Auditors Evaluate Safe Environment

By Joanne Fox
Catholic Globe
November 6, 2014

http://www.catholicglobe.org/?p=418

Investigating the compliance of a diocese with practices that will prevent child abuse is probably not a job with a lot of warm fuzzies.

But Greg Simmons and Jim Leisner from Rochester, N.Y., insist their Catholic faith has been enhanced and empowered by their findings.

The two auditors from StoneBridge Business Partners – the business firm the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has chosen to perform safe environment audits – visited the Diocese of Sioux City from Oct. 28-30.

The two men conducted on-site interviews with several parishes, schools, Diocesan Review Board members (the committee which investigates abuse claims) and Bishop Walker Nickless to insure compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (Dallas Charter).

According to Colleen Sulsberger, coordinator of the Office of Safe Environment for the diocese, what’s unusual about this is Bishop Nickless is one of only 26 U.S. bishops who have authorized parish and school audits this year.

“I see the parish audits as a tremendous learning opportunity for all of us,” she said. “If there is a deficiency in our programs, some sort of gap in the safeguards we have in place to prevent a child molester from getting to one of our kids, I want to know what it is. The auditor’s job is to find those deficiencies, so that we can fix them.”

The auditors looked in specific areas: documentation on how schools and parishes provide a safe environment for children; how staff and volunteers are trained in that area and background checks on staff and volunteers.

Every Sioux City diocesan employee must clear a background check, sign a code of conduct, and take a three-hour Virtus training class, an educational program by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group designed to inform participants about abusive situations. The same requirements are made of every volunteer who works with children, Sulsberger explained.

It’s not so much a trial or test as it is a collaborative effort, Leisner explained.

“We don’t want to surprise anyone,” he said. “If we say, ‘Here’s what we are seeing,’ from our auditing, we would like to offer a chance for people to respond or clarify so we are all on the same page.”

“It may sound intimidating and intrusive, but I truly feel like we provide a service,” Simmons added. “Any way we can prevent child abuse from taking place is a plus.”

According to data recently published by the USCCB, child abuse allegations against the Catholic Church have fallen to lowest levels since the first report was compiled in 2004.

Sulsberger believes the church is doing more than any other organization to create awareness about child sexual abuse.

“The church’s record of aggressive and proactive leadership in protecting children and preventing child abuse is unparalleled,” she said. “Since the abuse crisis in 2002, the Catholic Church has instituted a ‘zero tolerance’ policy regarding sexual abuse. The U.S. bishops have mandated that any credibly accused priest must be removed from ministry, and that law enforcement officials must be notified in every case.”

“Predators are everywhere,” Simmons acknowledged. “Having proper procedures in place greatly decreases the chance they will surface and hurt a child. I see dioceses putting forth a 110 percent effort to prevent abuse from happening and, as a Catholic, that’s gratifying to me.”

“Working on these audits has strengthened my Catholic faith,” Leisner said. “Things are improving and I’m grateful for that, but we cannot lull ourselves into thinking all is good. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent child abuse.”

Contact: joannef@scdiocese.org