safeguarding practices across our diocese and the cathedral. It will seek to find areas of good and best practices as well as identify areas for improvement. The audit will use the Church of England’s five to ensure we are creating safe and welcoming church environments.
What does this mean for Parishes: Expectations and Key Dates
Preparation
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, which is why this audit is not limited to the safeguarding team but considers every parish and every role holder.
As such, we recommend that you conduct an internal audit in case you are visited by the auditors to include what you need to have in place (e.g. safeguarding posters, relevant policies etc).
A simple way to complete your own safeguarding internal audit is through the use of the Parish Safeguarding Dashboards and Parish Safeguarding Hubs – if you have not already signed up to these tools, you can .
Surveys - July to September 2026
Every person and parish within our diocese will be invited to participate in surveys from July to September 2026. This will give you the opportunity to share your unique experiences and insights. We will be contacting some parish officers and clergy with sample surveys in the Spring.
Pre-audit preparation – 26-30 October
Parish members may be invited to participate in online or in-person focus groups. These may take place either the week before the audit itself (w/c 26 October) or during the audit week.
Audit week – 2-6 November
The audit team will be in Canterbury working closely with colleagues in the Cathedral and Diocesan House. They may also select a few parishes or parish activities where they would like to carry out a site visit. This may be at short notice so we recommend that you have done any preparation work well in advance.
If you are ever worried about anything and would like some advice please complete our referral form available on our website or email us at safeguarding@diocant.org.
Post audit
After the audit is completed, the report will be published on the INEQE and Diocese of Canterbury websites within approximately two to three months.