Abuse claims report "to demand major C of E training overhaul", by Alex Williams, Premier (May 16, 2016)

The way top Church of England clergy are trained to handle allegations of sexual abuse must change radically to ensure victims are not ignored or intimidated, a new report is apparently set to say.

According to the Guardian, Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of Crediton, will present an action plan she was asked to produce by the Archbishop of Canterbury, following an independent inquiry by safeguarding expert Ian Elliott into the institution's handling of the case of a victim known as "Joe".

The newspaper claims "Joe" "struggled to be heard by the Church of England over the sexual abuse that has blighted his life" for nearly 40 years and his claims were not dealt with.

Sarah Mullally's document, which is due to be put before the General Synod's House of Bishop next week, is also expected to propose a more consistent national approach for responding to claims of wrongdoing.

Phil Johnson from Macsas, an organisation supporting survivors of sexual abuse in the church, said words put into actions will have a greater impact, however, achieving significant change through the House of Bishops will be a challenge.

A Church of England spokesperson said: "The House of Bishops takes all safeguarding work very seriously and it is a standing item on the agenda.

"Bishop Sarah Mullally is working closely with the National Safeguarding Team to implement the recommendations of the Elliott Review and she will be presenting key messages on this to the House at its meeting this month.

"When Bishop Sarah received the Review on behalf of the Church of England, as requested by the survivor, she offered an unreserved apology for the failings of the Church towards him. "