Publication of the Diocesan Audit Report

Health Service Executive
October 11, 2012

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/News/DiocesanAuditReport.html

Today, (Thursday, 11th October 2012), the Diocesan Audit Report of the safeguarding arrangements in the Catholic Diocese in Ireland was published by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald T.D.

The audit was originally commissioned by Minister Lenihan in 2005 and presented to Minister Fitzgerald in August 2012.

The audit was carried out by the HSE in the 24 Catholic Dioceses in the Republic of Ireland. It examined 579 allegations in relation to 189 priests, 39 of whom were priests in Ministry at the time an allegation was made. There were 31 criminal convictions. The Diocesan Audit Report covers all known allegations, and was not confined to the time frames applied in previous commissions of enquiry or review where cases from 1975 onwards were reviewed. This audit is a chronological review up November 30th, 2011.

The audit identified a number of issues of historical poor practice in the Dioceses similar to other reports including;

Poor management and record keeping in some instances

Enquiries where there was a reasonable concern regarding an allegation of sexual abuse, which were protracted or inconclusive

Failure to take precautions in relation to known offenders

Lack of recognition of abuse as a serious criminal offence

A desire to protect reputation without recognising the paramount need to protect children

Removal of priests from parishes but not from direct contact with children, failure to understand the psychological damage resulting from abuse

Failure to educate priests about the impact of abuse and also considerations of Canon and Civil Law.

Recognizing the considerable work that has been undertaken by the Dioceses in strengthening the child protection and safeguarding policies and practices over time, the National Director for Children and Family Services noted the improvement was in line with clearer guidance and greater understanding and awareness.

The National Director of Children & Family Services HSE, and CEO designate of Child and Family Support Agency, Gordon Jeyes, reiterated his commitment to creating a culture of accountability and transparency in the protection of children. He commented “Society needs to put the protection of children above all other considerations. For too long consideration of reputation, livelihood and institutional damage were put before the rights of children. No institution, organisation or profession can ever again be allowed to put the protection of its own interests ahead of the protection of children. The reports like this Church Audit are important milestones in the journey towards a society that always puts children first.”

As a final part of the audit, in November 2011, the HSE reviewed the practices in place in each Diocese against the seven standards for safeguarding children as set out in the Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland (2009). The Diocesan Audit Report recognises the progress now being made in many Dioceses in implementing formal child protection measures. Management and record keeping relating to child protection concerns in the Dioceses are improving.

The National Director of Children & Family Services HSE, and CEO designate of Child and Family Support Agency, Gordon Jeyes commented “This critique of current safeguarding practice in each diocese demonstrates continuing improvement against these standards set by Church and State. A number of dioceses have made considerable progress in implementing good practice in child protection policy and procedures. Despite this some dioceses still have considerable improvements to make, particularly regarding data collection and record keeping.We must all continue to work together to improve this and to ensure the welfare and protection of all Ireland’s children.”

- ENDS -

Notes to Editors:

The audit was originally commissioned by Minister Lenihan in 2005 and presented to Minister Fitzgerald in August 2012.

Current practice under Children First (2011) requires;

The HSE Children and Family Services should always be informed when a person has reasonable grounds for concern that a child may have been, is being or is at risk of being abused or neglected.

A concern about a potential risk to children posed by a specific person, even if the children are unidentifiable, should also be communicated to the HSE Children and Family Services.

Every organisation, both public and private, that is providing services for children or that is in regular direct contact with children should:

(i) Identify a designated liaison person to act as a liaison with outside agencies and a resource person to any staff member or volunteer who has child protection concerns.

(ii) The designated liaison person is responsible for ensuring that the standard reporting procedure is followed, so that suspected cases of child neglect or abuse are referred promptly to the designated person in the HSE Children and Family Services or in the event of an emergency and the unavailability of the HSE, to An Garda Siochana.

(iii) The designated liaison person should ensure that they are knowledgeable about child protection and undertake any training considered necessary to keep themselves updated on new developments.

If anyone has any concerns about a child, or have suffered from abuse in the past, you should report it to the HSE Children and Family Services local social work duty service.