Media Releases

A safeguarding audit of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St. Benedict has found that safeguarding is developed and embedded across all 10 National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS).

The audit was conducted by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) from August to October 2024. The audit involved a policy and procedure review, site visits to three administration centres, and an informational interview process involving over 30 Sisters and staff.

Audit procedures found that 100 per cent of NCSS indicators were either fully embedded or substantially implemented at the time of audit.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said this is a worthy outcome for the Good Samaritan Sisters.

‘Our audit processes have shown that the Good Samaritan Sisters and their partners in ministry have taken a diligent and rigorous approach to safeguarding in Australia and also within their ministries in Japan, Kiribati and the Philippines’.

‘Ensuring safeguarding principles are being enacted in overseas ministries is a key component of the NCSS, and is now reinforced by the Universal Guidelines Framework, released by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors earlier this year.’

‘It is clear that the Good Samaritan sisters have invested substantial resources, both financially and in human resources, to develop safeguarding practices overseas.’

‘A dedicated safeguarding officer in each country means that safeguarding is front and centre. While the work is ongoing, and given the diverse cultural contexts of the overseas ministries, the Safeguarding Coordinators will continuously need to work collaboratively and support personnel in their local context.’

‘The Congregation take seriously professional pastoral supervision with all members participating in at least 6 hours annually’.

‘The Good Samaritan Sisters live the strength of their charism, and embrace Catholic Social Teachings in their work with the poor and vulnerable.’

‘Our team had made four recommendations to the Congregation which will now be implemented over the next 12 – 18 months,’ Dr Stephens said.

Sr Catherine McCahill SGS is Congregational Leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St. Benedict.

‘Throughout our history, the Good Samaritan Sisters have endeavoured to ensure the safety and well-being of the children, young people and adults, especially those at risk, with whom we minister. We also know that sometimes we have failed those same people,’ Sr Catherine said.

‘This audit has given us an opportunity for self-evaluation across our four countries and then to have that scrutinised though the ACSL auditing process. We are pleased that others affirm our approach and are positive about our policies, procedures and practices. We now commit to strengthening our culture of safeguarding for mission at all levels through further development and to implementing the recommendations,’ Sr Catherine said.

The full audit report of the Good Samaritan Sisters is available here.

The Christian Brothers Oceania Province have implemented 98 per cent of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards for children and adults at risk, according to a new safeguarding audit report published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL).

The Christian Brothers underwent their first safeguarding audit in 2020 and were assessed for their implementation of child-focused safeguarding policies, procedures and practises.

Their second audit was completed between August – November 2024 and focused on current safeguarding strategies for the Province of 190 Brothers living across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and with partnerships in East Timor and the Philippines.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that the 2024 audit differed from the first in two key respects.

‘Since the first audit, the Christian Brothers’ risk profile has reduced because the Trustees of the Christian Brothers no longer have governance over the entities where Brothers minister directly with children.’

‘This audit is also different because it has included requirements for adults at risk as well as children. We have focused on crucial areas like human resource management, complaints handling and safe physical and online environments.’

‘Our audit team found that the Christian Brothers has a zero-tolerance policy for abuse, and this is backed up by solid safeguarding infrastructure including a detailed Safeguarding and Professional Integrity Policy, Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Complaints Handling Policy.’

‘A strong safeguarding working group which includes independent members reports to the Risk, Safeguarding and Policy Committee with oversight of safeguarding functions. The team also communicate regularly with their communities about safeguarding matters.’

‘Our interviews with a sample of Brothers and other personnel indicated a strong commitment to the values and behaviours encouraged within the policies, and all were conscious of the importance of safeguarding for their community’s well-being.’

‘Our audits are geared towards continuous improvement and helping Church entities be the safest place they can be for vulnerable groups like children and adults at risk.’

‘We identified some actions that will help further embed safeguarding best practice. For instance, in the area of record keeping it has been a challenge for the Province to secure its historical records in relation to Towards Healing case files from Church entities where Christian Brothers have previously held governance.‘

‘We recommend that the Christian Brothers contact all Church entities and seek the immediate release of the historical records from their time of governance over the ministries in these locations.’

‘Our recommendations have been accepted by the Christian Brothers leadership team and will be implemented in the next 12-18 months,’ Dr Stephens said.

Br Gerard Brady, Christian Brothers Oceania Province Leader stated: ‘We appreciate the work of ACSL in conducting this second independent safeguarding audit, ensuring that the Christian Brothers and our associated ministries continue to be committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of any people who come under our responsibility, especially those most vulnerable.’

‘It is also important that this audit holds us accountable and transparent in the way we, as part of society and Church, go about our work, ministry, and general living.  We welcome the report and continue to be committed to support and uphold these key safeguarding standards,’ Br Gerard concluded.

The full audit report is available here.

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (Oblates) have invested in safeguarding resources and its leaders are championing best practices in safeguarding, according to a safeguarding audit report published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL).

The Oblates are a congregation working in ministries across dioceses, hospital chaplaincy, youth ministry, school governance and homeless ministries in Australia.

The audit reviewed the congregation’s safeguarding framework, and then interviewed key personnel to evaluate implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS).

The audit found that the Oblates have either fully embedded or developed 99 per cent of the NCSS indicators relevant to their ministries and governance. One indicator is at the developing stage of implementation.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that while the Oblates have previously been audited for their child safe practices, this audit also checked for processes which prioritise the safety of adults at risk.

‘Our audit team found that safeguarding is an important area of focus for the Oblates, and commitment from leadership has been backed up by an investment into centralised safeguarding resources,’ Dr Stephens said.

Dr Stephens noted that a site visit to one school ministry demonstrated a holistic approach to education which includes faith development, personal growth, physical development, and social and emotional growth.

‘An emphasis on close and supportive relationships between staff and students in both the formal and informal learning situations is what makes this possible. We saw a great partnership between school and parents which supports students to develop, and do so in a safe and comfortable environment.’

Speaking more broadly about the audit findings, Dr Stephens noted that while recommendations from the first audit have been addressed, some further areas for improvement have been identified.

‘One area is in relation to clarifying responsibility for safeguarding governance for one of the ministries, which is an important risk mitigation action.’

‘Our recommendations will help shift the dial from very good to excellent, including updating existing safeguarding training, developing easy to read charts to make reporting a concern as simple as possible, and rolling out more information about safe and respectful relationships for adults at risk.’

‘We commend the Oblates for their commitment to use these recommendations as a roadmap for improvement,’ Dr Stephens said.

Fr Christian Fini OMI, Australian Provincial of the Oblates also said that implementing the audit’s findings will be a priority.

‘We extend our sincere apologies to the victims and survivors of child sexual abuse by Oblates or those associated with our ministry. We deeply regret the suffering endured and the impact on families and communities. We apologise for any failures in listening, believing, and providing a just response,’ Fr Christian
said.

‘The Australian Province remains dedicated to prioritising safeguarding and is committed to implementing the audit’s recommendations so that we may continue to minimise the risk of harm and ensure appropriate responses to disclosures and allegations.’

‘We want to thank all the employees and staff for their ongoing commitment to ensuring safeguarding is an integral part of their work and to the team at ACSL for working alongside us to achieve a great result,’ Fr Christian said.

The full audit report for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is available here.

Former Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) Board Chair the Hon Michael Lavarch AO and departing board member Dr Robyn Miller were honoured for their contributions to safeguarding in the Church at a dinner with Australia’s Catholic bishops in Sydney last Wednesday.

The Hon Lavarch AO and Dr Miller received medallions for service to the Church, presented by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. They were also thanked for their contribution to safeguarding in the Church by Chair of the Bishops Commission for Professional Standards and Safeguarding, Bishop Greg Bennet.

The Hon Michael Lavarch AO concluded his term as ACSL Board Chair in March 2024 while Dr Miller concluded her term at the end of September this year.

Reflecting on his time with ACSL, the Hon Lavarch AO remarked on the importance of ACSL in providing institutional support to Church entities to share best practice on being a safe and nurturing environment for children and the vulnerable.

‘It was never about being a Church policeman but the vehicle to share best practice, to improve performance in safeguarding and to provide accountability to the wider community that the difficult lessons of the Royal Commission had been understood.’

‘In short, about helping the Church to be the best version of itself as it conducts its mission to assist all people in its care,‘ the Hon Lavarch said.

Current Board Chair Mr David Penny also took the opportunity to thank Michael and Robyn for their service to ACSL and the mission of safeguarding in the Church.

‘Both Michael and Robyn have made significant contributions to the status of safeguarding within the Church. Their unique insights and support have helped shape the direction of ACSL today, and we thank them sincerely as we wish them well in their many other worthy endeavours,’ Mr Penny said.

ACSL’s current board of directors were also in attendance at the dinner, following a meeting of the Board and meeting with ACSL’s Member Representatives earlier in the day. More information about ACSL’s Board and governance can be found here.

The Catholic Diocese of Cairns has undertaken its safeguarding audit and received 95 per cent compliance with the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), according to the audit report published by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) today.

ACSL Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ursula Stephens, said that the audit demonstrated that the Diocese has comprehensive child safeguarding policies and procedures in place. She acknowledged the efforts of the Diocesan safeguarding personnel to ensure that policies were being met in practice and commended the integration of safeguarding across the diverse ministries within the Diocese.

ACSL made six recommendations to improve safeguarding practices within the Diocese. These recommendations were accepted and work is already underway to implementing them. There are no high priority recommendations for the Diocese. The audit was undertaken against Version 1 of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, which focus on children and young people.

“The recommendations for improvement reflect an acknowledgement of the diverse cultural communities within the Diocese, and an ongoing commitment to understand and implement responsibilities of safeguarding adults at risk,” Dr Stephens said.

Bishop Joseph Caddy AM was installed as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Cairns 15 August 2024. While the audit fieldwork was undertaken earlier in the year, Bishop Caddy and the Diocesan leadership team received the final audit report for consideration in October.

“I am encouraged by the conclusions of the Diocese’s first audit report and extend heartfelt appreciation to all who committed to building a strong safeguarding culture over many years, and blessings to all who generously dedicated time to participate in the audit process,” Bishop Caddy said.

“Safeguarding is intrinsic to our faith and Catholic Social Teaching, and we will refine and strengthen our processes so that safeguarding children, youth, and adults at-risk is paramount and at the core of everything we do in the Diocese of Cairns,” Bishop Caddy said.

The Cairns Diocese responds to the ministry needs of a high visitor population, as well as its 23 parishes, and staff are vigilant in managing safeguarding issues across the services embedded in local communities. CentacareFNQ, Catholic Early Learning and Care (CELC) and Catholic Education also provide safeguarding leadership that is valued within the Diocese.

The National Catholic Safeguarding Standards provide the framework for Catholic Church entities to build child-safe cultures and to advance the safety and dignity of children and vulnerable people across the Catholic Church in Australia.

View the Diocese of Cairns’ audit report here.

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has today published the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS) audit report for the Catholic Diocese of Sale.

Completed in September 2024, the audit assessed safeguarding practices for both children and adults at risk in place within the Diocese. The audit found that the 100 per cent of the NCSS indicators relevant to the Diocese’s operations are either at a developed stage or developed and embedded across the Diocese.

