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See below index of guidance by topic and then click relevant topic from the list on the right hand side of the screen, to view all relevant pieces of guidance associated with this topic. You can use your mouse pointer to hover over each topic to get more information on the guidance contained within each topic, before clicking.

Viewing the guidance this way will show you just individual guidance pieces without hyperlinks or tables of contents.

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REPORTING CONCERNS

R7.A Guidance on Appropriate Personnel – Advisor

R7.B Guidance on Support to the Family Members of Respondents

R8.B Guidance on the Risk Assessment for Cleric and Religious to Produce an Interim Management Plan

R8.C Guidance on Regular Liaison with Statutory Authorities

R8.D Guidance on Leave from Sacred Ministry

R8.E Guidance for Respondents on Access to Records Held by a Church Body

R9.A Guidance on the Process for Clerics Following the Conclusion of Any Investigation by the Statutory Authorities

R9.B Guidance on penal processes as outlined in the Vademecum on Certain Points of Procedure in Treating Cases of Sexual Abuse of Minors Committed by Clerics

R9.C Guidance on the Process for Non-Ordained Religious, Following the Conclusion of Any Investigation by the Statutory Authorities

R10.A Guidance when Preliminary Investigation Finds there is no Case to Answer or that the Allegation is Manifestly False or Frivolous (Return to Ministry)

R11.A Guidance when Preliminary Investigation Finds there is a Case to Answer and that the Allegation is Non Manifestly False or Frivolous Against a Cleric

R11.B Guidance on Monitoring of Clerics and Non-Ordained Religious Following the Conclusion of the Canonical Investigation

R11.C Guidance on Clinical Risk Assessments

R11.D Guidance on Monitoring Clerics and Non Ordained Religious at the Request of Another Church Authority

R1.A Guidance on Reporting Suspicions, Concerns, Knowledge or Allegations of Abuse

R1.B Guidance on Responding to Allegations, Suspicions, Concerns and Knowledge of Abuse in Specific Situations

R1.C Guidance on Protection for Persons Submitting a Report

R1.D Guidance on Reporting Allegations Against Deceased Clerics and Religious

R2. Guidance on Appropriate Personnel-Support Person

ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH AUDITS

L2.A Guidance on Ensuring Compliance with the Safeguarding Standards at Local Level

L2.B Guidance on Compliance Visits by the Church Authority

L2.D Guidance on the Annual Report Made by DLP to the Church Authority (If managing cases)

L4.A Guidance on Carrying out a Training Needs Analysis

CREATING SAFE ENVIRONMENTS

S1.B Guidance on Vetting

S2.B Guidance on the Delivery of Basic Safeguarding Awareness

S2.C Guidance on Raising Awareness of Child Safeguarding with Children and their Parents/Guardians in the Church

S3.A Guidance on Codes of Behaviour for Adults

S3.B Guidance on Creating a Code of Behaviour with Children

S3.C Guidance on Dealing with Breaches of Codes of Behaviour for Children and Adults

S3.D Guidance on Anti-Bullying

S5.A Guidance on Risk Assessment of Activities with Children

S5.E Guidance on Dealing with Accidents

S5.F Guidance on Trips Away with Young People

S7.B Guidance on Conducting Ministry with Children Using Digital Media

S7.A Guidance on Use of Technology

S7.D Guidance on Use of Photography

S7.E Guidance on Use of CCTV and Webcams

S8.A Guidance on the Participation of Children with Specific Needs

CLERICS AND RELIGIOUS MINISTERING IN EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS

S6.G Guidance on Visiting Clergy, Religious, Lay Ecclesial Ministers, Seminarians and Visits to Shrines

S6.F Guidance on Ensuring All Clerics/Religious, who are Members of the Church Body and are Ministering with Children in an External Organisation/Church Body, Agree to Follow Effective Safeguarding Practice

USE OF CHURCH PROPERTY BY EXTERNAL GROUPS

S6.C Guidance on Safeguarding Support for Associations of the Faithful

S6.A Guidance on External Groups who Use Church Property

S6.B Guidance on Requests by Individuals for Use of Church Property for One Off Private Functions

LAY ASSOCIATIONS

S6.C Guidance on Safeguarding Support for Associations of the Faithful

CASE MANAGEMENT PROCESS

R3.A Guidance on Case Management Records

R3.B Guidance on Information Sharing

R3.D Guidance on Hospitalisation of Clerics or Religious against whom there is a Case to Answer

