The Safeguarding Office will be closed from Friday 20th December 2024 until Thursday 2nd Jan 2025.
We wish you all a very happy and holy Christmas.
For a Synodal Church- Communion, Participation, Mission
For the past month our Bishop has been attending the synodal consultation and discussions in Rome.
On the 27th October2024, Pope Francis presided over the Synod’s closing mass.
During the mass Pope Francis spoke;
“we cannot remain inert before the questions raised by the women and men of today, before the challenges of our time, the urgency of evangelization and the many wounds that afflict humanity.
“A missionary Church that walks with her Lord through the streets of the world”
See below, a link to the final document of the Synod, please look through it. Could I draw your attention to just one of many elements of this document, Part v – “So I send You” forming a people for Missionary Discipleship.
For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission
This is an all-encompassing document which looks to how our Church is going forward with missionary zeal and prayer.
It will be discussed throughout our Church, our Dioceses and in our Parishes.
From a local perspective, in Down and Connor this journey will be seen and driven by our local diocesan strategy “Pathways to the Future”
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
UPDATE JAN 2024 – National Board Review Report
Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Down and Connor
The Diocese is publishing the Report of the recent Review of Safeguarding in our Diocese which took place in June 2023.
The publication of the Report marks Safeguarding Sunday 4th February 2024.
Promoting a culture of safeguarding remains a priority for our Church.
The Diocese of Down and Connor is committed to promoting the welfare of all its children and young people and to encouraging their full participation in the life of the Church.
It was important that the voice of victims was heard in this Report.
Could I thank all those Parishes and the Youth Ministry who directly engaged with the Reviewers and our Parish Priests, volunteers and parishioners who continue to service our Parish Safeguarding Committees. The Report highlights your commitment and provides a sound platform from which Parishes can each progress on their journeys and opportunities that Pathways to the Future will bring.
Philip O’Hara
Interim Director for Safeguarding
UPDATE Nov- 2023 Training dates for Autumn 2023 & Winter 2024
Training dates are added regularly to the training calendar, so it would be advisable to check the calendar regularly. TRAINING CALENDAR
All spaces on courses are allocated on a first come first serve basis. We therefore advise you to book onto your course of choice as soon as possible.
If you have booked onto a course and for some reason, can no longer attend, please let the Safeguarding Office know, as they manage a reserve list for all training events.
If you would like to book onto any sessions you can do so, by clicking under the relevant link under the BOOKING COURSES PAGE
UPDATE JULY 2023- Launch of the Public Consultation -Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
“A changed society where women and girls are free from all forms of gender-based violence , abuse and harm”.
From October 2022 the Diocese has been a “co-design” partner alongside other stakeholders, statutory and voluntary including the Faith Sector, under the Northern Ireland Executive Office , to put together this Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Strategic Framework and Action Plan.
Ending Violence Against Women and Girls requires a whole of government and a whole society approach.
Please review the documents and consider responding to the consultation using the EVAWG Consultation – Citizen Space
Strategic Framework – Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
Easy Read – Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
Action Plan Foundational – Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
Philip O Hara
The launch will take place on social media tomorrow, Tuesday 4th July 2023, with two posts from The Executive Office social media @ExecOfficeNI, including:
- The EVAWG consultation launch press release
- An announcement by video from Jayne Brady, Head of NI Civil Service inviting people to engage with the consultation and ‘Tell us what they think’
Update July 2023-PSC Pastoral Community Support Meetings
Thank you to all those who participated in these meetings.