ACSL Chief Executive Officer Dr Ursula Stephens who participated in the audit remarked that the Diocese’s commendable progress in implementing the NCSS reflects strong leadership in the Diocese.

“We found a culture of collegiate leadership in the Diocese in relation to safeguarding. During our audit fieldwork, Diocesan personnel consistently provided feedback to the audit team that the Bishop and the Professional Standards team demonstrated leadership and transparent safeguarding governance practices. This tells us that the Diocese is walking the talk when it comes to building a culture of safety of care for those that are most vulnerable in their community.”

“NCSS safeguarding audits are more than just a tick the box exercise, they actually provide the opportunity for dioceses to evaluate how they can be creating more welcoming and safe communities,” Dr Stephens said.

“ACSL’s audit team have identified some areas for improvement for the Diocese that will move specific systems and processes from satisfactory to excellent.”

“For instance, while we saw that the Diocese has  demonstrated significant efforts to be inclusive and engage children, which is a key facet of the NCSS, we have suggested ways that the Diocese can now expand this engagement to include adults at risk, by making material for programs supporting adults at risk more widely available, and ensuring adults at risk are engaged in feedback processes.”

“Another area where the Diocese can ensure its commitment to safeguarding children and adults at risk is translated to practice is to ensure its Code of Conduct is updated to state that it applies to all personnel (paid and volunteer). Similarly, ensuring that annual appraisals are being completed for all types of personnel, and these appraisals including a safeguarding dimension will help safeguarding remain in focus across the Diocese,” Dr Stephens said.

Bishop Greg Bennet, leader of the Diocese of Sale reflected that the experience of the audit had been a positive one.

“The engagement in the process of undertaking the ACSL Audit has been challenging, positive, and affirming for the Diocese of Sale,” said Bishop Bennet.

“I am so grateful for the many volunteers, staff, and clergy across our Diocese who, on a daily basis, have made safeguarding of children and adults at risk a pastoral and personal priority. Our audit affirms their profound effort, commitment, and care. With the ACSL Audit report, we will continue strengthening our practices and policies,” said Bishop Bennet.

The full audit report for the Diocese of Sale is available on ACSL’s website.

The Diocese of Broken Bay has this week become the first Australia Catholic diocese to have a National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS) audit completed by an external audit firm on the NCSS Auditor Register. 

The Diocese enlisted Demetrius Consulting, an auditor approved on ACSL’s NCSS Auditor Register to review its child safeguarding practices.  

Commenting on the report’s release, ACSL Chief Executive Officer Dr Ursula Stephens expressed her satisfaction that the Auditor Register is providing choice of auditor to Catholic organisations. 

“From the results of the audit, it is evident that safeguarding practices are developed and embedded across the Diocese and we congratulate the Diocese on excellent progress in implementing the NCSS.” 

“We are very pleased that the Diocese of Broken Bay has chosen an auditor on the NCSS Auditor Register. It is so important that not only Catholic organisations open themselves up to a safeguarding audit, but that the assessment looks at the implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.” 

“The NCSS give effect to the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and are the way that the Catholic Church is responding to the recommendation of the Royal Commission that religious organisations adopt and implement the National Child Safe Standards.” 

“The NCSS are nuanced to address the context of the Catholic Church in Australia, and cover things like formation, support for overseas trained priests to understand Australian safeguarding requirements, and the unique power imbalances that can occur in ministry environments.” 

“The NCSS Auditor Register provides Catholic organisations with a choice of auditor beyond ACSL.” 

“This range of auditors now available to Catholic entities is vital as we work towards our goal of all Australian Catholic dioceses and major religious institutes being audited against the NCSS by the end of 2025,” Dr Stephens said. 

Auditors are required to complete induction training with ACSL prior to being listed on the NCSS Auditor Register. The audit scope was created by ACSL in consultation with the Diocese of Broken Bay, prior to the Diocese engaging Demetrius Consulting.  

The Diocese first completed their self-assessment on the NCSS Self-Assessment Portal, enabling Demetrius Consulting to complete a desktop review of the safeguarding practices prior to engaging in audit fieldwork. 

ACSL’s Board and Audit Review Committee confirmed that the audit scope had been met prior to the report’s publication, which is available on ACSL’s website. 

View the Diocese of Broken Bay’s audit report on ACSL’s website. 

A safeguarding audit report published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd has found that the Discalced Carmelite Nuns Launceston are taking safeguarding seriously in their unique ministry environment. 

The Nuns are an enclosed, contemplative community of religious women dedicated to prayer. 

The safeguarding review, carried out by ACSL from June to August 2024, checked that key policies, procedures and processes to protect children or adults at risk are being implemented within the community. 

The assessment found that 91 per cent of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards indicators relevant to their operations are currently being implemented. 

ACSL Chief Executive Officer Dr Ursula Stephens said that despite the Nuns’ low risk environment, every Catholic entity needs to have safety as a top priority. 

“The fact is, any ministry activity presents a degree of risk of harm to children or people who are vulnerable, and the Catholic Church made a commitment to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to ensure that all aspects of Church life prioritise the safety of children.” 

“At ACSL we have taken the approach that safeguarding reviews and audits should be proportionate to the risk of ministry activities. In the case of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns Launceston, there are few activities with people outside the community and no unsupervised interactions with children at all. Taking this into account, our review was focused on the elements of the NCSS relating to leadership and culture, human resource management, complaints management, ongoing education and training, and continuous improvement”. 

“Through our policy review and interviews with Nuns within the community, we saw that there are excellent human resource practices in place, with the development of the human person a central focus. This is particularly significant for the Discalced Carmelite Nuns Launceston, which is notable for having a younger age demographic compared to many Australian religious communities, and which has a number of women entering formation.” 

“Our review also considered that there is an increased risk to a Nun who lives in a cloistered community, who could experience spiritual abuse from either a member of their community or a member of clergy. The Carmelite Nuns recognise this risk and have adequate independent reporting processes available to their congregation to mitigate such risks occurring.” 

“The review showed that the Nuns have a growth mindset, which is critical to good safeguarding practice. The safety of children and adults at risk, and the past failings of the Catholic Church in relation to abuse is an ongoing focus for the Nuns, who are dedicated to offering prayers for survivors of abuse within the Church,” Dr Stephens said. 

“Our audit team has two recommendations for improvements for the Nuns. These relate to consolidating a risk register and ensuring online risks are adequately addressed, and piloting some new safeguarding training for the formation program,” Dr Stephens said. 

View the Discalced Carmelite Nuns Launceston full audit report on ACSL’s website. 

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) is saddened to learn of the passing of The Hon. John O’Meally AM RFD, the inaugural Chair of the National Appeals and Review Panel.

During his term as Panel Chair, John was instrumental in the operation of the Panel, which facilitates reviews for complaints of abuse against children and vulnerable adults that have been managed by Australian Catholic Church Authorities.

Current National Appeals and Review Panel Chair, the Hon. Duncan Kerr has paid tribute to John as a tireless advocate for social justice.

“John was a compassionate and learned judge who led the Dust Diseases Tribunal (NSW), was an active member of the international Commission of Jurists and a passionate leader of the National Appeals and Review Panel until three years ago.”

“I worked with him closely in many of his community roles. John never wavered in his commitment to social justice. He will be greatly missed, and I speak on behalf of ACSL in extending our condolences to his family,” the Hon. Kerr said.

Mr David Penny, Chair of the Board of ACSL remembered Justice O’Meally as a wonderful champion of social justice.

“John had an auspicious legal career, and made a significant contribution to the Australian Catholic community through a range of roles. Our prayers are with his family and friends,” Mr Penny said.

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has today published a safeguarding audit report for the Archdiocese of Sydney.

The audit focused on the safeguarding initiatives put in place by the Archdiocese of Sydney for children and adults at risk by assessing implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS). The audit was undertaken by ACSL in partnership with Michael Elphick & Associates and Woods Consulting between January and July 2024.

The audit found that 91 per cent of the NCSS indicators relevant to the Archdiocese of Sydney had either been fully embedded or substantially progressed at the time of audit.

Speaking after the report’s publication, ACSL Chief Executive Dr Ursula Stephens said that the audit has identified several areas of good practice as well as highlighting some areas for improvement.

“Our audit approach is strengths-based, and we certainly saw many areas where the Archdiocese is demonstrating best practice. One area in particular we recognised as outstanding were efforts to combat modern slavery by the Anti Slavery Taskforce, which aims to safeguard a section of adults at risk who are often overlooked in workplaces.”

“Audit processes also showed a high-quality body of safeguarding resources developed by the Archdiocese including training programs, protocols, and procedures, which are made available to all parishes and agencies.”

“Our continuous improvement audit approach also helped us to identify some potential changes that can be made to enhance the quality and safety of activities. We noted that the Archdiocese is a complex governance environment with multi-faceted operational arrangements and challenges. Further efforts to enhance collaboration and oversight between the central function and its related entities such as parishes and agencies, can reduce safeguarding risk.”

“Our audit team identified examples of good practice as well as opportunities for improvement across NCSS key capability areas, and we are pleased to advise that the Archdiocese has committed to implementing responses to each recommendation area over the next 12 months.”

“We would like to thank the Archdiocesan leadership team and all those involved in the audit for their candour and cooperation throughout this process,” Dr Stephens said.

The Archdiocese serves almost 600,000 Catholics, across 137 parishes, with 300 priests and played a vital role in the Church’s response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, by developing and supporting safeguarding responses that have been adopted across the New South Wales Province.

View the Archdiocese of Sydney’s full audit report here.

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has confirmed the data in research published today by Australian Catholic University (ACU) is consistent with the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, of sexual abuse by leaders in religious organisations and is an important contribution to our understanding of the long-lasting impacts of abuse across the lifespan.

“The data is an important reminder of the importance of constant vigilance to ensure the level of child mistreatment and abuse in Australia is addressed. The good news is that the research demonstrates the significant reduction in abuse of younger people by leaders in religious organisations since 2000,” ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said.

The figures are part of a dataset captured in the Australian Childhood Maltreatment Study (ACMS) which revealed that 1 in 250 Australians have been sexually abused by a leader or other adult in a religious organisation in childhood, with three quarters of that abuse taking place in Catholic organisations, most of which was reported by respondents aged 65 years and older.

“At ACSL we unequivocally acknowledge the lifelong trauma of abuse victims and survivors and their families. While the harm to victims and survivors can never be undone, the Catholic Church in Australia has learnt, and continues to learn from the grievous failures in its past and today is resolutely committed to providing safe environments for children, adults at risk and all people as its utmost priority. Since the Royal Commission, the Catholic Church has taken vital steps to strengthen and streamline its commitment to preventing abuse in all forms.”

“Australian Catholic Safeguarding (ACSL) has been established as the national organisation to lead and champion the Church’s collective safeguarding efforts and we are now seeing progress in key safeguarding initiatives, including the adoption of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards by all Catholic dioceses and almost 150 religious institutes.”

“We are backing up the Church’s commitment to safeguarding through a robust safeguarding training program, nationwide safeguarding audits and managing the movement of ministry. A new National Code of Conduct is guiding and strengthening a safeguarding culture in the Church.”

