Child Protection

A new Child Protection policy for the Diocese of Cork & Ross was published in Jan 2008.

It can be downloaded (it's a 164k PDF document) and read by clicking here.
Its purpose is to put procedures in place in every parish which will ensure the safeguarding and protection of children and young people who may be involved in Church-related activities.
In a letter read in all parishes in the Diocese on December 1st and 2nd, 2007, Bishop Buckley spoke of the family as the basic unit of our society and of childrens’ central role in it. The Gospel speaks of the concern that Jesus had for children, rebuking the disciples for keeping them away from him: “Let the children come to me; do not stop them”.
Each parish will, in the near future, appoint one or two Parish Representatives, who will be responsible for ensuring that all information about procedures for the safety of children is available in each parish. The Parish Representative will assist in drafting a parish policy and in putting structures in place for its implementation. The role of the parish representative is explained in a leaflet which can be downloaded here.
The first step towards appointing Parish Representatives involved three meetings with clergy which took place around the Diocese in November 2007, at which the detail of this plan was explained. From January 2008, the parishes will appoint Child Protection Representatives who will then be trained. A schedule for 2008 has been drawn up by the Training Coordinators, which will ensure that all parishes in Cork and Ross will have Parish Representatives trained and in place by the end of 2008. This will be done with one group of parishes (the parishes have been grouped into six groups).
Two Training Cooordinators, Mr. Ciarán Boland and Ms. Bernie O’Callaghan, will undertake this work. They are members of the Diocesan Child Protection Committee, which also includes: Fr. Tom Deenihan, Mr. Jim Hayes, Ms. Marion Healy, Fr. Liam O’Driscoll, Fr. Ted O’Sullivan, Mr. Seán Redmond and Ms. Una Webster.

Concerns
If anyone has a child protection concern or wishes to report an allegation directly to the statutory authorities, i.e. the local Health or Social Services (the Duty Social Worker) and the Garda Síochána, the contacts are:
Health Services Executive – South, Community Care,
Abbeycourt House, Georges Quay, Cork.
Tel. (021) 4965511 (North Lee) & (021) 4923814 (South Lee).
An Gárda Síochána, Anglesea Stree, Cork.Tel. (021) 4522000.
To report a concern or an allegation in relation to any member of Church personnel directly to Church authorities, please contact the person delegated by the diocese:

Director of Child Protection:
Fr. Liam O'Driscoll
Address: Diocesan Director of Child Protection, Cork & Ross Offices, Redemption Road, Cork.
Phone: Tel: 021-4301717 (Office) 021-4342728 (home)
Email: liam.odriscoll@corkandross.org

Related resources

Our Children, Our Church
Child Protection Policies and Procedures for the Catholic Church in Ireland published in December 2005.

Irish Bishops' Pastoral Letter for Lent 2005: "A Time for Healing"
Deals with the Church's response to Child Sexual Abuse.

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