The Church of England on Tuesday prepared to vote on overhauling its safeguarding system to make it independent, seeking to restore confidence following several failures in dealing with abuse. The Church's ruling body - the General Synod - was set to vote on two different safeguarding models at a meeting in London,

The Bishop of Blackburn said it has been “an incredibly difficult period” for the Church of England after allegations of assault.

The Church’s General Synod gathered on Monday for the first time since the resignation of Justin Welby following safeguarding failures.

The Church of England's elected governing body began a week-long meeting in London on Monday, after an "unprecedented crisis" triggered by a number of sexual abuse scandals. "Victims and survivors of abuse and all those harmed by the church have waited too long for real accountability.