The recommendation was made in a new report published by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) on Tuesday, which followed four years of research involving C of E dioceses and dozens of abuse survivors.
In a statement the C of E told Premier: “The Church believes that retaining ownership and leadership of safeguarding in the diocese outweighs the benefits of making diocesan safeguarding advisers employed nationally.
“Dioceses must own and be responsible for safeguarding while acknowledging the importance of having a professional in the role.
“There are things in place to improve consistency – an escalation process to the national team if issues arise, professional support for diocesan safeguarding advisors etc.”
The SCIE said staff appointed by the Church of England’s 42 dioceses to oversee safeguarding (diocesan safeguarding advisors or DSAs) are currently answerable to their diocesan bishop.
The national body said appointing, managing and supervising the DSAs at a national level would “outweigh” the benefits of local ownership.
In its report, the SCIE said: “A national safeguarding service will be better able to resolve the current difficulties relating to supervision and management, with the potential to also…provide a greater level of independence in the…
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