Safeguarding audits of the Archdiocese of Brisbane and the Diocese of Darwin have revealed a high level of compliance with the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS) according to two audit reports published by Catholic Professional Standards Limited (CPSL) today.
Archdiocese of Brisbane
The Archdiocese of Brisbane comprises 98 parishes in South East Queensland with 285 active or retired clergy, approximately 16,000 paid staff operating out of 40 offices and more than 10,000 volunteers undertaking a variety of ministries within the Archdiocese. The Archbishop of Brisbane is Mark Coleridge, installed on 2 April, 2012.
The CPSL audit of the Archdiocese of Brisbane found that the Archdiocese had either implemented or was substantially progressed in the implementation of 87 (84 percent) out of the 104 indicators relevant to them under the NCSS.
A total of 18 recommendations have been accepted by the Archdiocese of Brisbane to strengthen their safeguarding practices. Audit recommendations are classified according to priority and urgency for remediation. There are no Priority 1 (high rated) recommendations for the Archdiocese.
CPSL CEO Sheree Limbrick said that the audit showed that the Archdiocese has comprehensive child safeguarding policies and procedures, with only one NCSS Indicator (relating to the implementation of cultural safety training) yet to be addressed.
“Many of the recommendations we have given to the Archdiocese of Brisbane relate to streamlining processes, consolidating documentation and ensuring that the Archdiocese maintains good oversight of the large number of parishes and ministries under its governance to ensure consistent safeguarding practices across the Archdiocese,” said Ms Limbrick.
The NCSS, based on recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and aligned with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, provide the framework for Catholic Church entities to build child-safe cultures and to advance the safety and dignity of children across the Catholic Church in Australia.
The safeguarding audit reports of the Archdiocese of Darwin and the Diocese of Darwin are the final two to be published by CPSL in 2019. CPSL is working with a range of other Catholic entities to assess their progress in implementing the NCSS and will release further audit reports as they are completed.
Read the full audit here: brisbane-cpsl-final-audit-report-december-2019