R4.A Guidance on a Pastoral Response to Complainants

R4.C Guidance on Responding to a Complainant who is Dissatisfied with how their Allegation has been Handled by the Church Authority

R2. Guidance on Appropriate Personnel/Support Person

R1.B Guidance on Responding to Allegations, Suspicions, Concerns and Knowledge of Abuse in Specific Situations

R7.A Guidance on Appropriate Personnel/Advisor

R8.C Guidance on Regular Liaison with Statutory Authorities

R7.B Guidance on Support to the Family Members of Respondents

R5.B Guidance on Regular and Accessible Communication and Participation Involving the Views of the Complainant in Consideration of their Needs

R8.D Guidance on Leave from Sacred Ministry

R8.B Guidance on the Risk Assessment for Cleric and Religious to Produce an Interim Management Plan

R11.B Guidance on Monitoring of Clerics and Non-Ordained Religious Following the Conclusion of the Canonical Investigation

R9.A Guidance on the Process for Clerics Following the Conclusion of Any Investigation by the Statutory Authorities

R9.B Guidance on penal processes as outlined in the Vademecum on Certain Points of Procedure in Treating Cases of Sexual Abuse of Minors Committed by Clerics

R9.C Guidance on the Process for Non-Ordained Religious, Following Conclusion of Any Investigation by the Statutory Authorities

R10.A Guidance on when Preliminary Investigation Finds there is no Case to Answer or that the Allegation is Manifestly False or Frivolous (Return to Ministry)

R11.A Guidance When Preliminary Investigation Finds there is a Case to Answer and that the Allegation is Non Manifestly False or Frivolous Against a Cleric

R11.B Guidance on Monitoring of Clerics and Non-Ordained Religious Following the Conclusion of the Canonical Investigation

R11.C Guidance on Clinical Risk Assessments

R11.D Guidance on Monitoring Clerics and Non-Ordained Religious at the Request of Another Church Authority

SUPPORTING AND MANAGING RESPONDENTS

R7.A Guidance on Appropriate Personnel/Advisor

R7.B Guidance on Support to the Family Members of Respondents

R8.B Guidance on the Risk Assessment for Cleric and Religious to Produce an Interim Management Plan

R8.A Guidance on Informing the Respondent (Cleric and Religious) that an Allegation has been Received, and Consideration of an Interim Management Plan

R8.D Guidance on Leave from Sacred Ministry

R8.E Guidance for Respondents on Access to Records Held by a Church Body

R9.A Guidance on the Process for Clerics Following the Conclusion of Any Investigation by the Statutory Authorities

R9.B Guidance on Penal Processes as Outlined in the Vademecum on Certain Points of Procedure in Treating Cases of Sexual Abuse of Minors Committed by Clerics

R9.C Guidance on the Process for Non-Ordained Religious, Following the Conclusion of Any Investigation by the Statutory Authorities

R10.A Guidance When Preliminary Investigation Finds there is no Case to Answer or that the Allegation is Manifestly False or Frivolous (Return to Ministry)

R11.A Guidance When Preliminary Finds there is a Case to Answer and that the Allegation is Non Manifestly False or Frivolous Against a Cleric

R11.B Guidance on Monitoring of Clerics and Non-Ordained Religious Following the Conclusion of the Canonical Investigation

R11.D Guidance on Monitoring Clerics and Non-Ordained Religious at the Request of Another Church Authority

SUPPORT FOR COMPLAINANTS

R2. Guidance on Appropriate Personnel/Support Person

R4.A Guidance on a Pastoral Response to Complainants

R4.C Guidance on Responding to a Complainant who is Dissatisfied with how their Allegation has been Handled by the Church Authority

R5.A Guidance for Complainants on Access to Records Held by a Church Body

R5.B Guidance on Regular and Accessible Communication and Participation Involving the Views of the Complainant in Consideration of their Needs

R6. Guidance on Reparation for the Harm Caused to the Complainant

TUSLA CHILD SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT AND CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICY STATEMENT

Policy Statement

Tusla approved Child Safeguarding Statement sample

RECRUITMENT AND VETTING

S1.B Guidance on Vetting

S1.A Guidance on Safe Recruitment Procedures

S4.A Guidance on Support and Supervision

S2.A Guidance on an Induction Process for All involved in the Church

CREATING AN INTERNATION CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICY

July 2024: Template S10: Example International Child Safeguarding Policy

CREATING A 3 YEAR CHILD SAFEGUARDING PLAN

L2.E Guidance on Developing a Three-Year Child Safeguarding Plan

COMMUNICATION

L1.A Guidance on Developing a Communications Plan

L1.B Guidance on Creating User Friendly Versions of the Child Safeguarding Policy

