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	Diocese Found Compliant in National Audit Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester November 9, 2007 http://worcesterdiocese.org/news/audit07-rls.htm Worcester, MA – The Office of the Bishop announced today that the Diocese of Worcester was found compliant in the 2007 Audit conducted in early October as part of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The bishop was notified of the results in a letter from the Gavin Group, the Boston-based audit firm which was contracted by the Office of Child and Youth Protection of the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This was the third audit performed since the charter was initially implemented in 2002 and the third time the Diocese of Worcester was found in full compliance. The audit preparation was coordinated by Monsignor Thomas Sullivan, chancellor for the diocese. Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, S.T.D., Bishop of Worcester, thanked all who were involved in preparing for the audit and have been addressing the issues on an ongoing basis, "notably the staffs of the Office for Healing and Prevention, the Office of Religious Education, and the Catholic Schools Office, as well as Catholic school administrators, pastors and parish safe environment coordinators, hundreds of teachers and catechists, and the Diocesan Review Committee. A successful audit represents the work of many people over several years." The audit instrument involved reviewing procedures and performance of 13 of the 17 articles of the charter. Articles 8 through 11 do not apply to local diocesan audits as they deal with the national office issues and the reporting between the national bishops' conference and the Holy See. Areas audited locally include reporting and working with authorities, background screening and record keeping, outreach to victims and families, codes of conduct, and training. Bishop McManus also noted the continued commitment of the Diocese of Worcester to the spirit of the charter as well as its details. He said "the diocese will continue to be vigilant in its effort to insure the safety of all its people. In the immediate future we will be focusing our attention on strengthening the safe environment training programs in our Catholic high schools and I look forward to seeing the results of new initiatives taking place." As in years past, it is expected that the complete audit reports of all the dioceses and eparchies in the United States will be published once the audit process is concluded around the country. Past audit reports and other information are available at usccb.org/ocyp.
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