“The findings of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study continue to offer vital insights into the rates and long-term impacts of trauma in the Australian community. The findings reinforce our responsibility to not only be focused on preventing further abuse, but also to being trauma-aware throughout our entire organisations. Working through the lens of Catholic Social Teachings, the Church continues to implement best practice across Australia and globally, drawing on professional advice, the voices of all stakeholders, including victims and survivors, and academic studies such as this,” Dr Stephens said.

PDF -Media release – Response to ACU research findings concerning childhood sexual abuse in religious organisations

See also:

• • Study reveals scale of child sexual abuse in religious settings – CathNews
  • Study reveals prevalence of child sexual abuse in religious settings – ACU 
  • View an infographic summarising the findings on the ACMS website.

An audit report published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has found the safety of children and adults at risk is a continued priority for the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and Solomon Islands (Dominican Sisters).

The report assessed the Dominican Sisters’ implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), the national framework for the protection from abuse of children and adults at risk in Catholic communities.

The Sisters were first audited by ACSL in 2021. The first audit focused on the child safe standards only, while the review audit conducted between May and July 2024 examined safeguarding strategies for adults at risk as well as children.

The audit found that the Sisters have implemented or are substantially progressed in the implementation of 99 per cent of the NCSS indicators relevant to their organisation.

ACSL Chief Executive Dr Ursula Stephens said that the Dominican Sisters have demonstrated that they are successfully embedding a culture of safeguarding throughout the organisation.

“In this second NCSS audit of the Dominican Sisters, our auditors found that the Sisters have embraced safeguarding strategies for adults at risk while remaining steadfast in their child safe approaches.”

“The Dominican Sisters have a strong commitment to zero tolerance in safeguarding. They have comprehensive safeguarding policies and documentation.”

“Alongside these strengths, we can see that there are ongoing challenges embedding safeguarding practices in a Pacific culture across different civil and church jurisdictions.”

“The report has provided three recommendations that the Sisters will now be adopting over the next 12 months.”

“We appreciate that the Sisters demonstrate an ongoing commitment to professional learning and the provision of safeguarding workshops for Sisters and staff,“ Dr Stephens said.

View the Dominican Sisters full audit report here.

Australia has fielded a large delegation to the International Safeguarding Conference, held in Rome this year. The conference, which took place from 18-21 June 2024, was themed ‘Safeguarding and Disability’.

Representatives from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), archdioceses and dioceses and religious institutes from across Australia were in attendance alongside Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd’s (ACSL) own Director of Safeguarding and Compliance, Dr David Treanor and Director of Professional Standards, Ms Karen Mosley. Also attending was ACSL Board Member Dr Robyn Miller, in her capacity as CEO of Mackillop Family Services

Conference attendee Bishop Greg Bennet, Chair of the Bishops’ Commission for Professional Standards & Safeguarding and ACBC member representative to ACSL said:

“I was privileged to attend the 2024 international safeguarding conference with its particular focus on the care of all members of the Church, especially those who live with various disabilities. I was challenged by the key presenters to consider how we ensure that all people entrusted to our care have access and the support they require to ensure they truly belong. We were challenged to consider how engagement at times “disables” others from them truly experiencing a sense of belonging and accompaniment which is at the essence of the Church.”

“It was a wonderful gathering of 200 plus people from around the globe, so it is powerful to think the Church is becoming a true leader in safeguarding in so many countries. The Australian contingent were wonderful contributors to the conference, and I was pleased to see this recognised throughout by their leadership and the sharing of professional learning.”

“Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and we must continue our efforts to build communities where all God’s people can truly belong (no one is excluded), be welcomed and contribute their gift,” Bishop Greg said.

ACSL’s Director of Safeguarding and Compliance Dr David Treanor participated in a panel on Australian perspectives of safeguarding and disability, using the opportunity to speak about the 2023 Royal Commission findings into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation for People with Disabilities and possible implications for our Church in Australia.

“Safeguarding and disability is an under researched topic, so it was pleasing to see it receiving the focus it deserves at this global gathering. One thing I think we will all take away from this conference is attention to our communication styles with people who have disabilities, to ensure that people are not excluded from participation due to styles of language and our all-too-common reliance on the written word only. There is more we can all do in being patient, creative, attentive and active in employing different styles of communication.”

“As well as hearing from so many thoughtful presenters, it was also great to meet and network with international colleagues and learn about their new safeguarding initiatives,” Dr Treanor said.

A declaration from the 2024 International Safeguarding Conference delegates has now been released, available here. The topic for the 2025 conference will be: “Women of Faith, Women of Strength: A Safeguarding Conference.”

Child safeguarding standards have been embraced by the Diocese of Townsville, according to a safeguarding audit report published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL).

The safeguarding audit, completed between March and June this year, assessed the Diocese’s implementation of child safeguarding practices outlined in the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS).

The audit found that the Diocese has fully progressed or substantially progressed in the implementation of 100 per cent of the NCSS indicators relevant to their operations.

Speaking after the report’s publication, ACSL Chief Executive Dr Ursula Stephens said that the audit’s results demonstrate how committed leadership can translate into real results for child safety.

‘The audit findings show that the Diocese of Townsville has invested in child safeguarding, at a leadership, cultural and resource level.’

‘Bishop Tim Harris and his leadership team have championed safeguarding throughout the diocese. We saw some great initiatives, such as having all members of the diocesan clergy sign copies of Integrity in Our Common Mission, the National Code of Conduct for dioceses released last year. This signals that the Diocese is committed to ongoing formation of their people that emphasises thinking and acting in the best interests of children.’

‘The diocese was able to show that all relevant aspects of the child-focused NCSS were either fully embedded or well on their way at the time of our audit. This is really significant as the standards cover core aspects of safeguarding including engaging with children, families and communities and best practice human resources, as well as core safeguarding systems, policies and procedures.’

‘We take a developmental approach to our audits, so while we are keen to highlight good practice we are also able to offer recommendations that can build on a culture of safety and care for children.’

‘Our audit team did note some areas for improvement and we are pleased to say that all our recommendations have been accepted by the Diocese. One area for improvement is in relation to centralising risk registers at the diocesan level. This is something we’ve now seen across several Catholic entities, where parish and ministry risk assessments are being completed but are not being centrally stored at the diocesan level. This is an important area to focus on as there does need to be oversight at the diocesan level.’

‘Another recommendation is in relation to updating the Diocese’s IT policy and Code of Conduct to confirm that all IT equipment purchased and used for the conduct of Diocesan and ministry activities will be monitored by the Diocesan internet filters. Online safety is such an emerging area of concern for all organisations, so it is vital to be emphasising online safety, taking preventative action and addressing risks immediately,’ Dr Stephens said.

View the Diocese of Townsville’s audit report here.

ACSL is currently working with Australian Catholic Church entities to reach the goal of having all Catholic dioceses and large religious institutes audited or reviewed against the NCSS by the end of 2025.

An audit report published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has found child safety practices are largely developed and embedded across the Missionaries of St Charles – Scalabrinians.

The audit assessed the Scalabrinian Congregation’s implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), an Australia-wide framework for Catholic organisations aimed at building a culture of shared responsibility for safeguarding. The NCSS outlines measures aimed at preventing, detecting and responding appropriately to potential or actual incidents of abuse of children or adults at risk.

The audit found the Scalabrinian Congregation has implemented 95 per cent of the NCSS indicators relevant to their operations, with most indicators well embedded.

ACSL Chief Executive Officer Dr Ursula Stephens remarked that a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources have been devoted by the Scalabrinians to creating safe environments for children within their communities.

‘This is a great result for a religious Congregation who are immersed in archdioceses and dioceses across Australia. The appointment of a specialist safeguarding consultant in recent years has enhanced the Congregation’s capacity to effectively safeguard children and young people from abuse, not only in Australia but also in the Congregation’s overseas ministries, where considerable resources have been dedicated to developing safeguarding practices. Continued attention to these overseas ministries has been outlined in the Scalabrinians safeguarding implementation plan, which we commend.’

‘Our audit included a review of the Congregation’s safeguarding related documents, policies and procedures, as well as site visits, interviews, observations and enquiry with a range of personnel, including Congregation leaders. This process has allowed us to generate a set of recommendations for the Scalabrinians that will assist them to more deeply embed safeguarding systems, as well as reinforce the Congregation’s cultural commitment to the safety of children.’

‘Our recommendations to the Scalabrinians are mainly around formalising existing practices, so they are more robust and can be more easily monitored. For instance, our audit team noted that while risk assessments for individual ministry activities are being completed, there isn’t oversight at the congregational level of all the different activities. To remediate this, we have recommended that an aggregate congregational risk register be developed, so that the Safeguarding Committee can regularly monitor risks at this level.’

‘All eight of the auditor’s recommendations have been accepted by the Scalabrinian leadership, who we would like to thank for their cooperation and assistance throughout the NCSS audit process,’ Dr Stephens said.

ACSL is currently working with Australian Catholic Church entities to reach the goal of having all Catholic dioceses and large religious institutes audited or reviewed against the NCSS by the end of 2025.

View the Scalabrinian Missionaries audit report here.

Outgoing Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) Board Chair Professor the Honourable Michael Lavarch AO has been thanked for his service at ACSL’s recent Annual General Meeting (17 April 2024), as incoming Board Chair Mr David Penny is welcomed into the role.

Mr Penny, who has served as an ACSL Board Director since the company’s creation in 2020, is currently Executive Leader Operations at The Institute of Sisters of Mercy Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG).

Mr Penny has also served in a variety of Church leadership roles within dioceses and Ministerial Public Juridic Persons (MPJPs).

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that Mr Penny’s significant experience across the Church and knowledge of ACSL’s operating environment makes him well placed to lead ACSL into its next chapter.

‘ACSL’s staff and Board can feel assured with David steering the ship as we continue to provide essential safeguarding services for the Church.’

‘I would also like to express our deep thanks to our departing Chair Professor the Honourable Michael Lavarch AO, who has made an outstanding contribution to the status of safeguarding within the Church.’

‘Michael ably led efforts to secure an expanded set of safeguarding standards for the Church, including protections for adults at risk as well as children. He was also instrumental in updating our risk-based audit framework and the establishment of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards Auditor Register, providing choice in auditor to Catholic entities. Last but not least he worked collaboratively with our Member Representatives to develop ACSL’s new Subscriber Model, providing ACSL with funding to continue our important work’, Dr Stephens said.

On behalf of ACSL’s Member Representatives, Fr Tom McDonough CP thanked Michael for his gracious and unswerving advocacy for those who have suffered abuse, and his commitment to ensuring that ACSL continues to support a national and consistent approach within the Church to safeguarding children and all vulnerable people.

A new ACSL Board Member was also welcomed at the 17 April Annual General Meeting (AGM). Mr Michael Moore comes to the ACSL Board with 43 years experience in management, accountancy and board roles in Australia and the United Kingdom. Since 1997, Michael has worked for the Catholic Church in Australia in senior management and board roles.

ACSL’s 2022-2023 Annual Report was also presented and accepted at the AGM. This report covers a longer period than usual, reflecting the change to ACSL’s company reporting period from a financial to calendar year that was agreed in 2023.

The report offers a snapshot of ACSL’s activities and progress in key service areas such as learning and development, audit and review, professional standards support, complaints response and systems management.

Information about ACSL’s Governance, including board members can be found here.

ACSL’s 2022-2023 Annual Report can be viewed here.

