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	Statement by Con Lynch Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne July 17, 2011 http://www.cloynediocese.ie/2011/07/statement-by-con-lynch/ As chairman of Cloyne Diocesan Safeguarding Children Committee , I want to say to those who have suffered clerical/religious sexual abuse: there is in our hearts a sincere sorrow and grief over the abuse which was inflicted on you. There is heartfelt pain within us over your continuing suffering and our Christian spirit is deeply distressed over the deeds that have been done to you. I want to assure you and the people of the Diocese of Cloyne that we are working hard to ensure that abuse of children by Church personnel will never occur again. To help ensure this the following measures have been put in place: (i) A safeguarding structure is established in every parish in the diocese involving more than 877 trained individuals. (ii)Training has been provided to ensure that the structure operates efficiently. (iii) Measures to ensure safe recruitment and selection are in place including garda vetting (323 now vetted including 112 priests) (iv) Measures to ensure safe activities are in place including– supervision ratios etc. policy documents, sample parish manuals, prevention strategies – codes of behaviour, guidelines –supervision ratios, sacristy registers & attendance registers (v) Measures are in place to ensure effective Responding and Reporting which include: provision of information, definitions, signs & symptoms of abuse, reporting procedures and dedicated notice boards to display contact details of those with whom safeguarding concerns can be discussed. (vi) Measures to ensure implementation include a checklist and parish audit (currently being analysed). (vii) Measures to ensure effective communication of the Church's safeguarding message including linkage & reports and a mini conference, newsletter are in planning. (viii) Work in progress – audit analysis, progressing completion of work in work programme and timeline and planning for the future.
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