Minister Fitzgerald responds to the publication of reviews of safeguarding practice in six Catholic Dioceses and one Religious Congregation.

Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, today acknowledged the publication of a further seven reviews conducted by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) into safeguarding practices at both diocesan and Religious Congregation level.

The publication of these review reports is a further step in presenting a national picture of how Catholic dioceses and Religious Congregations are engaging with the issue of child protection, and the regimes in place to ensure that proper safeguarding arrangements are being applied and, more importantly, complied with.

Minister Fitzgerald acknowledged the ongoing work being done by the NBSCCC, led by its CEO, Mr. Ian Elliott, and the evident willingness of the various Church bodies to engage with this review process and publish the results. The process is seen as an important element of the work which needs to be done in order to provide the necessary assurances to the public, and to the statutory authorities, that appropriate safeguarding and reporting measures are in place and operating well across the Catholic Church.

The publication of the six diocesan review reports brings to sixteen the number of such reports now published. In addition reviews have now been published in respect of four Religious Congregations. The Minister looks forward to the publication of all remaining reviews and expects that the Church authorities will engage with the National Board in order to complete the national review process.

The review reports have been furnished to the HSE and An Garda Síochána, and Minister Fitzgerald will consult with Mr. Gordon Jeyes, CEO-designate of the new Child and Family Agency, on the findings of the reviews and the ongoing collaborative work between the HSE and the NBSCCC in promoting improved safeguarding practices across the Church.

The Minister said: “The publication of these further reviews will likely serve as a very painful reminder to many victims of clerical abuse, including those that have not heretofore come forward. I would encourage anybody affected by past abuse, not just in the dioceses or Congregation subject to today’s review, who have not previously come forward, to know that they can still do so, in confidence and with an assurance that they will be treated with the sensitivity deserved. There are many services out there designed to respond in a thoroughly professional manner.”

The Minister added: “The reviews reveal evidence of good and improved practice in the development of better safeguarding structures and processes. This is to be welcomed. However, there is no room for complacency, and it is imperative that the standards are fully implemented across the Church and that this continues to be validated by the Safeguarding Board.

Finally, I want to publicly acknowledge the major contribution made by Mr. Elliott. He has been instrumental, as Chief Executive of the Safeguarding Board, in developing and monitoring the implementation of improved safeguarding standards across the Catholic Church. The integrity and objectivity he has brought to this process have been hallmarks of the work of the Safeguarding Board and have brought great public credibility to the huge work under way to improve safeguarding practices within the Church.”