Following years of safeguarding failures, leadership suspensions, and a damning independent audit, Blackburn Cathedral has now established a Safeguarding Improvement Board to oversee reforms and restore trust in its safeguarding practices.
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The new board is part of the Cathedral’s response to the INEQE Safeguarding Audit, published in July 2025, which found safeguarding arrangements to be “inadequate and requiring immediate action.”
The independent Board will meet monthly, working with the Cathedral Chapter and executive team to drive forward cultural and structural change as the Cathedral continues what church leaders have described as an “improvement journey.”
Background: years of failure and leadership change
The creation of the Board follows a turbulent period for Blackburn Cathedral.
As Blackburn Life previously reported, the July 2025 INEQE audit exposed systemic weaknesses in safeguarding culture, record-keeping, and leadership oversight.
Within weeks of the audit’s publication, Dean Peter Howell-Jones was suspended under the Clergy Discipline Measure, and the Cathedral’s Safeguarding Officer, Jenny Price, resigned.
Canon Andrew Horsfall was appointed Interim Dean, with Bishop Philip North describing him as “the ideal person to take forward the essential work of reform.”
The audit was only the latest in a long line of reviews and investigations that have repeatedly uncovered failures at the Cathedral.
In the past decade, several reports have documented inadequate safeguarding oversight, a culture of poor communication, and an apparent reluctance to confront historic abuse cases, including the long-running Canon Andrew Hindley case.
The Cathedral and Diocese have publicly accepted all 28 recommendations from the 2025 audit, promising “swift and decisive action.”
Independent chair appointed
The Safeguarding Improvement Board is chaired by Barbara Peacock, an independent safeguarding professional with more than 30 years’ experience in social care and organisational improvement.
She has worked across children’s and adult services in local authorities, the NHS, and the voluntary sector, and previously served on the Jay/Wilkinson Reference Group for the Church of England’s national safeguarding reforms.
Barbara Peacock left Croydon Council in May 2018, following a period of restructuring within the authority’s senior leadership after Ofsted rated its children’s services as inadequate the previous year.
Board membership and remit
The Improvement Board includes representatives from:
- The Cathedral’s Interim Dean and Senior Non-Executive Member of Chapter
- The Church of England National Safeguarding Team
- The Diocesan Board of Finance and Bishop’s Office
- Statutory bodies, local authorities, charity sector representatives, and members of the congregation
The Board will oversee a Safeguarding Improvement Plan and publish three key messages after each meeting to keep the Cathedral community informed.
Key messages from the latest meeting (22 October 2025)
- The Board confirmed its commitment to trauma-informed leadership as it begins its work.
- Members are committed to listening and engaging with the Cathedral community — including congregation, volunteers, staff and survivors — to shape the future.
- The Board has finalised its Terms of Reference and begun developing the Safeguarding Improvement Plan, to be published once approved.
A focus on transparency
A Cathedral spokesperson said the Board is committed to open and transparent communication and will publish regular updates on the Cathedral’s website.