L1.D Guidance on Ensuring that Information Regarding the Church’s Child Safeguarding Message is Accessible

L1.C Guidance on Creating a Child Safeguarding Newsletter

L1.E Guidance on Supports to Parishes and Others Affected When a Priest has Taken Leave from Sacred Ministry

CONDUCTING A RISK/HAZARD ASSESSMENT

S5.A Guidance on Risk Assessment of Activities with Children

S5.C Guidance on Maintaining Adequate Supervision Ratios

VISITING PRIESTS/RELIGIOUS

S6.G Guidance on Visiting Clergy, Religious, Lay Ecclesial Ministers, Seminarians and Visits to Shrines

TRIPS AWAY FROM HOME WITH CHILDREN

S5.A Guidance on Risk Assessment of Activities with Children

S5.F Guidance on Trips Away with Young People

Reporting concernsThis topic contains all information relating to different sources of where a suspicion, concern, knowledge or allegation can arise and how to deal with them. Some examples of the guidance contained here include: guidance on abuse through child pornography, responding to an adult that has been abused, responding to a child that has been abuse.

Ensuring Compliance and AuditsThis topic contains information in relation to ensuring the safeguarding standards are lived out in practice. Some examples of the guidance contained here include: guidance on compliance visits by the Church authority, guidance on local safeguarding audits, guidance on annual report made by the DLP to the Church authority on cases.

Creating Safe EnvironmentsThis topic contains information relating to creating and maintaining safe environments. Some examples of the guidance contained here include: guidance on supervision ratios, guidance on whistleblowing, guidance on complaints, guidance on safe recruitment. Clerics and Religious ministering in external organisations- this topic contains information relating to the governance of those clerics and religious who minister with children outside of their parish or community.

Clerics and Religious ministering in external organisationsthis topic contains information relating to the governance of those clerics and religious who minister with children outside of their parish or community.

Use of Church Property by external Groups this topic contains information in relation to other groups who are not under the authority of the Church body who use Church property to minister with children. Some examples of the guidance contained here includes: guidance on lay apostolates, guidance on facilitating community service orders on Church property, guidance on groups who use Church property.

Lay associationsThis topic contains all information relating to child safeguarding in associations which are associated with the Catholic Church in Ireland but are not a diocese or religious order.

Case Management processthis topic contains information in relation to the case management process when an allegation is reported and how it is managed throughout the civil and canonical processes. Some examples of the guidance contained here includes: guidance on reporting the allegation, guidance leave from ministry, guidance on information sharing, guidance on risk management.

Supporting and Managing respondentsthis topic contains information in relation to the support and management of those that have been accused of abuse. Some examples of the guidance contained here includes: guidance on the role of the advisor, guidance on informing the respondent that and allegation has been received, guidance on information sharing.

Support for Complainants this topic contains information in relation to support and care for those that have suffered abuse. Some examples of the guidance contain here includes: guidance on information sharing, guidance on a pastoral response, guidance on the role of the support person.

Tusla Child Safeguarding Statement and Child Safeguarding Policy Statementthis topic contains information in relation to the production of a Tusla Child Safeguarding Statement for those that minister with children in the Republic of Ireland. The guidance contained here relates to local risk assessment and a template Tusla Child Safeguarding Statement.

Recruitment and Vettingthis topic contains information in relation to the vetting requirements in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.

Creating an international child safeguarding policythis topic contains guidance to assist those Irish religious orders and congregations who have ministries overseas to take practice from Ireland and apply it in other settings where appropriate.

Creating a 3 year child safeguarding plan this topic contains guidance to assist Child Safeguarding Committees to develop a three year plan for safeguarding.

Communicationthis topic contains guidance to assist Child Safeguarding Committees to develop a communications plan.

Conducting a risk/hazard assessmentthis topic is for those who are ministering with children and assists them in risk assessing their ministry to ensure child safeguarding risks are identified and managed

Visiting priests/religious this topic contains information in relation to managing priests and religious who seek to minister on a short or long term basis. Some examples of the guidance contained within this topic includes: guidance on visiting clergy, guidance on lay ecclesial ministers, guidance on retired clerics who have no Church authority in Ireland.

Trips away from home with childrenthis topic contains information that is needed for those involved in children’s ministry who are considering taking children on overnight stays or trips away from home.

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