The Prior Provincial is responsible for all safeguarding practices by:

• Ensuring that the appropriate child safeguarding structures and personnel are in place, and adequate resources are available to support these structures.
• Appointing a Safeguarding Committee.
• Ensuring that the Carmelite Safeguarding Statement, policies, procedures and practices are in place to safeguard children and that all concerns and allegations are responded to, and reported promptly to the statutory authorities.
• Ensuring compliance with canon and civil law and Children First National Guidance.
• Upholding the NBSCCCI seven standards in practice and behaviour, thereby creating and maintaining safe environments for children.
• Liaising with the Holy See through the Prior General, as appropriate.

The Provincial has overall responsibility for ensuring that there are adequate structures in place in the Carmelite Order to ensure that all children who participate in church activities are kept safe from harm. The following safeguarding structures are in place:

This Office is staffed by the Director of Safeguarding/Designated Liaison Person (DLP). The role of the Director/DLP is to promote and co-ordinate all child safeguarding practices by:

• Directing and implementing the Child Safeguarding Statement and associated safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Liaising with and supporting Carmelite friars and communities to ensure implementation of local policies and procedures.
• Liaising with the Child Safeguarding Committee and the Advisory Panel.
• Reporting directly to the Provincial on all child safeguarding practice and issues.
• Supporting and advising all church personnel who have child safeguarding concerns.
• Responding to and reporting all safeguarding concerns to the statutory authorities.
• Ensuring reporting procedures are followed promptly and correctly.
• Acting as a liaison person with other agencies in relation to safeguarding matters.
• Managing cases, including recording and maintenance of files.
• Providing care and support to complainants.
• Providing care and management of respondents.
• Notifying the NBSCCCI of concerns/allegations made against anonymised members of the Order.

This Committee is composed of lay and religious personnel, who have been selected on the basis of their child safeguarding knowledge and experience of canon and civil law. The Committee provides independent, expert advice on the management of cases and promotes safeguarding by:

• Advising the Provincial on the management of suspected and confirmed safeguarding concerns and allegations made against members of the Carmelite Order.
• Keeping a record of the advice and recommendations made by the Committee to the Provincial.
• Upholding the NBSCCCI seven standards in practice and behaviour.

This Committee is composed of lay and religious personnel, who have been selected for their knowledge and experience of the Carmelite Order, communities and members, policy and procedure development and implementation and practical work with children and young people, staff and volunteers. Through their broad range of experience and knowledge, they provide advice on the creation and maintenance of a safe environment for children throughout the Carmelite communities.

The role of this Committee is to promote child safeguarding by:

• Developing a 3-year child safeguarding plan, including the establishment of a Child Safeguarding Statement and associated safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Ensuring a communication plan is in place and being implemented.
• Overseeing the coordination of activities related to child safeguarding, for example, training, recruitment and selection, codes of behaviour, policy and procedure development and implementation.
• Ensuring the annual audit is completed for each of the Carmelite communities.
• Ensuring the development of a training needs analysis, and delivery of training in accordance with the training plan across the Order.
• Supporting the development of a bi-annual safeguarding newsletter.
• Ensuring, with the Provincial, that the appropriate child safeguarding personnel are in place.
• Upholding the NBSCCCI seven standards in practice and behaviour.

The role of the Prior is to promote safeguarding within their community by:

• Raising awareness and promoting best practice in relation to child safeguarding.
• Ensuring all church personnel are recruited and inducted in line with Carmelite recruitment and selection procedures.
• Ensuring all church personnel adhere to the code of behaviour and child safeguarding policies and procedures of the Order.
• Ensuring church activities are provided in a way that guarantees the safety and well-being of the children involved.
• Ensuring that the contact details of the DLP, An Garda Síochána and Tusla are widely publicised.
• Completing the annual audit for their community in conjunction with safeguarding personnel.
• Upholding the NBSCCCI seven standards in practice and behaviour.

Within the Carmelite Order, mandated persons include all members of the Order, the DLP, nursing staff and physiotherapists (Schedule 2 of the Children First Act 2015 lists persons classified as  mandated persons). Under Children First Act 2015 mandated persons have a statutory obligation to:

• Report concerns which reach or exceed a legally defined threshold.
• Cooperate with Tusla in the assessment of mandated reports.