Child Safety Sunday 2018

St Peter’s Church Child Safety Sunday 2018

Introduction

We want to continue to build and maintain a safe environment for groups here in St Peter’s and so everyone who ministers in the parish must be trained in Safeguarding Policies and Procedures, must commit to uphold these policies and procedures, be vetted by the Gardai before becoming actively involved with the children and/or the vulnerable adults of the parish and must be regularly vetted if he or she wishes to continue to be actively involved with such groups in the parish. 

Measures Taken

So far in the parish this year

• We have facilitated new volunteers to attend Child Safeguarding training provided by the Office for Child Safeguarding of the Archdiocese of Dublin
• We have facilitated those who have already been vetted by An Garda Siochana a number of years ago, to be vetted again
• We have reviewed and will continue to review all existing documentation and records of training already attended/undertaken. We do this so as to generate an inventory of the current child safeguarding training needs of all who work here in St Peter’s and of documentation in relation to Child Safeguarding that needs to be updated (e.g. Garda vetting etc.) so as to ensure that the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults continues to remain at the heart of all we do here in St Peter’s
• In December 2017 the Government introduced certain changes in legislation in accordance with the Children First Act and provided a “Guidance” to help organisations and agencies to implement those changes in their policies and practices
• In April of 2018 The Archdiocese of Dublin published its new Child Safeguarding Policy and procedures
• Both State legislation and church policy require that St Peter’s Parish like every other parish in the Archdiocese prepares and make available to the public a Child Safeguarding Statement. This statement was prepared and is now available through the parish office and on the website
• In line with State and Church requirements we have appointed a “relevant person” in the parish office who will make the Child Safeguarding Statement available to any one of you who wish to see it
• Personnel involved in Safe-guarding in St Peter’s have completed a 90 minute web training programme in Child Safeguarding provided by Tusla: The Child and Family agency.
• We have made available in three languages contact details for the appropriate Agencies in the event that any one of you have any concern about the safety and well-being of a child, a young person or a vulnerable adult

Current Practice

We continue to review and update our Child safeguarding policies so that:

• Anyone who now wants to volunteer here is St Peter’s must now complete an application form: Submit the names of referees: Agree to be Garda vetted and when his/her vetting process is completed, to attend training in the policies, procedures and practices in operation here in St Peter’s which of course includes training in safeguarding
• All the priests who serve here in the parish and those who come here to live are also vetted by An Garda Siochana before they can engage in any ministry
• All other groups using the facilities of this parish are also required to show evidence that they too have up-to-date safeguarding policies and procedures and that, all their volunteers are Garda vetted at regular intervals

Audits & Committees

To ensure that we operate from a “best practice” perspective in relation to Safeguarding, as a parish we are subject to audits of our policies, procedures and practices by the Office for Safeguarding in the Archdiocese and from the Vincentian community.  To prepare properly for such audits we, in St Peter’s Parish have set up a “local safeguarding committee” which meets periodically to review practice and to ensure that all our practice in ministry meets the standards set for us in the matter of safeguarding

Children at the centre

The measures that we put in place in this parish to date to keep children and vulnerable adults safe are the following:

• Adopting a child centred approach, which involves valuing children and demonstrating our respect for them
• Obtaining the consent of parents for the involvement of their children in parish activities
• Choosing carefully those who work with children and vulnerable adults in our parish
• Ensuring parish workers and volunteers behave appropriately towards children and vulnerable adults
• Making proper arrangements for activities involving children, including ensuring adequate adult supervision of such activities
• Keeping good records of parish activities involving children
• Ensuring that these records are kept safely and securely

My colleagues and I can be contacted through the parish office if anyone wishes to find out more or would like advice and information about a safeguarding matter.

Reporting concerns

Anyone who has a concern for the safety or welfare of a child or vulnerable adult should contact the Diocesan Child Safeguarding and Protection Service.  You can also take such concerns directly to the civil authorities:

• Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, if the concern relates to a child
• HSE, if the concern relates to a vulnerable adult, or
• An Garda Siochana, in an emergency

Contact details are on the notice in the church porch.

Experiencing Change

We know from sad and bitter experience that the Church in Dublin has not always been a safe place for children.  If we want the future to be different from the past, we have to accept that changes have to be made.  Change is not easy and we acknowledge that it has been hard for some to accept the need for Garda vetting of parish volunteers, especially for those who have occupied positions in the parish for many years. We are very grateful for the continued co-operation of our parish personnel and our volunteers in this matter.

Conclusion

In conclusion may I say how very grateful we are for the trust parents and guardians of young people and vulnerable adults place in us here in St Peter’s.  We are also aware of the responsibilities that flow from such trust: May I ask you for your prayers for my colleagues and I so that we discharge our responsibilities in this matter with humility and a wisdom that only God can give.

Terry Kelleher – Child Safeguarding Representative
Ann Marie Kiernan   Assistant Child Safeguarding Representative