Survivors of abuse within the Church of England say their private information has been exposed in a major data breach connected to the Church’s new compensation scheme.

According to the survivor-led group The House of Survivors, the names and details of 194 people were accidentally shared in an email sent out late Tuesday. The message, sent by Kennedys Law, the firm running the scheme, went out to claimants, lawyers, and Church officials before being quickly recalled—but by then, the damage had already been done.

For many survivors, the breach feels like a painful repeat of the very failures the Church had promised to fix. “It reinforces the lack of safeguarding and care that this scheme was supposed to address,” the group said.

The Church, which represents around 85 million Anglicans worldwide, called the incident “deeply regrettable” and confirmed Kennedys Law had taken full responsibility. “We recognise the distress this has caused, particularly for survivors who trusted the scheme to handle their information with care and confidentiality,” the Church said in a statement.

Britain’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), said it was aware of the breach and is now assessing the case.

Lawyer David Greenwood, who represents several survivors, said the Church should compensate those affected. One of his clients, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I have a right to lifelong anonymity under the law. That protection has now been severely compromised through no fault of my own.”

This latest controversy comes at a difficult time for the Church. It has been trying to rebuild public trust after years of sexual abuse scandals and the resignation of former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in November 2024 over his handling of a child abuse case.

Support is available for anyone affected by sexual abuse.

In the UK: Call Rape Crisis at 0808 802 9999 (England & Wales), 0808 801 0302 (Scotland), or 0800 0246 991 (Northern Ireland), or visit [rapecrisis.org.uk](http://www.rapecrisis.org.uk).

In the US: Call RAINN at 800-656-HOPE (4673). Photo by Rafa Esteve, Wikimedia commons.