A safeguarding audit report of the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has found the Diocese is meeting key safeguarding requirements.

The audit assessed implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), covering measures in place to safeguard children and adults at risk from abuse.

The Diocese receive a compliance score of 98 per cent, meaning that all but 2 per cent of the safeguarding indicators applicable to its operations have either been fully embedded or substantially progressed at the time of the audit, which was completed between September and December 2023.

The Diocese was jointly audited by ACSL and Prolegis Lawyers, a specialist charity and not-for-profit law firm.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that it is a pleasing result for the Diocese.

‘Our audit showed that the Diocese is committed to the safety of children and adults at risk throughout its leadership and in the ministries it provides.’

‘The history of abuse and cover up in the Newcastle region, which the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse shed light on, means that trauma very much exists in the community. Our audit processes, focused on what the Diocese is doing right now to create a safe community, showed that in 2024 there is a firm commitment to being trauma-informed in safeguarding.’

Bishop Michael Kennedy, leader of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, also commented positively on the audit experience:

‘At the beginning of this process, I asked that the audit be particularly rigorous. I believed this was important given the history of our Diocese and those survivors who have, and continue to, deal with trauma. Extensive hours of work went into this process and I’m proud that the auditors found that we are successfully implementing and embedding a culture of safeguarding through our Diocese.

‘Our focus now is to maintain this momentum and continue improving our safeguarding structures, policies, practices and education so that the safeguarding of every child and vulnerable person is an intrinsic part of everything we do in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.’

Joint auditor, Mr Sam Burnett of Prolegis Lawyers said of the audit:

‘The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle provides a range of services and activities to children and vulnerable people across different settings, including in parishes and schools. The safeguarding approach of the Diocese is sufficiently targeted and responsive to those different settings.’

Speaking further on the audit findings, ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that several areas of good practice were observed during the audit.

‘The NCSS set best practice in key areas such as human resource management. One of the most impressive  strategies noted by the audit team was the Diocese’s centralised system for managing Working With Childrens Checks. Screening and checks of personnel working with vulnerable people (including children), while just one part of the safeguarding equation, are essential tools nonetheless.

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‘Giving personnel the knowledge they need to recognise signs of abuse and take action to respond to risks is also essential. The Diocese has a well-structured and regularly reviewed safeguarding training program that is updated with feedback from participants to ensure it stays relevant to personnel.’

‘Through our audit we identified some areas for improvement, resulting in seven recommendations. We encourage stronger connection and engagement with adults at risk in the Diocesan community, so that more vulnerable groups can participate fully and safely in ministries and services. We have recommended that the Diocese support its ministries to develop strategies to better include adults at risk in discussions about safeguarding, including ways to provide feedback that are accessible for a variety of needs.’

All recommendations provided by the audit team have been accepted by the Diocese and will be implemented in the next 12 months.

View the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s audit report on ACSL’s website.

Dr The Honourable Tricia Kavanagh, The Honourable Duncan Kerr (Chairperson), Greg Barns SC, Karen Robinson-Iles, Jeffrey Hack, Andrew Kitchin, Ken Moroney, Matt Casey

Not pictured: Tim Unsworth

A recent meeting of the National Appeals and Review Panel, facilitated by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL), has resulted in a greater focus on trauma-informed review processes.

To support the Catholic Church’s ongoing commitment to a fair and just complaints process, ACSL has established the National Appeals and Review Panel (NARP). NARP is the mechanism through which parties to a complaint relating to the abuse of minors or adults at risk within a Catholic entity can request a review of an investigation process or finding, and/or complaints process or outcome.

The 16 December 2023 meeting allowed the Panel to gather face to face for the first time since its formal inception under ACSL.

The Panel is Chaired by former Federal Court Judge The Honourable Duncan Kerr. The Panel comprises nine members experienced in law and investigations.

Speaking on the importance of the first in-person meeting of the Panel, The Hon Duncan Kerr said that a large focus of the discussion was on implementing a therapeutic jurisprudence approach, which involves considering mental health and wellbeing in conjunction with legal process and practice.

“To support this approach, the Panel discussed at length how in our role we can better consider the wellbeing of both complainants and respondents through our review processes. We agreed that part of this is allowing reviewers, should the circumstances support it, to gather additional information to finalise the review rather than setting aside investigation findings and recommending the appointment of a new investigation,” The Hon Kerr said.

“Historically reviews were conducted as a desk audit, and gathering further information was not considered to be part of the review process. With our newly agreed process we hope that this can assist to reduce the time and financial impacts of the complaint and review processes, supporting a more trauma-informed approach for those involved, ” The Hon Kerr said.

The December meeting was also an opportunity to review and outline the Panel’s governance structure and process of appointment to the Panel, and to provide feedback on a range of Panel policies and procedures.

More information on the role and scope of the National Appeals and Reviews Panel, including panel members biographies, are available on ACSL’s website.

Key safeguarding policies are in place within the Maronite Eparchy of Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, according to an audit focusing on the safeguarding of children released by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd today.

The audit found that the Eparchy has either implemented or is substantially progressed in the
implementation of 100 per cent of the indicators relevant to them under the child-focused National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS).

The audit was undertaken at the invitation of Maronite Eparchy Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, and was completed in 2023 as the eparchy’s golden jubilee celebrations drew to an end.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that NCSS safeguarding audits of Church entities across the country have been undertaken since 2019, and are part of building an organisation’s safeguarding capacity by checking that sound and robust processes are in place to keep children and adults at risk safe.

‘Our audit of the Maronite Eparchy of Australia is the first audit of an Eastern Rite church, and we were delighted to have the opportunity to spend time with the Maronite Community in Sydney to learn more about their safeguarding strategies in what is a very vibrant, youthful and active Catholic community.’

‘While safeguarding approaches will look different in each unique Church context, there are things we know every organisation needs to do to create safe communities for children.’

‘For instance, we look at how risks in the physical and online environments have been assessed and mitigated. In the case of the Maronites, we saw excellent work and attention to detail in their risk assessments for physical spaces, ministry programs, and approaches to responding to high-risk individuals.’

‘Our audits can help organisations work out where there are gaps, and how they can strengthen their existing processes. In our audit of the Eparchy, we did identify some areas that can be further systematised, such as bringing together their very detailed individual risk assessments for activities into an overarching Eparchy risk register.’

‘Our recommendations have been accepted by the Eparchy’s leadership and will be implemented in the following months. The Eparchy is now turning its focus to incorporating adults at risk into its safeguarding scope, in line with NCSS Edition 2.’

His Excellency Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, Bishop of the Maronite Eparchy of Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, said, ‘We are deeply committed to creating a safe and nurturing environment for all members of our community, especially children and vulnerable adults. The audit conducted by ACSL affirms our dedication to upholding the highest standards of safeguarding.

‘Our Eparchy remains steadfast in its mission to foster a community where every individual feels secure, respected, and cared for.’

View the Maronite Eparchy of Australia’s full audit report here.

A safeguarding audit report of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart published this week by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has found safeguarding practices are understood and embedded across the Congregation’s members and key activities.

The audit assessed the Congregation’s implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), a framework to promote the safety of children in Catholic organisations.

The Sisters of St Joseph received a compliance score of 100 per cent against the NCSS, with all relevant NCSS indicators either fully or substantially progressed at the time of audit.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that it was pleasing to see that efforts to ensure children who come in contact with the Congregation are safe have been prioritised.

‘Through our audit processes, including a desktop review of key safeguarding policies and site visits to centres in NSW and South Australia, as well as interviews with a sample of members across the Congregation, we identified solid practices in place’ Dr Stephens said.

‘For example, we saw great work by the Congregation in their implementation of a thorough safeguarding induction and ongoing training program. The Congregation’s Safeguarding Coordinator travels the country to provide training and support to members in different regions.’

‘Ongoing training for people who have contact with children is crucial. If personnel do not know what to do, they will not be able to prevent abuse, so it was great to see in our audit that the Sisters of St Joseph have a good program of ongoing safeguarding awareness training.’

‘As in any audit, we did identify some areas where the Congregation can tighten their existing processes and have provided two formal recommendations to the Congregation’s leadership. These have been accepted and will be implemented over the course of the next 12 months.’

The Sisters of St Joseph’s Congregational Leader Sr Monica Cavanagh said she was pleased to receive the outcome of this report:

‘The safeguarding of children has always had a unique place in our story and will continue to do so. We would like to acknowledge the commitment of the Sisters and staff for the way in which they have embraced the culture of safeguarding within their ministries. We also thank the professionalism of the ACSL auditors and the clarity of the audit process. The Congregation is committed to implementing Edition 2 of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.’

View the Sisters of St Joseph’s audit report on ACSL’s Publications and Reports page.

A safeguarding audit report of the Diocese of Darwin published this week by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has identified committed leadership and efforts to embrace diversity as key safeguarding strengths in the Diocese.

The audit, completed in September 2023, assessed the Diocese’s implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), a framework to promote the safety of children in Catholic organisations.

The Diocese undertook an NCSS Audit in 2019 and was assessed as having either fully implemented or substantially progressed in the implementation of 89 per cent of the indicators relevant to their ministries.

In the 2023 audit, which again concentrated on implementation of the child-focused NCSS, the Diocese has further progressed its implementation to reach a 100 per cent NCSS compliance rating.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that in this second audit it was pleasing to see that the 13 recommendations from the 2019 audit had all been addressed and that safeguarding processes had overall been strengthened.

‘From our review and testing of policies and procedures, our audit site visits to parishes, ministries and the chancery office, and in our interviews with key leadership personnel as well as those working in parishes, we found that a safeguarding culture has been well-established across the Diocese,’ Dr Stephens said.

‘Of particular note is the strong framework around risk management the Diocese has put in place, with risk assessments now being completed by all parishes for their key activities, and a diocesan risk register which is regularly updated’.

‘We also observed good practice in efforts to make safeguarding materials accessible to the diverse range of communities who make up the Diocese. The Diocese is home to a number of multicultural communities, with several Masses being conducted in languages other than English.

‘We could see there was an active focus on diversity in all of the Diocese’s policies and practices, as well as a specific emphasis on engagement and collaboration with Indigenous communities. Safeguarding materials continue to be updated to be relevant to these communities, which will be important as the Diocese works towards embedding safeguarding policies and procedures that address adults at risk as well as children.’

‘We’ve provided five recommendations to the Diocese, which are a set of further practical safeguarding strategies and are intended to enhance and support existing practices,’ Dr Stephens said.

The Diocese of Darwin covers an area of 1.3 million square kilometres and encompasses almost all of the Northern Territory. The safeguarding policies, procedures and practices for ministry and pastoral work of the Diocese cover 20 parishes, 18 schools and a range of social welfare agencies.

View the Diocese of Darwin’s audit report on ACSL’s website.

Second safeguarding audit of Benedictine Community of New Norcia shows continued safeguarding awareness and strengthened culture of safety

A safeguarding audit report published this week by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has found an embedded culture of safeguarding evident throughout the Benedictine Community of New Norcia (the Community).

The Community of New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia and is located 130 km north-east of Perth.

There are 10 monks associated with the monastery, of whom six reside at New Norcia. The Community also has lay personnel who work and volunteer in various capacities throughout the town. The Community runs guided tours for the public and there are several types of accommodation which can be hired for retreats or other occasions.

