Safeguarding capabilities of adults in Catholic Church ministries: a global perspective

Investigators

Douglas Russell, Lottie Harris, Professor Daryl Higgins (Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University); Global Safeguarding Alliance

Funding

Porticus

Aim

To investigate the safeguarding capabilities of Catholic priests, staff, students, and communities across multiple countries.

Background

Global inquiries across multiple continents have identified instances of child sexual abuse and cover ups in the Catholic Church. In order to ensure children and young people are safe in the Church, it is imperative that policies are complemented with safeguarding training and skill development for all members of the Church. This level of support can be applied to Catholic schools, social care facilities and ministry services.

Project details

Interventions targeting gaps in capabilities is the most efficient and appropriate way to ensure priests, teachers and other professionals and community members can keep children safe from sexual abuse.

This project aimed to support the Church to understand trends in safeguarding capabilities across different countries but also across different roles within the Church (teachers, priests, seminarians, religious men and religious women etc.).

We found varying levels of awareness, confidence, attitudes, and knowledge regarding sexual abuse prevention and safeguarding. We pinpointed the significant differences in three of these domains (confidence, attitudes, and knowledge) both between people with different roles in the church worldwide, but also between the countries from which participants came from.

We found that people in various countries and roles within the Church are at different stages of their safeguarding journey. Some are still understanding their roles (attitudes), some are still learning about how it is operationalised (awareness), and others are acquiring skills that will prepare them for enacting safeguarding policies and practices (confidence).

Method

Quantitative data collection using the Safeguarding Capabilities Survey was used in a cross-sectional method with lay people, religious men and women, school staff, safeguarding officers and tertiary students associated with the Catholic Church across seven different countries.

Projected community impact

Understanding the gaps in capabilities can provide an opportunity for targeted interventions to support the safeguarding skills of everyone who can play their part in keeping children safe.

Ethics

Ethics is overseen by Australian Catholic University.

Publications

Russell, D.H., Higgins, D. J., Harris, L., Rinaldi, A., Pound, M., & Zollner, H. (2024). The Safeguarding Capability of Adults in Catholic Church Ministries: A Global Perspective. Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 153, 106801, ISSN 0145-2134.

Project timeline

Completed 2024

Contact

For more information contact: icps@acu.edu.au