Work on the independent review into Jonathan Fletcher and Emmanuel Church by safeguarding organisation thirtyone:eight is underway. Thirtyone:eight have today provided an update which you can access here. The key points are summarised below:

• An Independent Advisory Group has been established following an application and appointment process. The names of Independent Advisory Group participants will be kept confidential and will not be known by Emmanuel Church Wimbledon until the report is released to them. The group will oversee the work of the review and will be chaired by Justin Humphreys, thirtyone:eight Chief Executive (Safeguarding).
• The review itself is being led by Dr Lisa Oakley who is working with Simon Plant. Both are experienced in undertaking organisational safeguarding reviews.
• The Independent Advisory Group has now finalised the detail of the scope ensuring that all legitimate perspectives and appropriate lines of enquiry have been considered (including those of victims and survivors of abuse). The finalised scope can be found here.
• The fieldwork for the review has now begun. The reviewers are now responding to all those who have contributed information to date. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, face to face interviews will not be possible. Thirtyone:eight are committed to completing this review in a timely and robust manner. This will now however be via video conference call or a phone call. If neither of these options are possible, a process of interview by written questions and answers will be undertaken.
• Following completion of the fieldwork stage, the review team will analyse the information received and begin drafting the report of findings, which will be quality assured by the Independent Advisory Group prior to its submission to Emmanuel Church Wimbledon and subsequent publication by the end of September 2020.
• A revised timetable for the review can be viewed here. These are challenging times with COVID -19 prompting a need for flexibility. There may therefore be a need to review this timeline as circumstances change.
• Thirtyone:eight are today making a final call for participants for the review. Details can be found here.

Contributions to the review, or any queries, should be emailed to JFsafeguardingreview@thirtyoneeight.org

- 26th March 2020

Emmanuel Church Wimbledon today announces that it has commissioned an independent lessons learnt review concerning Jonathan Fletcher and Emmanuel Church, to be undertaken by safeguarding organisation thirtyone:eight to start immediately. The review will take place over the next six months, with a report of the findings to be published by May 2020.

Focusing on the activities of Jonathan Fletcher while he was minister of Emmanuel, thirtyone:eight has been commissioned to undertake a robust and comprehensive exploration of both good practice and failings in culture and safeguarding practice at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon from 1982 to the present. The review will enable the voices of those impacted by the behaviour of Jonathan Fletcher to be expressed, heard and considered alongside other contextual information and concerns from other relevant sources. The draft scope for the review can be viewed here.

The review process will be entirely independent, and measures are being put in place to achieve this, including the establishment of an Independent Advisory Group. The group will consist of up to six individuals, with a representation of victims/survivors. Thirtyone:eight invite any individuals interested in participating in the Independent Advisory Group to express their interest by 20th December. Further details are available here. The names of Independent Advisory Group participants will be kept confidential, and will not be known by Emmanuel Church Wimbledon until the publication of the report¹. The group will oversee the work of the review and will be chaired by Justin Humphreys (Chief Executive (Safeguarding) at thirtyone:eight). The review itself will be led by Dr Lisa Oakley. Once the Independent Advisory Group is formed, its first task will be to review, shape and finalise the detailed scope with the review team, ensuring that all legitimate perspectives and appropriate lines of enquiry have been considered. The Independent Advisory Group will then meet at agreed intervals throughout the process of the review, with the overall purpose of guiding its work, acting as a point of reference and scrutiny, and ensuring complete independence.

Once the scope has been finalised, the fieldwork for the review will commence. A proposed timeframe for the different stages of the review can be found here.

In the meantime anyone, including victims/survivors, who wishes to participate in the review or who wishes to pass on information to thirtyone:eight can do so confidentially by emailing JFsafeguardingreview@thirtyoneeight.org or by using the ‘contact us’ link which can be found here. Thirtyone:eight and Emmanuel Church Wimbledon recognise their data privacy obligations and the need to protect the confidentiality of those involved. Identities of confirmed participants who contact thirtyone:eight will be known only by the reviewers and the Independent Advisory Group. Measures will be in place so that no victim/survivor identifiable details will be passed between Emmanuel Church and thirtyone:eight without prior consent from those individuals.

Thirtyone:eight continue to operate an independent helpline for victims/survivors of abuse. If you have been affected by matters related to Jonathan Fletcher and you would like to speak to someone independent about this you can contact the thirtyone:eight helpline on 0303 003 1111. Please quote ‘2019’ to identify that your call relates to Jonathan Fletcher. Information you share with the helpline will not be shared with others, including the independent review team, unless you consent to that or action needs to be taken to protect you or others (in adherence to standard safeguarding practice and protocol).

- 5th December 2019

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¹ Members of the Independent Advisory Group, who are also survivors of abuse will be given the opportunity to remain anonymous and not identified in the report if they choose.