This is the second National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS) audit undertaken by the Community of New Norcia. The first audit in 2019 focused on NCSS Edition 1 and the child safety standards, while the second audit in 2023 assessed safeguarding practices for both children and adults at risk, in line with NCSS Edition 2.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that through a review of the Community’s safeguarding documentation on the NCSS Self-Assessment Portal and subsequent audit fieldwork, it was plain to see that a culture of safeguarding is embedded in the life and activities of the New Norcia Community.

‘Our audit and visit to the Community this year was an affirming process, where we could see that work to respond to emerging and ongoing safeguarding risks has been made a priority by the Community.’

‘We were also impressed to see the emphasis on restorative justice and a trauma-informed approach evident throughout Community programs. For instance, there are numerous acknowledgements (for example, plaquettes) that individuals, families, and the community have been harmed and need restoration. These acknowledgements have been developed in close consultation with those affected, in keeping with the obligations held by the Benedictine Community to make things right as much as possible. All New Norcia staff have received training to manage unintended responses or reactions to their programs and displays (such as re-traumatisation) that may be triggered when visitors tour the Community.’

‘The 100 per cent compliance result of the 2023 NCSS audit is reflective of the safeguarding culture which is now firmly rooted in the Community. As a result of our audit, our team was pleased to offer some additional safeguarding recommendations to further enhance safeguarding capacity into the future, in line the Community’s commitment to continuous improvement,’ Dr Stephens said.

View the Benedictine Community of New Norcia’s audit report on ACSL’s website.

A new Indigenous artwork that helps tell the story of Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) and its commitment to creating safe spaces for everyone has this month been launched by ACSL.

Created by Aboriginal artist and Wiradjuri woman Lani Balzan, ‘The Path of Healing and Protection’ is a contemporary artwork that tells the story of ACSL’s mission: to create a culture of safety, care, and respect within the Catholic Church in Australia, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

‘The artwork celebrates inclusion, restorative practice, and the concept of safe spaces while representing the transformative journey of healing and spirituality’, Ms Balzan said.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that the artwork underscores ACSL’s recognition of Indigenous Australians as vital and valued members of the Catholic Church in Australia.

‘Injustices and abuse suffered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have been profound. Yet in spite of this painful history, our Church has been greatly enriched by Indigenous Spirituality and many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples retain their Catholic faith and are vital members of our Church.’

‘This artwork shows our determination to acknowledge the trauma that has been experienced by so many First Nations Australians within the Church, and at the same time, our resolution to pursue the path of healing and to ensure that our Church is safe for all people, through a shared commitment to safety and care,’ Dr Stephens said.

Speaking further to the artwork, creator Lani Balzan explained its key elements:

‘The central element of the artwork is the Gathering Symbol, representing Australian Catholic Safeguarding as an organisation. This symbol is adorned with a cross, embodying spirituality, faith, and guidance, which ACSL provides to those in need.’

‘Surrounding the central symbol are 12 smaller Gathering Symbols, symbolising safe spaces. These spaces are built upon strong foundations, denoted by their solidity and interconnectedness, emphasising the importance of community, and working together.’

‘The footprints leading along winding pathways represent the journeys that individuals have undertaken to overcome trauma. These paths symbolise the support and care provided by Australian Catholic Safeguarding, guiding them towards healing and restoration.’

‘The background of the artwork is filled with an array of dots, which symbolise the overshadowing effects of the past on the lives of survivors of child sexual abuse. These dots acknowledge the challenges that individuals have faced but also represent the enduring commitment to ensuring people are protected from abuse in the future. The dots are a lighter colour than the foreground, symbolising the diminishing influence of the past as we move towards a brighter and safer future.’

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd joins its full support to the Yes campaign in the upcoming referendum.

We endorse the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its calls for voice, treaty and truth-telling.

We stand behind First Nations groups and communities calling for Constitutional recognition and a Voice to Parliament in the October 14 referendum.

ACSL recognises that disadvantage, marginalisation and disempowerment put children and adults at greater risk of abuse and discourages victims, survivors and witnesses from seeking help or healing.

We believe that a Voice to Parliament and appropriate Constitutional recognition are just, and that when Indigenous Australians are listened to and empowered, Indigenous children and adults at risk will be safer.

It is also critical that these principles are lived out within Catholic organisations. ACSL recognises the need to ensure that First Nations Catholics, and all those First Nations peoples who engage with the Church, have their voices heard in decisions affecting them. Many groups within the Church provide ministries and services that touch the lives of First Nations Australians in ways big and small.

We also acknowledge that the Catholic Church has been responsible for a great deal of harm to First Nations people. Through actions and inaction Catholics have perpetrated, permitted or failed to prevent many injustices.

These injustices and crimes, as well as the  abuse of Indigenous children and adults by clergy, religious and lay Catholics, have contributed to immense trauma. These facts are undeniable and deeply shameful.

At the same time, there is a rich history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholicism. Our Church has been enriched by Indigenous Spirituality and many Indigenous people have been and remain Catholics despite the sins of their non-Indigenous sisters and brothers. Many other First Nations people retain a connection to the Catholic faith and community in various ways.

For these reasons ACSL adds our voice to the chorus of Catholic organisations that have already pledged their support to the Yes campaign.

We acknowledge this is but one step in a path to the ongoing project of reconciliation but it is a meaningful and appropriate step which we encourage all Catholics to support.

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has this week published a safeguarding review for the Order of Discalced Carmelite Nuns Goonellabah.

The Order of Discalced Carmelite Sisters (OCD Sisters) Goonellabah are an enclosed, contemplative religious community based in country NSW. The OCD Sisters are not engaged in public ministry and have a low safeguarding risk.

ACSL CEO Ursula Stephens said that due to these factors, a self-report against the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards that could be validated by ACSL was the most appropriate approach.

‘Every Catholic organisation, no matter their size, has safeguarding responsibilities. Measuring progress in implementing safeguarding processes is a vital way we learn if we are on the right track.  However, we acknowledge that a one-size fits all approach to review won’t work for all Catholic organisations, given how much ministries and activities can vary from one organisation to another.’

‘For the OCD Sisters Goonellabah, who dedicate themselves to a life of prayer, theirs is a completely contemplative life, which is conducted with clear separation from the public. The sisters do however have women in formation and potential aspirants who may enter formation in coming years. There is limited engagement with the general public.’

‘Making sure that key principles of the NCSS are in place or in development are things that we will examine for each organisation we review, regardless of their size or the nature of the ministry. These include assessing whether human resources frameworks that check people are safe to perform ministry are in place, whether complaints processes are documented and workable, and if there is a safeguarding culture being established and emphasised throughout the organisation.’

‘Under ACSL’s risk-based review framework, we determined that the OCD Sisters could complete a self-report against the NCSS, using the self-assessment portal developed by ACSL. We then validated the information and documentation provided by the Sisters through our own desktop review. We also followed this up through interviews with key personnel involved in the safeguarding process within the Order. ‘

‘The Self-Report completed by the OCD Sisters and our subsequent report validation showed us that the Sisters have fully implemented and embedded the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards as they apply to their Congregation.’

‘This is a very impressive result and demonstrates the commitment of a small order who have nonetheless worked hard to establish processes that aim to make their community a safe community for everyone.’

We have made recommendations for further improvement. The Sisters will now have 12 months to work through the recommendations before we follow up with them to assess their progress,’ Dr Stephens said.

The self-report validation is available on ACSL’s website.

A safeguarding audit of Canberra-based Congregation of Mary Queen of Peace has found policies and procedures to keep children and adults at risk safe are developed and in place throughout the entity’s Australian operations.

The audit report, prepared by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) and published today, assessed the Congregation’s implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), a framework for the safety of children and adults in Catholic entities. The audit found that 100 per cent of the indicators relevant to the Congregation were either fully embedded or substantially implemented at the time of the NCSS audit.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that while the Congregation’s work in Australia is administratively focused and involves only incidental contact with children and adults at risk, the Congregation still has significant safeguarding responsibilities throughout their presence in Australia.

‘The Congregation of Mary Queen of Peace’s primary mission is based in Vietnam, and their work is to carry out the Church’s mission amongst children with disabilities and with the ethnic minorities of the Highlands of Viet Nam.’

‘The Sisters have a presence in the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn through their religious house that allows them to connect with the local community and also serves a place for the sisters from Vietnam to come to Canberra for a period of study or work experience, after which they return to work in the Diocese of Ban Me Thuot in Vietnam.’

‘To scope the audit of the Congregation we used ACSL’s risk-based framework to target our assessment. This enabled us to identify relevant current and emerging risks for the Sisters’ operations in Australia.’

‘The Congregation provided safeguarding documentation to us through the NCSS Self-Assessment Portal, which ACSL has developed. After reviewing their responses to the self-assessment we were able to conduct focused and relevant interviews and discussions with members.’

‘While we can confirm that the NCSS have been addressed within the Congregation’s own safeguarding framework, we identified several areas where there is more that can be done.‘

‘A total of five recommendations to enhance safeguarding practice have been provided to the Congregation. Each recommendation has been accepted by the Congregation, and they will now have a period of 12 months to implement the recommendations,’ Dr Stephens said.

The audit report of the Congregation is available through the Publications and Reports area of ACSL’s website.

ACSL’s risk-based audit and review framework works to assess practical safeguarding risks for individual entities. The framework, centred on the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), considers the mission activity of the entity, the context in which it operates, and its current membership. This means that entities who undergo a self-assessment, review or audit are assessed against the NCSS criteria and indicators that directly relate to them. Entities commit to a three-year cycle for review/audit to support continuous improvement and integrate new legislative requirements and emerging best practice.

 ACSL is working with Australian Catholic Church entities to reach the goal of having all Catholic entities audited or reviewed against the NCSS by 2025. Australian Catholic entities have the choice of engaging ACSL as an auditor or selecting from a range of audit providers on the newly established NCSS External Auditor Register.  

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has this week published safeguarding audit reports for two orders of religious women, the Sisters of St. John of God and Sisters of Mercy Parramatta.

The safeguarding audits, conducted by ACSL, assessed the progress of both entities in implementing the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), a framework for the safety and protection of children and adults at risk in Catholic organisations.

Sisters of St. John of God

The Sisters of St. John of God operate the Sisters of St. John of God Heritage Centre in Broome, WA; the St. John of God Retreat Centre in Safety Bay, WA; and The Open Door in Dandenong, VIC, all of which are primarily focused on adults and potentially adults at risk.

Speaking after the report’s publication, ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that the audit of the Sisters of St. John of God is the first to be completed against NCSS Ed.2 which includes an assessment of the safeguarding policies, procedures and practices associated with adults at risk.

“In December last year ACSL launched NCSS Ed. 2 covering adults at risk as well as children, representing a major step forward in the Australian Catholic Church’s commitment to creating a safe Church for everyone. While Church Authorities will still be assessed on safeguarding children until July 2024 unless they request otherwise, the Sisters of St. John of God have little contact with children and wanted to have their safeguarding program for adults at risk assessed as their most urgent priority.”

“Given the Sisters’ ministries fall outside the scope of current statutory safeguarding frameworks, the NCSS audit was a real opportunity to holistically review the safeguarding operating practices across the congregation’s work,” Dr Stephens said.

