Constitution of the Safeguarding Committee
Role and Function
The Safeguarding Children Committee was appointed by the Bishop to manage all aspects of policy development, training and support at diocesan and parish level. It fulfils these functions by:
- Developing a three-year safeguarding plan;
- Ensuring that appropriate child safeguarding personnel are in place;
- Coordinating Parish Safeguarding Representatives (PSR);
- Coordinating activities related to child safeguarding, including training needs assessments, delivery of training and annual audit;
- Upholding the seven Standards in practice and behaviour.
Membership of the Committee:
Committee members are drawn from across the diocese and bring to this role skills in education, parish ministry, law, psychology, policy development and voluntary work.
Members of the committee serve a four-year term of office which may be renewed by invitation of the Bishop.
They sign the Confidential Declaration Form (S4.4), Confidentiality Declaration S4.5), are inducted into the safeguarding policy and procedures and an Agreement form (S4.6).
Training:
- Induction on safeguarding policy and procedures;
- Full day Basic Safeguarding Awareness training, repeated at three year intervals
- Role specific training
Current membership of the committee is:
Bishop Tom Deenihan (Chair); Ms Loraine Byrne (Safeguarding Coordinator); Fr Paul Crosbie (Trim); Ms Marie Willoughby, Mullingar; Mr Alan Doran, (Dunderry); Ms Joan Walshe, Navan, Ms Marie O`Sullivan (DLP), Mullingar; Fr Derek Darby (Mullingar); Ms Margaret Kelly (Tullamore); Fr Joe Gallagher (Tullamore) & Mr Pádraig McGovern (Duleek).
Meetings:
Meetings are held four times per annum and are minuted. Minutes are held, in accordance with data protection provisions, in Bishop’s House. Information on matters dealt with by the committee is disseminated via the Newsletter and notices on the safeguarding website.