A new safeguarding Advisor has been appointed to the post for the Methodist Church and the Church of England. Rev Pearl Luxon is now scheduled to take up her new position in September 2006.

|TOP|The new opening will be made available to Luxon after the retirement of Mrs Jane Hind as the National Child Protection Advisor for the Church of England, reveal the Methodist Church.

The move is very historic, and is the first time that a national joint post has been created by the two churches since the Anglican-Methodist Covenant was signed in November 2003.

Rev Luxon commented, “Creating this post allows the two churches to speak with one voice. It shows the seriousness with which both Churches take child protection.”

The new role will involve liaising with government, police, probation services and charities in an attempt to ensure that the churches are up to date with legislation and best practice with regards to protecting children, youth as well as vulnerable adults.

|AD|Rev Luxon is a Methodist minister but is also an experienced Probation Officer. Currently she is the Head of Safeguarding for the Methodist Church, as well as running the Churches’ Agency for Safeguarding, which is a joint-venture between various Churches for processing Criminal Records Bureau disclosures.

The new appointment will now coincide with the CAS becoming independent of the Methodist Church, and appointing a new Chief Executive.

Both Churches will now continue with their own arrangements for CRB disclosures and will retain their own safeguarding policies, and have their own Church specific procedures.

Welcoming the new initiative, the Bishop of Hereford, Rev Anthony Priddis, who is also the Church of England’s liaison bishop for Child Protection described the new move as “a practical outworking of the Anglican-Methodist Covenant. I am delighted that Mrs Luxon will be fulfilling this new, joint role.”