The Sisters received a 100 per cent compliance rating, meaning that all NCSS indicators have been implemented or substantially progressed in their implementation throughout the Sisters’ ministries at the time of writing.

“What we found was that the Sisters take safeguarding seriously and had thoroughly prepared for the audit.”

“The Sisters were able to use the NCSS Self-Assessment Portal to self-rate their implementation of the NCSS in the months leading up to the audit and used the safeguarding work plan it generated to address the safeguarding gaps uncovered through the self-assessment.”

“By the time of their audit, we could see the results of this work. We were then able to add our own recommendations to further strengthen the congregation’s ability to provide a safe environment for adults at risk and have provided the congregation with five areas for improvement to which they have committed over the next 6-12 months.”

The Sisters of St. John of God’s audit report is available on ACSL’s website.

Sisters of Mercy Parramatta

The second audit report published by ACSL this week is Sisters of Mercy Parramatta’s audit report.

One of Sisters of Mercy Parramatta’s major ministries is an Art and Family Therapy Program which involves contact with children. An assessment of safeguarding practices in this ministry was included in the Sisters’ NCSS audit, which measured progress in implementing the child-focused components of the NCSS.

Dr Stephens said that the audit team found a deep commitment to child safeguarding evident in the Sisters’ child safeguarding framework. Sisters of Mercy Parramatta received a 100 per cent compliance score, with five recommendations for further improvement provided by ACSL’s audit team.

“Sisters of Mercy Parramatta have done an excellent job in ensuring that the children, families and carers who access their service are aware of their rights to feel safe and be safe. They’ve also put substantial work into their human resource practices to ensure they are stringent in their approach to child safety.”

“As with all audits we conduct, our audit process with the Sisters included a final meeting where we discussed areas for improvement and agreed on time frames for action, so over the next 12 months we will be able to check in with the Sisters to track their response to our recommendations,” Dr Stephens said.

Sisters of Mercy Parramatta’s audit report is available on ACSL’s website.

ACSL’s risk-based audit and review framework works to assess practical safeguarding risks for individual entities. The framework, centred on the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), considers the mission activity of the entity, the context in which it operates, and its current membership. This means that entities who undergo a self-assessment, review or audit are assessed against the NCSS criteria and indicators that directly relate to them. Entities commit to a three-year cycle for review/audit to support continuous improvement and integrate new legislative requirements and emerging best practice.

 ACSL is working with Australian Catholic Church entities to reach the goal of having all Catholic entities audited or reviewed against the NCSS by 2025. Australian Catholic entities have the choice of engaging ACSL as an auditor or selecting from a range of audit providers on the newly established NCSS External Auditor Register.  

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) this week published its second safeguarding audit report for the Presentation Sisters Wagga Wagga (PSWW).

The audit, conducted by ACSL, assessed the Congregation’s progress in implementing the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), a framework for the safety and protection of children and adults at risk in Catholic organisations.

The audit commenced in October 2022 and focused on the measures in place to ensure the safety of children and young people in PSWW’s work.

The audit found that the religious congregation of Sisters were implementing 99 per cent of the NCSS indicators relevant to their Congregation.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that this is an outstanding result for the Sisters.

‘PSWW have demonstrated, in this their second audit against the NCSS, their deeply embedded and genuine commitment to the safety of all those with whom they interact,’ Dr Stephens said.

‘After first being audited in 2019 and meeting compliance with 98 per cent of the indicators then, what we have witnessed in this second audit is an even deeper progression of safeguarding awareness.’

‘A number of changes within the Congregation, including a change of leadership and the planned transference of a key ministry hasn’t lessened their commitment to do all they can to provide a safe environment for children.’

‘The recommendations of the 2019 audit have been fully implemented, but the Sisters will take with them three new recommendations which they are committed to implementing in 2023. The recommendations concern their Code of Conduct, enhancing certain human resource processes to emphasise safeguarding, ensuring that personnel are fully empowered to implement best practice complaint handling processes, and upgrading IT practices,’ Dr Stephens said.

ACSL’s risk-based audit and review framework works to assess practical safeguarding risks for individual entities. The framework considers the mission activity of the entity, the context in which it operates, and its current membership. This means that entities who undergo a self-assessment, review or audit are assessed against the NCSS criteria and indicators that directly relate to them. Entities commit to a three-year cycle for review/audit to support continuous improvement and integrate new legislative requirements and emerging best practice.

ACSL is currently working with a range of other Catholic entities to assess their progress in implementing the NCSS.

The PSWW audit report is available on ACSL’s website.

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has today formally launched the second edition of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS) covering adults at risk as well as children.

ACSL has worked with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) and the Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons (AMPJP) to develop the NCSS Edition 2.

The release of NCSS Edition 2 comes just one week before the five-year anniversary of the Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse’s final report.

ACSL Board Chair the Hon. Michael Lavarch AO said that the adoption of the new Standards clearly demonstrates that the Church is vigilant of emerging safeguarding risks for everyone in Catholic communities, especially children and adults at risk.

‘The Standards address the safeguarding requirements of adults (with a focus on adults at risk) by both reflecting the duty of care owed to everyone, as well as recognising that there are particular risk-factors that cause some people to be more susceptible to abuse,’ Mr Lavarch said.

‘Including adults at risk within the safeguarding standards is a major milestone for the Church, as there are many groups running ministries with adults as well as children. The new Standards aim to address the power imbalances that can occur in a range of Church contexts, which can be a risk factor for abuse.’

‘Church organisations embraced Edition 1 of the Standards, and put measures in place to create safer environments for children, consistent with the National Child Safe Principles. They will now consider what they can do better to improve safety for adults at risk in our communities as well, ’Mr Lavarch said.

‘Importantly, these Standards have been developed in consultation with Church Authorities, safeguarding personnel, and those with a lived experience of abuse.’

‘Addressing safeguarding requirements for adults at risk is part of the Catholic Church’s ongoing response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. NCSS Edition 2 is one way in which the Church is being proactive in responding to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability,’ Mr Lavarch said.

Commenting on the launch of the Standards, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said that collaboration had been a hallmark of the Standards development process.

‘The Bishops Conference is pleased to endorse this second edition of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, which is the result of significant energy, mutual collaboration and discernment. These Standards, broadening the scope to include adults at risk and refining our practices and procedures, are the latest milestone on the Church’s committed and ongoing journey of creating and maintaining safe environments for all people,’ Archbishop Costelloe said.

‘CRA supports every entity within the Church taking the necessary steps to make the Church a safe place for all, particularly children and adults at risk, in a manner consistent with the National Child Safe Principles. We continue to encourage all Catholic entities to take their responsibilities, legal and moral, very seriously in all their decision making,’ said Peter Jones OSA, CRA President.

ACSL will release guidance, learning materials and share resources and examples of good practice to address the new requirements of NCSS Edition 2.

View the NCSS Edition 2.

A safeguarding audit report of the St Columbans Mission Society published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has found the Order is well progressed in its implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.

The 10 National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS) create a framework for Catholic entities to promote the safety of children. The NCSS incorporate recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and also the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, contextualising these requirements for the Catholic Church in Australia.

Commenting on the findings of the safeguarding audit, ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that while the Society has little direct contact with children, it takes implementing a safeguarding culture very seriously, which is demonstrated through their proactive work over the last 10 years and their score of 96 per cent compliance with the NCSS.

‘Our audit found that the Society has put the work into developing an appropriate safeguarding culture, and developing and implementing the policies and procedures which support a safe community. While there are fewer than 30 ordained Members of the Society in Australia, several of whom are in retirement, the Society is still engaged in ministry work throughout its religious communities, and through associates including students, lay missionaries, associate priests, paid employees, volunteers and contractors.’

‘Every Catholic entity, ministry and organisation needs to take deliberate steps to protect children from physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse showed us that all organisations need to take steps to invest in risk management, in people, management and culture, and continuous improvement.’

‘Our audit found good practices in the Society’s commitment to record keeping and regular risk assessments. The movement of ordained Members across religious communities is also well monitored, with all Members (except those in retirement) using the Australian Catholic Ministry Register.’

‘We were also able to identify some areas for improvement. We’ve provided five recommendations to the Society which will help to further embed their safeguarding policies and procedures, and ultimately, create a safe environment for people who interact with the community. These recommendations include tightening their Code of Conduct to reflect a zero tolerance to abuse, developing role descriptions for members of their safeguarding committee, ensuring leadership is regularly reviewing member appraisals in relation to safeguarding, providing plain language complaints handling information materials, and finalising a Privacy and Information Sharing Policy so it can be fully implemented,’ Dr Stephens said.

The audit report of the St Columbans Mission Society is available through the Publications and Reports area of ACSL’s website.

Former justice of the Federal Court The Honourable Duncan Kerr has today been announced as the new Chair of the Catholic Church’s National Appeals and Review Panel.

The National Appeals and Review Panel, managed by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL), is an independent panel which facilitates reviews for complaints concerning abuse against children and vulnerable adults that have been managed by Australian Catholic Church Authorities.

Speaking shortly after the announcement, ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that the appointment is very significant in the life of the Review Panel, given Mr Kerr’s substantial experience.

‘The National Appeals and Review Panel looks into the management of complaints to ensure there has been procedural fairness and a robust process. Reviews are taken incredibly seriously. For complainants, respondents or Church Authorities who feel their complaint has not been handled appropriately, the Panel is here to thoroughly and compassionately review the processes to determine whether the outcome of the complaint management has been procedurally fair,’ Dr Stephens said.

‘Mr Kerr taking leadership of the Panel means that there is deep experience and expertise at the highest review level to oversee the processes of the panel.’

In addition to his tenure as a former justice of the Federal Court from 2012 – February 2022, Mr Kerr is a barrister who has served as President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal from 2012 to 2017, as a member of federal parliament from 1987-2010, and as Minister for Justice from 1993-1996.

The National Review and Appeals Panel can facilitate a review into a previous complaint that was made to and managed by a Church Authority under recognised Professional and Safeguarding Standards of the Catholic Church: the National Response Protocol, Towards Healing or the complaints management policy of an individual Catholic Church Authority, including dioceses and religious institutes.

A review can be requested by:

1. the complainant, in relation to the process and/or findings of an investigation, or based on an objection to how a matter has been managed or the outcome of the complaint;
2. the respondent, if they cooperated with the investigation process, in relation to the process and/or findings of an investigation, or based on an objection to how a matter has been managed or the outcome of the complaint; and
3. the Responding Church Authority, in relation to the process and/or findings of an investigation.

The National Appeals and Review Panel has been managed by ACSL since 2021.

More information about the National Appeals and Review Panel is available on ACSL’s website.

The safeguarding audit of Servite College in Perth has found strong safeguarding practices in place throughout the College environment. The audit, undertaken by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) assessed the College’s implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), a framework for Catholic entities to promote the safety of children and young people.

Servite College is a co-educational Catholic secondary college with over 1000 students. It operates under the governance of the Order of the Servants of Mary. The audit found that the College has a deep commitment to the National Child Safety Principles which are embedded in the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, and demonstrate this through a culture of care, right across the school community.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that the findings of the external safeguarding audit are encouraging for parents and families of students at the College, as they show the degree of care and attention the College has given to create and maintain a safe environment for students and staff.

