Safeguarding Children Committee

This Committee is required to manage all aspects of policy development, training and support at diocesan and parish level.

Central to the Committee’s task is implementing diocesan guidelines, assisting parishes in their safeguarding efforts, and overseeing an annual audit of activities in this area.

Role and Function

The Safeguarding Committee is constituted by the Bishop to promote child safeguarding by:

  • Developing a three-year child safeguarding plan, including the establishment of the local child safeguarding policy and procedures;
  • Coordinating local safeguarding representatives (PSR);
  • Coordinating activities related to child safeguarding, e.g. training;
  • Ensuring the annual audit, including the correlation of records for training-related activities is conducted;
  • Ensuring the completion of training needs assessments across the various child safeguarding roles in the Diocese;
  • Ensuring, with the Bishop, that the appropriate child safeguarding personnel are in place;
  • Upholding the seven standards in practice and behaviour.

Membership

Committee membership is determined by the Bishop, reflecting the needs of the Diocese. The committee includes people who have:

    • Knowledge of the Diocese and its ministry
    • Experience of implementing policy and procedures
    • Practical knowledge of working with children and child safeguarding
    • Knowledge and experience of auditing and identifying hazards
    • Experience of working with and supporting volunteers

Each member of the committee has a four year term of office which may be extended  by invitation of the Bishop; to ensure continuous functioning of the committee membership is not  concurrent.

When recruited, each committee member signs:

• The  Confidential Declaration Form (S4.4)
• The Confidentiality Declaration (S4.5).
• The Agreement Form (S4.6) and attends a full day training session.

Committee members are drawn from across the diocese and they bring to this role various skills in education, law, psychology, counselling, parish ministry and social work.

The current members are: Bishop Tom Deenihan; Ms Loraine Byrne; Fr Paul Crosbie; Fr Derek Darby; Mr Alan Doran; Fr Joe Gallagher; Ms Margaret Kelly; Ms Marie O’Sullivan; Ms Joan Walshe; Ms Marie Willoughby.

Constitution

The Constitution of the Safeguarding Committee may be accessed at Section 3.6.