NBSCCC ‘Standards and Guidance’ (2009)
Introduction
Download – Standards and Guidance Document in Full
The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church was established in 2006 to provide advice on best practice in safeguarding children and to monitor the implementation of safeguarding policy in the Church across both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.
Over recent years there has been an increasing recognition of the existence of child abuse and growing acceptance of the potential risks to children from others working in positions of trust. Greater attention, therefore, has been paid to how Church organisations ensure that the children with whom they are in contact are kept safe from harm. As a result, a range of policies and procedures have been developed, often by individual diocese, religious congregations or Church organisations. However, many parts of the Church are still unsure of how to build protection measures into their work. Even those that have taken steps to address this are discovering the real challenges of making their work ‘child safe’. There is a need for practical guidance, tools and support materials to assist them in overcoming a host of challenges that confront them in tackling the safeguarding and protection of children.
Church organisations need to develop a common understanding of how to safeguard children, develop good practice across the diverse and complex areas in which they operate and increase accountability in this crucial aspect of their work. The standards contained in this document are designed to help Church organisations keep children safe.
Who are the Standards for?
The Standards should be used by all Church organisations (e.g. diocese, parishes, religious, institutions, seminaries) and personnel (e.g. clergy, religious, lay employees or volunteers). They have been designed recognising the differences in legislation and protection systems that exist in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and some of the particular issues that arise in relation to missionaries who work overseas. Therefore, those using these Standards will need to think creatively about how to apply them in the contexts in which they are operating. If necessary, assistance should be sought from the National Office for Safeguarding Children.
Why use Standards?
The Standards described in this guidance document represent the expected level of performance that all parts of the Church should reach. Meeting the Standards will protect: children – by ensuring they are in a good safe environment and minimising risk of abuse to them if allegations and suspicions of further abuse do arise
• Church personnel – by clarifying how they are expected to behave with children and what to do if there are allegations and suspicions about the safety of a child
• the integrity of the Church and its missions – by making clear its commitment to keeping children safe and by modelling best practice.
Founding principles
All children have a fundamental right to be respected, nurtured, cared for and protected. This right is embedded in Gospel values, best practice guidelines and international and domestic laws.
In the light of the teaching of the Church, civil legislation and guidance, every part of the Church must be committed to taking the necessary steps to:
• demonstrate that the right of the child to protection from harm is paramount
• cherish and safeguard children and young people
• foster best practice
• demonstrate accountability through establishing effective structures
• support Church organisations and personnel in safeguarding children
• establish safe recruitment and vetting practices – aimed at preventing those who pose a risk
to children from holding positions of trust
• maintain codes of behaviour – having clear guidelines that set out what is and is not
acceptable behaviour as an essential part of keeping children safe
• operate safe activities for children – helping ensure they can play and learn in a safe environment.