Diocesan Safeguarding Audit celebrates achievements
An independent safeguarding audit of the Catholic Diocese of Townsville has assessed a 100 per cent compliance rating with the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards according to the audit report published by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL).
The Diocese of Townsville has fully implemented or has substantially progressed in the implementation of 105 (100%) of the relevant indicators to its operations. The assessment for each maturity scale is as follows:
- 101 (96%) indicators are developed and embedded.
- 4 (4%) indicators are substantially progressed.
- 0 indicators are in the initial stages of implementation.
Of the 111 National Catholic Safeguarding Standards indicators, 6 of these are not relevant to the Catholic Diocese of Townsville operations.
The auditor has made recommendations to continually improve safeguarding practices within the Diocese. These recommendations have been accepted in full and work has already commenced on implementing them.
ACSL Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ursula Stephens, said “the Diocese of Townsville have achieved an outstanding result in their NCSS audit. The committed leadership of Bishop Tim has meant that safeguarding is treated as priority across the Diocese. Our audit team appreciated not only Bishop Tim’s engagement in the audit process, but also his keenness in finding ways to further improved safeguarding practice.”
Director Safeguarding, Culture and Shared Services Mr Craig Brereton said “when you have our leaders working in unison with our dedicated Catholic community, in a spirit of respect, transparency and accountability, you will naturally create a place of safety and belonging.”
“People feel comfortable to speak up and have a voice. It is clear in this Diocese that we are working together and are committed to continuously improve our practices to prevent any form of harm occurring to our most vulnerable. It is also evident that we walk the walk when it comes to responding to harm and that is something that I am incredibly proud of”.
Regarding the audit process, Craig said he appreciated the experience and expertise that the auditor, Dr David Treanor, Director Safeguarding and Compliance, brought to the process. Craig said, “Dr Treanor took the time to actively listen to what people were saying and it was clear he wanted to see how policy and procedures translated to effective practice.
Dr Stephens said “Something that really stood out to our audit team was that all diocesan clergy have signed a copy of Integrity in Our Common Mission, the National Code of Conduct released last year. A good understanding of safeguarding and what it means in a parish and pastoral context was apparent through our interviews with clergy and other personnel. This really signals that the Diocese is committed to ongoing formation of their people that emphasises thinking and acting in the best interests of children.”
Dr Stephens said “‘our auditors commend the efforts of Director Safeguarding, Culture and Shared Services Mr Craig Brereton, who through his commitment to visiting parishes and various ministries in person, has helped to instil a good level of safeguarding awareness and confidence across parishes and ministries.’
The full safeguarding audit report for the Diocese can be accessed here.