Servite College also meets all the reporting and safeguarding requirements of Catholic Education WA and are committed to the charisms of the Order of the Servants of Mary.

‘Under the NCSS, our audit team considered not only regulatory compliance, but also how students concerns are being heard in safeguarding, how the community is engaged within the school, and how diversity and equity are being upheld across safeguarding practices,’ Dr Stephens said.

‘We found that across the board, there is a high degree of compliance with the NCSS. Particularly of note are the positive ways that children and families are engaged in providing feedback on safeguarding policies and practices.’

‘Many students, staff and families interviewed mentioned Servite Concern, an app available to all associated with the College (student, personnel and families) to report concerns anonymously, and to identify issues or situations where there are real or perceived safety issues. This is considered a very important asset to safeguarding and wellbeing within the College community.’

‘We also saw good work around developing resources to provide information to students and parents about safe and respectful peer relationships, including through social media, which is a growing area of concern for many schools,’ Dr Stephens said.

Servite College Principal Ms Silvana Vicoli described the audit process as positive and professional.

‘We were proud to be able to share our student experience and school community with ACSL,’ Ms Vicoli said.

‘Our focus on the individualised care, support and learning outcomes of each Servite student drives our progress and we are delighted the audit report recognised our contribution to system-wide knowledge and practice in safeguarding within Catholic Education in Western Australia,’ Ms Vicoli said.

ACSL has made 12 recommendations to the College to strengthen their child safeguarding practices and created a continuous improvement plan to guide their efforts.

A safeguarding audit of the Order of the Servants of Mary was also conducted by ACSL. The findings of the College audit are an annexure to the Servite Order report. Both reports are available through the Publications and Reports area of ACSL’s website.

A safeguarding audit report of the Order of Servants of Mary (Servite Order) published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has identified a strong commitment to the safety of children throughout the Order’s operations.

A small community of religious men in Western Australia, comprising of nine friars, the Servite Order has taken up a variety of ministries including the administration of a local parish, school chaplaincy and governance of a secondary school (Servite College).

The audit found that the Servite Order has implemented or is substantially progressed in the implementation of 90 per cent of the indicators relevant to its operations under the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS).

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens noted that the audit showed the Order has zero tolerance for child abuse, and is doing well overall in meeting their safeguarding commitments.

‘Our audit of the Order focused on examining leadership, governance and culture, human resource management, effective complaints management, training, and continuous improvement,’ Dr Stephens said.

‘These are all areas of focus borne out of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Having these key safeguarding capabilities in place can help to create a safe organisation for children.’

‘Our audit work showed that there is a strong level of safeguarding awareness across Order members, and the findings from the Royal Commission continue to be taken seriously.’

‘We can also see practical ways to enhance the safeguarding measures already in place within the Servite Order, which is the continuous improvement piece of the audit. For example, our report notes that the Order does not currently have terms of reference in place for their Safeguarding Committee. While the terms of reference have been drafted, not having these endorsed and in place at present is a gap, as the scope and accountability of the Committee have not been publicly communicated. Once these are endorsed and in place, the Committee will be in a good position to work through the other recommendations coming out of this audit,’ Dr Stephens said.

Servite Order Provincial Delegate Fra. Peter Porteous described the audit in positive terms, noting that the Order now has a clear plan and a timeline to address recommendations.

‘ACSL’s audit team identified a few areas we need to work on. In so doing, they have acknowledged our efforts so far and provided us with the confidence to continue improving our safeguarding processes,’ Fra. Peter said.

A safeguarding audit of the Servite College was also conducted by ACSL. The findings of the College audit are an annexure to the Servite Order report. Both reports are available through the Publications and Reports area of ACSL’s website.

In National Child Protection Week the theme ‘Every child, in every community, needs a fair go’ is being endorsed by Catholic agencies across Australia.

Catholic Social Services Australia, Catholic Health Australia, the National Catholic Education Commission, Catholic Employment Relations and Caritas Australia are among those lending their support to National Child Protection Week in a very tangible way.

The National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, which incorporate the National Child Safe Principles, have been endorsed for all Catholic organisations who are engaged with children and young people. They underpin the Catholic Church’s commitment to working towards a common goal of every child, in every community being safe, cared for, having their needs met and being afforded the chance to realise their potential.

Chair of Australian Catholic Safeguarding Limited, Prof Michael Lavarch AO has invited Catholic organisations to sign up to show their commitment to the NCSS though the ACSL website and download the NCSS commitment badge for use on their websites and social media.

“ACSL acknowledges the lifelong harm and trauma that is experienced by children who are subjected to neglect, violence and abuse.  We are committed though the social mission of the Church, to help create communities that support families and children,’ Professor Lavarch said.

CEO of Catholic Social Services Australia (CSSA), Monique Earsman acknowledges the range of services provided by Catholic agencies to support families, and has called for stronger action for families, particularly those living in entrenched disadvantaged communities as highlighted by the 2020 CSSA Research “Mapping the Potential”.

“We know the communities where investment in services and early intervention will make a difference to the life trajectory of these children. We must address the cycle of intergenerational poverty and disadvantage to provide a better future for the children in our care,” Ms Earsman said.

Jacinta Collins, Executive Director of the National Catholic Education Commission says that building a strong school community that invests in supporting children so that they can focus on learning, development and wellbeing, is critical to having a productive and healthy community.

“Our Catholic schools are committed to ensuring the most supportive learning opportunities are provided to children and young people to nurture their future wellbeing. We want all our students to have a fair go.”

“The National Catholic Safeguarding Standards capture this culture of care and safety, and are wholly supported by the National Catholic Education Commission,” Ms Collins said.

Catholic Employment Relations CEO, Ian Yard-Smith has acknowledged how the stress of the past two years have impacted on work and family relationships, and through that the wellbeing of many children.

“By our work in supporting employers to support their employees navigate those pressures we hope to contribute to an environment of safety for children. The stress of finances, health, work or relationships can make it difficult for parents and carers to navigate life and provide the stability that is so important for children.”

Kirsty Robertson, CEO of Caritas Australia says that the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards support the social justice mission of the Church.

“As the international aid and development agency of the Catholic Church it is our mission to promote social justice and the dignity of every person, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Our unrelenting commitment to safeguarding and the implementation of these standards are paramount to our work and our mission,” Ms Robertson said.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens says that Catholic communities are involved in many community events throughout National Child Protection Week, from art competitions, performances, parades and even kite flying.

“We encourage all Catholic organisations to demonstrate their commitment to National Child Protection Week and support our collective efforts to ensure every community across Australia has strong foundations for families and children.”

To sign up to the NCSS Commitment page and download the NCSS Commitment Badge, visit ACSL’s website.

4 August 2022

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) and Australia’s Catholic Bishops Conference have this week released the first draft of the Church’s new code of safety, entitled Our Common Mission.

Our Common Mission sets out the commitment of the Catholic Church in Australia to put safety at the centre of mission. It is a document intended to be adopted by all Church entities to inform ongoing formation in ministry and service for both people in religious ministry and lay people.

ACSL CEO and Advisory Group Member Dr Ursula Stephens said that in drafting Our Common Mission, the intention has been to create something that can speak directly and inclusively to diverse groups.

‘Our Common Mission is a short document and that’s something which is very intentional. It outlines foundational principles based on culture, relationships and formation that can guide each entity to develop their own organisational code of conducts that respond to their unique contexts, while still reflecting a cohesive national commitment to putting safety squarely at the centre of mission,’ Dr Stephens said.

‘We are now inviting all Church entities to consider how they would embed Our Common Mission in their organisation and provide us with feedback on the draft. This will inform a final version for approval in November 2022 and dissemination across all entities. To help prompt reflection on the document we’ve developed a Conversation Guide which accompanies Our Common Mission,’ Dr Stephens said.

Our Common Mission has been developed in response to Recommendation 16.49 of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which states that ‘codes of conduct in religious institutions should explicitly and equally apply to people in religious ministry and to lay people’, a recommendation which was accepted by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia.

In October 2021, ACSL established an advisory group to guide the writing of a national code for all Catholic ministries and services. Advisory group members (Sr Veronica Hoey SGS – Chair, Dr Jane Comensoli, Dr David Leary OFM, Sr Ailsa MacKinnon RSM, Rev Dr Jake Mudge, and Dr Ursula Stephens – CEO ACSL) provided input on the draft, which reflects current ecclesiology and safeguarding within an Australian and global context and recognises the imperative of each entity to develop their own codes of conduct.

Our Common Mission complements existing Church protocols and standards including the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, the National Response Protocol, and the National Response Framework.

Other Church protocols such as Integrity in Ministry and Integrity in the Service of the Church which detail a range of specific behavioural standards can still be used, but some of these standards have been condensed and updated in Our Common Mission.

Read Our Common Mission

Read the Our Common Mission Conversation Guide

Provide your responses through the Consult

 ACSL works with Catholic entities to promote and oversee a nationally consistent, comprehensive and sustainable framework for the protection of children and adults at risk within the Church in Australia. 

Media contact: Kat Beavis  0400 825 954

ation Survey by 31 August 2022.

26 May 2022

A safeguarding audit report of the Carmelite Fathers Australia & Timor-Leste published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has found strong commitment to child safety across the religious institute’s operations.

The audit assessed the Carmelite Fathers’ progress in implementing the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), a framework for the safety and protection of children in Catholic organisations.

The Carmelite Fathers’ work in Australia serves communities across a variety of operations, including administering three parishes in partnership with local dioceses, working as chaplains in hospitals and schools, and running a spirituality and retreat centre. Since 2001, the Carmelite Fathers have also provided ministries in Timor-Leste focused on forming young men as seminarians.

ACSL’s audit processes involved a thorough review of the Carmelite’s safeguarding processes and policies, interviews with key safeguarding personnel, members of the Carmelites in Australia and Timor-Leste, and a site visit to an Australian parish administered by the religious institute.

ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens said that the Carmelite Fathers were able to demonstrate that 97 per cent of the NCSS criteria and indicators relevant to the institute were either fully implemented, or substantially progressed at the time of audit.

‘Through our audit we noted the great opportunities the Carmelite Fathers have for sharing safeguarding knowledge in the parishes; they have a presence which extends across two archdioceses and a diocese. Moreover, the parishes benefit from the support offered by Professional Standards Units within the dioceses, with the dioceses in turn benefiting from the resources the Carmelite Fathers have developed for their institute. Their willingness to work together is a critical component of creating a safe Church for everyone,” Dr Stephens said.

‘The same commitment to the safety of children, and seminarians, was apparent through the Carmelite Fathers work in Timor-Leste. The institute has engaged a local non-government agency to assist them in implementing effective safeguarding practices with culturally sensitivity. This strategy also includes ongoing training and safeguarding resources being translated in Tetum, the main language used in Timor-Leste.’

‘As with any audit, there are learnings and opportunities for improvement. We have provided six recommendations to the Carmelite Fathers that will further strengthen their ability to provide a safe environment for all people. These include formally appointing a dedicated safeguarding officer to the operations in Timor-Leste, updating core safeguarding policies to address children as well as adults at risk, creating detailed risk registers, and ensuring safeguarding materials are child-friendly and accessible for both children and adults at risk,’ Dr Stephens said.

