The National Office Team, NCMC, Independent Reviewers and Tutors

CEO

Aidan Gordon - CEO

Aidan is a qualified Social Worker with over 30 years’ experience in safeguarding practice and management. He is a former Assistant Director of the Western Health and Social Care Trust and from 2015 until 2024 was the Director of Safeguarding in the Archdiocese of Armagh.

Director of Training and Support

Lyn McDermott

Director of Training and Support

lyn.mcdermott@safeguarding.ie

Ms. Carolyn McDermott: Director of Training and Support – Lyn has worked in the social care field since qualifying as a social care practitioner in 1992. Lyn has worked within the disability and mental health sectors in frontline, supervisory and management roles. Having worked for many years ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements within the Health and Social care area, in 2018 she moved part-time into a trainer role teaching Safety Interventions, a trauma informed, crisis prevention training to support staff who need to prevent or intervene in crisis situations . Due to a keen interest in development initiatives to enhance skills and knowledge Lyn moved to run a training department supporting a work force of 2500 staff in 2021. She has experience in identifying training needs, designing training programs, utilizing programme management tools and learning management systems.

Office administrators

Imelda Ashe-Company Secretary

imeldaashe@safeguarding.ie

Imelda has been an Administrator with the National Board since 2010. Before that, she worked in various agencies/initiatives of the Irish Bishops' Conference.

Ann Cunningham

acunningham@safeguarding.ie

Ann Cunningham commenced work with the National Board in 2019 as an Administrator having previously worked in the Catholic Education department of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference for 10 years.

Data Protection Officer-

The Role of the Data Protection is to be responsible for overseeing and implementing the data protection strategy of the National Board to ensure compliance with the GDPR’s requirements. The Data Protection Officer’s responsibilities include:

Training organisation employees on GDPR compliance requirements
Conducting regular assessments and audits to ensure GDPR compliance
Serving as the point of contact between the National Board and the relevant Data Protection authorities
Maintaining records of all data processing activities conducted by the company
Responding to data subjects to inform them about how their personal data is being used and what measures the company has put in place to protect their data
Ensuring that data subjects’ requests to see copies of their personal data or to have their person data erased are fulfilled or responded to, as necessary.

You can contact the DPO for the National Board on dpo@safeguarding.ie.

NCMC (National Case Management Committee)

The NCMC exists as a function of National Board and is chaired and administered by staff from the National Office. Membership of the panel consists of:

Iarfhlaith O’Neill ( Chair ) Former High Court Judge.

Aidan Gordon (CEO National Board) - formerly Assistant Director of the Western Health and Social Care Trust and Director of Safeguarding in the Archdiocese of Armagh.

Fr Michael Mullaney - Canon Lawyer.

Fr Brendan O’Rourke - Therapist with respondents.

Anne Confrey– Civil Lawyer – formerly worked with Mason Hayes and Curran.

Peter Kieran – Ex HSE senior child care manager, experience from the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore panel in risk assessment and management.

Sr. Helen O Riordan – Loreto Sister and formerly from the Diocese of Ferns with extensive experience in working with survivors of abuse and pastoral support for victims.

Sr. Colette Stevenson – Board member and Former Director of Safeguarding with the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Miriam Tallon- Retired probation officer.

Independent Reviewers

The National Board has a small pool of independent reviewers who have a background in social work, guardian ad litem, policing or affiliated profession. All personnel have experience in child safeguarding and in conducting assessments of practice. These people do not work for the National Board in any other capacity and do not have a relationship with the Church authority under review.

Tutors

Role of the Tutor

The tutor’s role is to:

Carry out assessments of trainers to ensure they are able to deliver the National Board training effectively and to the required standards.
To support trainers in their ecclesiastical area by carrying out 2 support meetings a year.
Attend 2 meetings a year with the Director of Training and Support in the National Board to assist with coordination of trainers and the development of new resources for training.
Assist the Director of Training and Support to coordinate the sharing of trainers across dioceses and religious orders within the ecclesiastical area (when and if required).

Contact Details

ARMAGH ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE

Eleanor Kelly

Email: ekelly@archdioceseofarmagh.com

Caroline Brogan

Email: carolinebrogan@virginmedia.com

DUBLIN ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCIAL AREA

Julie McCullough

Julie is a graduate of Queens’ University, Belfast and the University of Edinburgh. She is the DLP/Director of Safeguarding for the Irish Province of Carmelites and the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers). She has delivered NBSCCCI Safeguarding Training since 2014. Prior to that she delivered safeguarding training in a medical setting.

Email: DLP@gortmuire.com

Fr.Paddy Boyle
Paddy is a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin, with a background in education, teaching at primary and secondary levels. He has spent ten years as coordinator of training for the Dublin Archdiocese, which included becoming a registered trainer with the National Board and tutor. At present he is co-Parish Priest of Ayrfield and Donaghmede parishes in the Raheny area of Dublin.
Email: p.boyle@dublindiocese.ie

Garry Kehoe

Garry has been a safeguarding trainer for the Archdiocese of Dublin since 2007. I 2015 he took up the role of Training & Development Coordinator for the Dublin Diocesan Child Safeguarding & Protection Service, and in 2021 was appointed Training & Compliance Manager for the Archdiocese. Garry is responsible for rolling out training to the 196 parishes in the diocese and is ably assisted by eight accredited trainers.

Email: garry.kehoe@dublindiocese.ie

CASHEL ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCIAL AREA

Avril Halley

Avril has worked in the Diocese of Waterford & Lismore since 2007 as a Registered Trainer and Safeguarding Children Coordinator, also as a tutor with the National Board for a number of years. Avril and her husband are the proud parents of 4 adult children, and grand parents to 7 gorgeous grandchildren

Email: avrilhalley@gmail.com

TUAM ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCIAL AREA

Kevin Duffy

Email: kduffy@galwaydiocese.ie