If you have any concerns about the immediate safety of someone who is vulnerable you should contact the police or your local social services department. Please follow safeguarding good practice guidance (see CSAS procedures).
Please note: by emailing us, you consent to your submitted details being collected, stored and used by the Diocese of Hallam only for the purpose or purposes for which you have provided them to us. Read more in our Privacy and Security Policy.
Marie O’Donnelly - Diocesan Safeguarding Co-ordinator
Contact Marie (standard working pattern Tuesday to Thursday 9am - 3pm) if you need:
- advice about good practice guidance
- advice about the conduct of adult workers or volunteers
- advice about policies and procedures
- advice and support if you have concerns about a child, young person or adult who may be at risk
- help regarding support that can be offered to people hurt by abuse
- to report safeguarding incidents or concerns
By phone on 0114 256 6453, 07909 117964 or by e-mail at [email protected]
For urgent Safeguarding issues, or if you have any worries about a child or adult who may be at risk, please contact the Police or the Social Care unit of your Local Authority.
Fr. Peter D McGuire - Trustee and Clergy Advisor for Safeguarding
Contact Fr Peter if you:
- have any of the above concerns
- have any concerns about any aspect of safeguarding practice in the Diocese
- want further advice about the Catholic perspective on safeguarding
By phone on 01246 432 289 or by e-mail at [email protected]
Jo Pearson - Assistant to the Safeguarding Coordinator
Contact Jo (Monday to Thursday 8.30am - 4.30pm) for:
- all administrative matters
- DBS enquiries
- safe recruitment practices
- to book or request training
By phone on 0114 256 6453 or by e-mail at [email protected]
Bernie Ware - Safeguarding Team Manager Contact [email protected]
Catherine Bailey - Trustee and Chair of Safeguarding Committee Contact [email protected]
Kathleen Walley - Vice Chair of Safeguarding Committee Contact [email protected]
If you have any concerns about any aspect of safeguarding practice in the Diocese or want to raise anything with the Diocese of Hallam Trustees' Safeguarding Committee, you can write to the Safeguarding Committee Chairs via the Hallam Pastoral Centre, St Charles Street, Sheffield, S9 3WU – marking your envelope as private and confidential for the attention of the Safeguarding Sub Committee Chairs.
In October 2019, an independent review of the safeguarding structures and arrangements within the Catholic Church in England and Wales was set in motion. Given the significant changes in the social and political environment since the work done by Lord Nolan in 2001 and by the Cumberlege Commission in 2007, along with the greater numbers involved in safeguarding in the Church, it was felt that such a review was clearly overdue.
The need for change was fuelled by the awareness of those who had suffered due to the failings in existent structures and the desire to prevent future hurt. Case studies showed that even when abuse was known, the Church was slow to address it and, in some instances, ignored it. Repeated failures betrayed the moral purpose of the Church and greatly reduced its credibility and moral standing. Change was clearly needed. The review led by Ian Elliott, sought in particular to listen and learn from those who had experienced abuse ultimately making a series of proposals and recommendations to address these failings and to reshape the safeguarding provision in the Catholic Church going forward. The recommendations of this report, along with those made by the separate Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) were wholly accepted by the Bishops conference in November of 2020.
Central to these recommendations was the replacement of the then existent national safeguarding bodies: the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC) and Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service (CSAS) with three newly constituted entities:
The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency: A new professional standards body with regulatory powers.
A dedicated entity regarding safeguarding for Religious Life Groups, which are more formally defined as Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) covering religious orders and congregations.
A National Tribunal to address the canonical matters connected to clergy discipline and canonical offences, exercising jurisdiction exclusively in the canonical forum but extending to preliminary case evaluation and beyond.
This new model is built on a ‘One Church’ strategy to safeguarding – a commitment across all the dioceses and Religious Life Groups to be One Church when it comes to safeguarding, with all organisations working to a common standards-based approach and transparency and accountability in the fulfilment and upholding of these standards.
The recommendations of the Reviews have laid a clear way forward and the Church is committed to the changes that will ensure that safeguarding in the Catholic Church in England and Wales will be transformed.
The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency seeks to ensure that through this revision and restructuring, real improvement can be achieved.
More info and procedural information can be found at
http://www.catholicsafeguarding.org.uk/
Or by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 0207 901 1920.
Role of the National Commission:
• Sets the strategic direction of the Church’s safeguarding policy and monitors compliance.
• Ensures standards are met and polices are implemented
For more information visit catholicsafeguarding.org.uk.
