At its core, safeguarding is about promoting the safety and well-being of others, creating and maintaining safe activities and environments, and preventing abuse and harm.
National Catholic Safeguarding Standards
The Archdiocese has adopted and adheres to the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards. The Standards apply to all parishes, ministries, and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop.
The Standards are drawn from the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and came into effect in 2019.
The Standards are endorsed by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Catholic Religious Australia.
Safeguarding Commitment
The Archdiocese has zero tolerance for all forms of abuse and is committed to safeguarding everyone involved in its activities, ministries, and services.
The safety and wellbeing of children and adults-at-risk is paramount.
Safeguarding Framework
The purpose of the Archdiocesan Safeguarding Framework is to promote a culture of safeguarding within the Archdiocese and reduce the risks of abuse and harm.
The framework applies to all parishes, ministries, and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Brisbane and to all Archdiocesan workers (including clergy, religious, employees and volunteers).
Child & Youth Risk Management Strategy
Download the Child & Youth Risk Management Strategy.
Audits and Reviews
Archdiocese of Brisbane Achieves 96% Compliance in 2025 National Safeguarding Audit
The Archdiocese of Brisbane has achieved a 96 per cent compliance rating against the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS), following a comprehensive independent audit conducted by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL). For the first time, the audit assessed safeguarding practices across the full breadth of Archdiocesan services, including:
- Centacare community and support services
- Catholic Early EdCare early learning and outside school hours care services
- Brisbane Catholic Education schools
- Archdiocesan Ministries
- A sample of 15 parishes
The inclusion of these diverse ministries provided ACSL with the most complete view to date of how safeguarding is embedded across the Archdiocese.
This strong result affirms the Archdiocese’s ongoing commitment to building safe, respectful, and accountable environments for children and vulnerable people across all ministries.
The full ACSL audit report is publicly available here – ACSL Audit Report.
Feedback
The Archdiocese welcomes feedback and comment on its Safeguarding Framework and practices.
Email feedback to: safeguardingaob@bne.catholic.net.au