The audit report of the Carmelite Fathers Australia and Timor-Leste is available through the Publications and Reports area of ACSL’s website.

 ACSL works with Catholic entities to promote and oversee a nationally consistent, comprehensive and sustainable framework for the protection of children and adults at risk within the Church in Australia. 

Media contact: Kat Beavis  0400 825 954

29 April 2022

A new portal launched today by ACSL will help Catholic organisations measure their progress in applying the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS).

Marking the launch of the portal, ACSL CEO Dr Ursula Stephens described it as a crucial resource for entities wanting to understand where their current safeguarding standards are in relation to best practice.

“It is intuitive, easy to navigate and use and will be invaluable to safeguarding personnel everywhere. The portal we have developed will help Catholic entities to meet their own legislative safeguarding requirements in a timely way,” Dr Stephens said.

The NCSS, against which entities using the portal will assess themselves, create a framework for Catholic entities to promote the safety of children and adults at risk. The Standards outline the policies and activities that will prevent, respond to, and support reporting of concerns of abuse.

“The Standards are mapped to the National Child Safe Principles and incorporate recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Portal users will notice that the provisional text of the second edition of the Standards is used. This edition includes measures to support adults at risk who also engage with Church ministries, in response to issues raised in the Royal Commissions into Aged Care and Disability,” Dr Stephens said.

“Entities can work through the requirements of the Standards online and attach supporting documentation as evidence. The portal will generate a progress plan for organisations working towards accreditation and reporting. All the key documentation is in one place, so tasks can be allocated to staff, and progress recorded.”

“The portal allows users to monitor their progress in implementing the Standards. Those seeking accreditation against the NCSS will be able to use the portal in preparing for a review or audit.”

“Access to the portal will be free of charge for ACSL subscribers, which includes dioceses, religious institutes and MPJPs”.

“As more Church entities engage with the portal, it will provide a good overview of where the Church, as a whole, is doing well in safeguarding, and where there is still work to be done. This is an important evidence base for us to draw on, to report on the work that has been undertaken in the last five years to make the Church a safe place for all people.”

“We invite Church Authorities to register for the portal and start a self-assessment as soon as they are able. This is a great step forward for Catholic entities and we’re excited by the enthusiastic response we have received already from entities keen to use the portal,” Dr Stephens said.

For questions about the NCSS Accreditation Portal, please email Dr David Treanor, Manager of Audit and Review at assess@acsltd.org.au.

 ACSL works with Catholic entities to promote and oversee a nationally consistent, comprehensive and sustainable framework for the protection of children and adults at risk within the Church in Australia. 

Media contact: Kat Beavis  0400 825 954

23 March 2022

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has today published its safeguarding audit report on the Diocese of Toowoomba.

The audit, conducted by ACSL, assessed the Diocese’s progress in implementing the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), a framework for the safety and protection of children and adults at risk in Catholic organisations.

ACSL Chief Executive Officer Dr Ursula Stephens said that the Diocese has performed strongly, with 87 per cent of the NCSS criteria and indicators relevant to the Diocese either fully implemented, or substantially progressed.

The audit commenced in January 2022 and included a review of the Diocese’s safeguarding processes and policies, as well as site visits and interviews with key safeguarding personnel.  Site visits to a sample of parishes and ministries within the Toowoomba region took place in February 2022.

‘The Toowoomba Diocese demonstrates a strong commitment to the care and protection of children by the diocesan leadership, who have implemented thoughtful and effective safeguarding practices in place within their parishes and ministries. The Diocese highlighted their inclusive Aboriginal Apostolate and their Special Religious Education support ministry for adults with intellectual disability,’ Dr Stephens said

‘The proactive safeguarding work of the Executive Officer, who has a dedicated safeguarding role, through his regular visits to parishes and his availability to work closely with personnel, is testament to the investment in cultural change being achieved across the Diocese.’

‘It is clear that child safety is a significant priority for the Diocese, and they have done significant work to embed practices that place child safety at the fore of thinking, action, and practice throughout their operations. Yet nothing is ever static within a large diocese, and there is always room for improvement.’

‘We have provided seven recommendations to the Diocese that will further strengthen their ability to provide a safe environment for all people. These include updating core safeguarding policies to address children as well as adults at risk, creating detailed risk registers at the level of each parish and ministry, and ensuring safeguarding materials are accessible for children and the local CALD communities.’

‘We can also see great opportunities for sharing knowledge across the Diocese. For instance, many parishes already draw upon school-based materials regarding safe and respectful relationships, since many safeguarding representatives experience come from within schools. There is an opportunity to further this collaboration between parishes and schools by providing access to formation and training with Catholic schools, where there is specialised safeguarding knowledge, and bringing this learning into the parishes,” Dr Stephens said.

The audit of the Diocese of Toowoomba is the 27^th child safety audit of a Catholic Church entity by ACSL.

ACSL is now finalising the second edition of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, which will address safeguarding requirements for adults at risk as well as children.

The full audit report can be found here.

 ACSL works with Catholic entities to promote and oversee a nationally consistent, comprehensive and sustainable framework for the protection of children and adults at risk within the Church in Australia. 

Media contact: Kat Beavis  0400 825 954

17 December 2021

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has today published the safeguarding audit report of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (Australia and New Zealand). The report indicates that the Sisters of the Good Shepherd have fully implemented or are substantially progressed in the implementation of all 63 (100%) Indicators of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards relevant to their operations.

The audit reports Church entities’ progress in implementing the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards. The Standards are a national framework for the protection and safety of children in Catholic organisations.

This is the final safeguarding audit report of Australian Catholic entities completed by ACSL for 2021. It demonstrates the strong commitment of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd to ensuring a safe Church for everyone.

ACSL’s Manager of Audit and Review, Dr David Treanor, said that safeguarding audits conducted by ACSL form part of the Catholic Church’s ongoing response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

“Through our audit program we help Church entities identify any risks in their safeguarding practices. We then provide practical recommendations to improve child safety within the organisation.”

“We undertake a detailed review of the policies and documentation and combine this with interviews with key personnel about safeguarding practices within the organisation.”

“We congratulate the Sisters for their work in committing to the Standards. They have demonstrated the cultural change that helps to create child safe organisations and are committed to continuous improvements in their safeguarding practices.”

Dr Treanor said that the development of ACSL’s new audit and review framework is also progressing, in line with ACSL’s commitment to continuous improvement. “Future audits will be very much risk-based and proportionate to the Church entities’ engagement in ministry and the safeguarding of children and adults at risk. This is in line with ACSL’s own commitment to continuous improvement and something we look forward to sharing more about in 2022.”

The full audit can be found here.

 ACSL works with Catholic entities to promote and oversee a nationally consistent, comprehensive and sustainable framework for the protection of children and adults at risk within the Church in Australia. 

Media contact: Dr. David Treanor 0439 974 470

Thursday, 16 September 2021

Friday, 30 April 2021

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has today announced the appointment of Dr Ursula Stephens as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Dr Stephens, who is currently CEO of Catholic Social Services Australia, replaces outgoing ACSL CEO Ms Sheree Limbrick.

Dr Stephens has previously worked as an educator, a senior NSW public servant, an Australian senator and been involved in numerous community-led initiatives to support community engagement and inclusion.  She brings with her a wealth of experience in advocacy, policy development and relationship building, alongside a depth of experience gained from being part of and working within numerous Catholic organisations.

Chair of ACSL’s Board Professor The Hon. Michael Lavarch said the appointment of Dr Stephens followed a thorough executive search process and was approved by representatives of the company’s members – the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Catholic Religious Australia and the Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons.

“The search process attracted a number of well qualified candidates from inside and outside Catholic organisations and ACSL is grateful for the interest and the support demonstrated for the company’s work. We believe Dr Stephen’s experience in public life, her extensive work on social justice issues and her good grounding in safeguarding will equip her well to lead ACSL,” Professor Lavarch said.

He said Dr Stephens joins ACSL at an important juncture as the company continues to reshape its focus on how to best assist the Church to ensure it provides a safe and nurturing environment for children and adults at risk.

“The Board is developing the company’s strategic plan and seeks to work with the diverse organisations within the Church to strengthen a culture of safeguarding that always has the interests of children and vulnerable people at the centre of Church activities. Dr Stephens has a strong track record of working across the Church and this skill will greatly assist ACSL.”

Professor Lavarch also paid tribute to outgoing CEO Sheree Limbrick.

“Ms Limbrick has done a wonderful job in establishing the company and having the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards accepted as the benchmark for good practice across the Church.  Sheree has put tremendous energy into equipping the Church to be a more capable and more transparent community when it comes to protecting children. The Board is enormously grateful for her leadership.”

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) was established in December 2020 and is a company limited by guarantee, owned by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Catholic Religious Australia and the Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons.  ACSL has responsibilities at a national level and brings together the work of two previous entities, Catholic Professional Standards Ltd (CPSL) and the Australian Catholic Centre for Professional Standards (ACCPS).

ACSL works with the Catholic Church in Australia to support and foster a nationally consistent culture of safety and care throughout the Church.  ACSL provides a range of services to the Church to support their implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, a framework for the protection and care of adults at risk and children.

Media contact : Katherine Beavis  0400 825 954

Thursday, 03 December 2020

‘Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd’ (ACSL) has today been launched as the Australian Catholic Church’s new national body for safeguarding, which will streamline and coordinate the Church’s work to create safe environments for children and adults at risk.  The announcement was made at the Annual General Meeting of Catholic Professional Standards Ltd (CPSL) earlier today.

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd merges existing entities CPSL, the Australian Catholic Centre for Professional Standards and the Australian Catholic Ministry Register, bringing together national responsibilities for safeguarding into one entity.

ACSL is led by Board Chair Professor the Honourable Michael Lavarch AO, who previously served on the CPSL Board.

“’I am honoured to become the Chair of ACSL which will bring together critical work that assists the Church to be a safe and nurturing environment for all, particularly children and adults at risk,” Professor Lavarch said.

“I’m also pleased to announce ACSL’s Board, whose experience and credentials in child and adult safeguarding, professional standards, law, governance, Church administration, finance and management will be vital in guiding ACSL. I am pleased to welcome to the ACSL Board Dr Robyn Miller (who previously served on the CPSL Board), Mrs Mary McComish, Sr Kath Tierney RSM AO, Mr David Penny and Mr Julian Widdup.” (More information on Board Directors can be found here.)

“Supporting the Church to ensure the safety of children and adults at risk is the Board’s utmost priority. Over the coming months the Board will work swiftly to oversee the transition of the previous bodies into ACSL. During this period, the critical safeguarding work already being performed by the previous bodies, will continue as planned.”

“On behalf of the Board I would like to thank CPSL’s outgoing Board Chair The Hon. Geoff Giudice AO and outgoing board members Patricia Faulkner AO, Dr Ruth Shean, Dr Kerrie Tuite and the Hon. John Watkins AM for their dedicated service during their term as CPSL directors,” Professor Lavarch said.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Catholic Religious Australia and the Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons are members of ACSL.

Media contact: Katherine Beavis 0400 825 954 / 1300 603 411 / katherine@cpsltd.org.au

Catholic Professional Standards Ltd is transitioning to the newly established Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd.

The former CPSL continues providing services and support to Catholic entities during this transition period.

For updates on the transition, please visit the CPSL website here.