Child Safeguarding Statement
Child Safeguarding Statement of the Irish Province of Carmelites
This statement has been prepared to comply with the requirements of the Children First Act 2015 and is derived from Safeguarding Children Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland 2016. The policy of the Catholic church in Ireland is based on standards of practice which contain indicators that assist in reaching these standards. These indicators can be used in assessing and managing risk.
Name and contact details of the service provider
Irish Province of Carmelites
Gort Muire
Ballinteer
Dublin 16
D16 E167
01 298 4014/087 1947212
Statement
As a constituent member of the Catholic Church in Ireland, we recognise and uphold the dignity and rights of all children, are committed to ensuring their safety and well-being and will work in partnership with parents/ guardians to do this. We recognise each child as a gift from God, and we value and encourage the participation of children in all activities that enhance their spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual and social development.
All Church personnel (including clergy, religious, staff and volunteers) have a responsibility to safeguard children through promoting their welfare, health and development in a safe and caring environment that supports their best interests and prevents abuse.
Nature of service and principles to safeguard children from harm
The Irish Province of Carmelites (O.Carm.) as a constituent member of the Catholic Church in Ireland exists to promote the teachings of the Catholic Church. This includes the following ministry with children and young people:
- Attendance by children and young people at Church services and in the preparation for Church services;
- Participation in sacramental preparation;
- Participation by children and young people in various roles within Churches and our Communities including altar servers, choirs, Ministers of the Word, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, catechists in youth programmes, children’s liturgy;
- Participation in youth groups/youth ministries ;
- Participation in retreats and pilgrimages;
(Note this list is not exhaustive)
As outlined in the Safeguarding Children Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland 2016 we are committed to the following principles:
- Mandatory reporting.
Each of us has a duty to notify the statutory authorities of suspicions, concerns, knowledge or allegations that a child is being or has been abused:
- Physically
- Emotionally
- Sexually
- through neglect
Suspicions, concerns, knowledge or allegations may relate to possible abuse by a member of Church personnel, but they can also relate to incidents in the child’s family, or elsewhere in the community.
- Caring for the welfare of all children and the adults who work with them.
Measures to create and maintain environments that are safe for children, that prevent abuse, and that create nurturing, caring conditions within the Church for children and the adults who work with them, will continue to be strengthened and reviewed. This will be done through training support, communications and quality assurance.
- Responding appropriately to child protection suspicions, concerns, knowledge or allegations.
Anyone who brings any suspicion, concern, knowledge or allegation of current or past abuse of a child to the notice of the Church will be responded to sensitively, respectfully, actively and in a timely manner, in line with statutory child protection procedures and Church requirements.
All Church personnel have a responsibility to report suspicions, concerns, knowledge or allegations of child abuse that reach the threshold for reporting to the statutory authorities. The Designated Liaison Person can assist with this process. These reports will be made irrespective of the status of the person (lay, cleric or religious) who is suspected of having been abusive to a child. If the allegation relates to a lay member of Church personnel, in addition to notifying the statutory authorities, the allegation must be reported to the Church authority. If the allegation relates to a cleric or religious, in addition to notifying the statutory authorities, the allegation must also be reported to the Church authority and the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.
All Church personnel will cooperate with the statutory authorities in all cases.
In responding to complaints of child sexual abuse relating to clergy and all those in forms of consecrated life, Church authorities will act in accordance with the requirements of civil law and canon law, and so will respect the rights and uphold the safeguards afforded in these, both to the complainant and respondent.
Risk Assessment
The Risk Assessment Table sets out the identified risks to the safety of children and young people involved in Church activities in the Irish Province of Carmelites (O.Carm) and the steps taken to minimise the risks of abuse.
Risk Assessment (Risks identified for each parish/religious community)
Alongside the risks listed in the table above, all parishes/religious communities of the Irish Province of Carmelites individually risk assess their activities with children and put in place procedures to manage these risks.|
Risk Identified |
Procedure in place to manage risk identified |
| Local activity with children is risk assessed in each location in which the activity takes place as a part of Indicator 1.8 of Safeguarding Children Policy and Standards for the Catholic church in Ireland 2016 | For full details of localised risks and the procedures in place to manage these please refer to the hazard assessments stored at www.carmelites.ie |
Procedures
All procedures outlined in the risk assessment above are available at www.carmelites.ie. The procedures listed above include the following:
- Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against workers/volunteers of a child availing of our service. This is part of Indicator 2.1 which is available from carmelites.ie
- Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of workers and volunteers to work with children. This is part of Indicator 1.1 available from carmelites.ie
- Procedure for provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm. This is part of Indicators 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4 available at: carmelites.ie
- Procedure for the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla. This is part of Indicator 2.1 which is available at: carmelite.ie
- Procedure for maintaining a list of the persons (if any) in the relevant service who are mandated persons. This is part of Indicator 2.1 which is available from: carmelites.ie
- Procedure for appointing a relevant person. This is part of Indicators 1.1 and 6.1 which is available from: carmelites.ie
Implementation
The Irish Province of Carmelites (O.Carm) is committed to safeguarding children through the implementation of Safeguarding Children Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland 2016. This Child Safeguarding Statement and our practice supports our desire to keep children safe from harm while in our ministries. As part of our annual audit against the relevant indicators of the child safeguarding standards, we will review the effectiveness of our practice as outlined in this statement and will revise, as appropriate.
Signed:
Michael Troy, O.Carm., Prior Provincial.
Date:
15th February 2022
For any queries relating to this statement please contact the Relevant Person under the Children First Act 2015:
Julie McCullough, Director of Safeguarding/DLP.
Telephone: (01) 2984014/ 087 1947212
E-mail: DLP@gortmuire.com
Carmelite Order, Gort Muire, Ballinteer, Dublin 16, D16 E167
Review date: February 2024
