Oversight and coordination of safeguarding and professional standards for the Catholic Church in Australia

Investigators

Professor Daryl Higgins, Jacqui Stewart, James McDougall, Alex Cahill, Anna Medvedeva (Institute of Child Protection Studies);  Professor Michele Riondino (Faculty of Law and Business); Professor Susan Dann (Peter Faber Business School); Australian Catholic University

Funding

Steering Committee for Safeguarding of Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) and Catholic Religious Australia (CRA)

Aim

Develop an operating model and a business case specifying how the Catholic Church could effectively and efficiently provide safe places for all people, particularly children, young people, and vulnerable persons, in its places of worship and ministry

Background

The safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable persons is a present and ongoing concern not just for Church Authorities and entities across Australia, but for all government and civil society organisations.

To ensure the optimal arrangements for safeguarding were in place the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) and Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) commissioned two reviews of the safeguarding systems and processes across the diversity of Church Authorities and Catholic Entities in Australia. The first review, Review of Catholic Church Safeguarding Arrangements for the ACBC CRA (April 2019), began the process of mapping existing structures and processes in Church Authorities. Having considered this report, the ACBC and CRA then established the Safeguarding Steering Committee (the Committee) in July 2019 to complete the mapping, to review existing approaches, and to design a costed operational model for safeguarding across Catholic Entities. In 2019, the Committee commissioned the Australian Catholic University’s Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) to support this work.

Project details

ICPS undertook a mapping exercise and designed a national safeguarding operational model for the project.

The mapping exercise entailed a review of existing safeguarding regulatory obligations and the needs, opportunities and challenges in providing safeguarding services within the Church. While many Catholic Entities had developed systems and processes designed to prevent and respond to abuse, consulted stakeholders wanted more targeted guidance and support to ensure a consistent approach to the prevention of and response to abuse.

The design of the national safeguarding operational model was informed by stakeholder consultations and an analysis of the recommendations of the 2013 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Impact

The findings of the project informed the design and delivery of Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd

Links

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd

Reports

Higgins, D., Stewart, J., Cahill, A., McDougall, J., & Medvedeva, A. (2020). Catholic Safeguarding Australia: A national office for oversight and coordination of safeguarding and professional standards for the Catholic Church in Australia (A report to the Safeguarding Steering Committee of the Australian Episcopal Conference of the Roman Catholic Church and Catholic Religious Australia). Canberra: ACU Institute of Child Protection Studies. ICPS Main Investigator

Oversight

The Steering Committee for Safeguarding of ACBC and CRA: Sister Clare Condon (Convener), Bishop Emeritus Les Tomlinson, Adjunct Professor Susan Pascoe, Brother David Leary, and Julian Widdup.

Project timeline

September 2019 - April 2020

Contact

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