The Safeguarding Winter E-Bulletin 2024 is now available
SBNI Safeguarding Futures Newsletter
The SBNI are delighted to introduce you to the initial “Safeguarding Futures” newsletter and appreciate you taking the time to read the content. A key element of the newsletter is to promote effective communication with everyone involved in safeguarding children and young people. We hope this newsletter will help raise awareness of Child Exploitation (CE) across various domains.
The current and future editions will provide an update on the collective efforts made to address critical issues underpinning child criminal exploitation. It will also outline the need for and benefits of a co-ordinated and collaborative approach to enhance child protection and safeguarding measures. The newsletter will seek the involvement of SBNI members, partner agencies, community organisations, children and young people and carers to influence future decisions and service delivery. We also hope to share progress on the action plan, disseminate learning and good practice as well as highlight emerging issues.
UPDATE JULY 2024 – National Board Revised Child Protection Policy and Standards
On the 11th June 2024 the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland issued the revised safeguarding policy and standards
This is a significant publication and replaces “Safeguarding Children Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland 2016”, the seven standards policy with associated suites of guidance under each of the seven standards, which we all have become familiar with and which has underpinned safeguarding in our Diocese of Down and Connor and across every Dioceses , Religious Orders and ministries with children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.
The publication of this revised policy has been a significant piece of work and has been overseen by a Steering Group with representatives from a number of Dioceses and Religious Orders. The revised policy has been informed by a series of consultation and listening exercises involving dioceses and parishes across Ireland (including listening exercises and consultation within Down and Connor which a number of you were involved in ), groups of young people and engagement with victims and survivors. Statutory Agencies were also involved in this consultation.
I urge you to embrace this revised policy. The fundamental elements of safeguarding within the church do not change ; creating and maintaining safe environments where children and young people can nurtured in their faith, responding to suspicions, concerns, knowledge and allegations in line with legislation and communicating the safeguarding message,
Where there were seven standards with associated suites of guidance there are now three standards with suites of guidance:
The Policy statements Posters in all our Churches and Parish Centres will be changed and the Safeguarding Office will set up three Information Sessions on the revised Policy “A Safe and Welcoming Church, Safeguarding Children Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland, 2024, two online and one face to face.
Philip O Hara
Training Sessions 2024-2025
Safeguarding Training Sessions are published on the Training Calendar on our website.
If you wish to book onto one of our sessions you can do so via the training tab on below;
Update March 2024 – Annual Parish Audit
Thank you to those parishes who have submitted the Audit Return.
The returns made by parishes inform the Bishop’s report to the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland on the Diocese’s compliance with the Standards and Guidance.
UPDATE November 2023 – Safeguarding and Pathways to the Future
Safeguarding and Pathways to the Future – A message from Philip O’Hara, Interim Director of Safeguarding
4th April 2023-UPDATE Parish Self Audit Returns
Thank you to all the parishes who have now submitted their Audit Return to the Safeguarding Office
