Redress Church of England
Kennedys data breach
Published 28 August 2025
I am a Partner at the law firm Kennedys, and I have been working with the Church of
England to develop the Redress Scheme.
I know you will already be aware of the unfortunate incident earlier this week in which an email was sent to people who had registered to receive updates in relation to the Redress Scheme. Due to human error and in breach of firm standards, the email displayed the email addresses of all recipients. I want to reassure you that no further personal details of individuals, or information relating to those individuals, was shared.
I want to take this opportunity to personally apologise that this error occurred. It does not reflect the standards that we expect of ourselves and as a firm but more importantly we know that it has caused trauma and concern, and seriously impacted on the trust that survivors and others have in the Redress Scheme. We recognise the seriousness of this incident, and we have launched an internal investigation to understand exactly how this incident occurred and to ensure it does not happen again.
We are also working with the Church of England and those leading the Scheme to determine how best to rebuild trust in the Redress Scheme, and ensure those affected by this incident are adequately supported and any harm suffered appropriately redressed.
We have received a number of complaints from those affected by this incident and are responding to those individually. If you have been impacted and want to lodge a complaint, or have any related questions or concerns, you can contact me at Helen_snowball@kennedyslaw.com or the Kennedys Data Protection Officer at KennedysDataProtectionOfficer@kennedyslaw.com. We have a dedicated team in place who are entirely focused on this matter.
We understand it can be distressing for some to receive further messages from the original thread. We have provided some guidance here that might help reduce or stop further messages coming to your inbox.
We know this will be a difficult time for many of you and additional support is available from Safe Spaces. They can be contacted on safespaces@firstlight.org.uk or 0300 303 1056.
I would like to reiterate again how sorry I am that this happened and our unwavering dedication to making it right.
With regards,
Helen Snowball
A link to Kennedys earlier statement can be found here
About this page
Redress Church of England is the name of the redress scheme for survivors of Church-related abuse.
The scheme is not yet open to receive applications. Draft legislation approved by the Church must still pass through the required parliamentary stages. The opening date of the scheme therefore depends on its passage through parliament.
Redress Church of England will run independently of the Church of England to ensure all applications are assessed fairly and consistently so that everyone can have confidence in the scheme. The application process has been designed to be as straightforward as possible, allowing individuals to share their experiences in a way that feels right for them.
Eligible applicants may receive an offer of financial redress, therapy, spiritual and emotional support, acknowledgment of wrongdoing on the part of the Church, and apology. Eligible applicants may also have the opportunity to explore other forms of bespoke redress suited to them, helping to ensure the outcomes are meaningful and the redress they receive begins to address their individual needs.
Signposting to external emotional support will be available throughout the application process, and funding of legal assistance will ensure applicants fully understand the process and their rights at every step, helping them make informed decisions.
Register to receive updates
We recognise that waiting for the opportunity to apply for redress may raise uncomfortable emotions.
To help at this time, we have created a simple notification system to keep you updated. If you are interested in the redress scheme, you can register to receive notifications by entering your email address below. Your email data will be processed by Kennedys, the independent scheme administrator, and will never be shared with the Church of England.
By registering, you will receive occasional email updates to keep you informed.
Important: Registering to receive notifications is not an application for redress. All applicants will need to submit an application when the scheme is open.
Register
Questions and further information
We understand you may have questions about the scheme. If so, please visit the redress page on the Church of England website here. The Church will continue to update this page with answers to frequently asked questions.
How to report abuse and find support
If you need access to support, please contact the Safe Spaces helpline, a free, confidential service for survivors of Church-related abuse, by calling 0300 303 1056. Alternatively, the Church of England lists external support services, including listening, advice, and counselling services, on its website here. Here you will also find advice on how to report abuse.
Privacy Statement
Privacy Statement
Purpose and scope
This website is to register your interest in Redress Church of England, the redress scheme for survivors of Church-related abuse, and receive updates and notifications about the scheme. It is not for applications to this scheme nor for any other purpose.
What data we process and why
As part of the redress scheme we, Kennedys, will collect and process your personal data. This data comes directly from what you have entered into this registration form. Personal data is information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
We will collect and process your contact details: name and email address.
We will ensure that we treat all personal information in accordance with data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018). Data protection law states that the personal information that we hold about you must be:
- Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner.
- Collected for specific purposes which we have explained to you, and will not be used in any other way which is incompatible with those purposes.
- Relevant to the purposes we have explained to you and limited to those purposes only.
- Accurate and kept up to date.
- Held only for as long as is necessary for the purposes that we have explained to you.
- Processed or held in a way that ensures security.
Legal basis for the processing
Our legal basis for processing your data under Art 6 of UKGDPR is:
(a) Consent: by completing the form you have given consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes listed above.
You have the right to withdraw consent to the processing of your personal data at any time by contacting us at dataprotection@kennedyslaw.com.
If you do withdraw your consent before we send out the notification, we will delete your registration form and will not provide you with any further updates regarding the redress scheme.
What else we may do with it or where will we share it?
There may be other circumstances in which we may lawfully share your data with third parties where, for example, we are required to do so by law, by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crimes. Where we are required to share your data we will do so in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
How long we keep your data
We will retain your personal data until the opening of the Redress scheme.
Your rights
As your personal data is processed on the basis of consent, you have the right to:
- Withdraw consent to the processing of your personal data at any time.
In certain circumstances you have the right to:
- Access – request information about how your personal data is processed and to request a copy of that personal data.
- Object – request that your data is not processed for certain purposes.
- Erasure – request that your personal data is erased where one of the statutory grounds applies.
- Data portability – the right to obtain and reuse your personal data for your own purposes across different services in certain circumstances.
- Restrict processing – request that the processing of your personal data is restricted in certain circumstances – for example, where accuracy is contested.
- Rectification – request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay. Request that any incomplete personal data is completed, including by means of a supplementary statement.
How to contact us
If you have any questions about anything in this notice, or if you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled contact us at: dataprotection@kennedyslaw.com
Complaints
You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner online at:
Data protection and personal information complaints tool | ICO,
or by phone on 0303 123 1113 (local rate).
Changes to this notice
We may modify or amend this privacy notice
at our discretion at any time. When we make changes to this notice, we will amend the last modified date at the bottom of this page. Any modification or amendment to this privacy notice will be applied to you and your data as of that revision date.
26th August 2025