Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ______
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HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ___________________________________________________________________________ Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland Volume 1 Dioceses Report July 2012 HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ______________________________________________________________________________ HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ___________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Part One Foreword 4 Acknowledgements 6 1. Background 8 2. State Guidance and Legislation and Church Guidance 20 Part Two 3. Executive Summary & Summary of Findings 35 4. Methodology 50 5. Audit Findings By Diocese 62 Anchory 63 Ardagh & Clonmacnoise 68 Armagh 75 Cashel & Emly 82 Clogher 90 Clonfert 100 Cloyne 108 Cork & Ross 116 Derry 126 Dublin 132 Elphin 143 Ferns 150 Galway 159 Kerry 167 Kildare & Leighlin 177 Killala 183 Killaloe 189 Kilmore 195 Limerick 203 Meath 210 Ossory 218 Raphoe 226 Tuam 235 2 HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ___________________________________________________________________________ Waterford & Lismore 244 6. Recommendations 254 7. Appendices 257 1. Letter from Minister for Children, Brian Lenihan T.D. to HSE, October 2005. 2. Letter from HSE to Catholic Bishops, November 2005. 3. Letter from Minister for Children, Brian Lenihan T.D. to HSE, November 2005. 4. Audit Questionnaire Appendix A. 5. Letter from HSE to Minister for Children, June 2006. 6. Letter from HSE to Minister for Children, October 2006. 7. Letter from HSE to Catholic Bishops, December 2006. 8. Letter from HSE to Minister for Children, May 2007. 9. Letter from HSE to Catholic Bishops, June 2007. 10. Letter (2) from HSE to Catholic Bishops, June 2007. 11. Letter from OMCYA to HSE, November 2007. 12. Letter from HSE to OMCYA, November 2007. 13. Letter from OMCYA to HSE, December 2007. 14. HSE Audit Report, December 2008. 15. Audit Questionnaire Section 5. 16. Letter from HSE to Catholic Bishops, July 2009. 17. Correspondence from HSE to OMCYA, November 2009. 18. Correspondence from OMCYA to HSE, December 2009. 19. Letter from HSE to Catholic Bishops, December 2009. 20. Section 5 verification document. 21. Safeguarding standards and criteria. 22. Letter from HSE to Catholic Bishops, December 2011. 23. Standards Compliance Update Questionnaire, December 2011. 24. Bibliography. 25. Map of dioceses. 26. Glossary. 3 HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ___________________________________________________________________________ FOREWORD The sexual abuse of a child by a trusted adult is a traumatic event for the child and can have catastrophic effects on the life experiences and life chances of the child as he or she progresses into adulthood. This is now widely understood and accepted. What is less clearly understood is the impact that the disclosure of abuse has on the organisation to which the adult belongs. In many cases there is shock and disbelief; an unwillingness to accept the facts, leading in turn to inertia of action and subsequent mismanagement of the situation. It was concerns in relation to possible mismanagement of disclosures of abuse that led to the Government asking the Health Service Executive to conduct an audit of the arrangements for safeguarding children in the Catholic Church in Ireland. The Audit process has been protracted and a number of obstacles, which are detailed within this report, had to be overcome a comprehensive report on the overall state of safeguarding children within the Church Dioceses could be produced. The delay has not been without its benefits in that in making assessment of the safeguarding arrangements we can now the Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland issued by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in February 2009. This document is now the first and key point of reference for all those with responsibility for implementing the Church’s safeguarding policy and procedures. The document enables everyone in the Church to reach a uniform standard of best practice in safeguarding. In this report, the achievement of each diocese in the application of the standards up to November 2011 is analysed as is the information on allegations and information about accused priests as supplied by dioceses in response to audit questionnaires. It is clear that dioceses are at different stages of development but are progressing positively. The analysis of the position in each diocese will facilitate the further development that is needed to achieve the goal that is set out in the Safeguarding document issued by the National Board. It is to this area of activity that any available resources should be targeted. It is crucial that all Church activities are entirely compliant with Children First as re- issued July 2011. It is welcome that the church re-affirmed its commitment to put children first and to do so unequivocally to counter the evidence and belief that child protection was not always seen as the top priority. ________________________________________________________________________ 4 HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ___________________________________________________________________________ This audit and the co-operation of the Church can be of great significance in the journey towards truth and reconciliation. The Church will be further assisted as it publishes the National Safeguarding Board audit reports on a diocese by diocese basis. Society needs to put the protection of children above all other considerations. Only then can the distressing betrayals of trust belong completely in the past. Gordon Jeyes, National Director, Children and Family Services, Health Service Executive July 2012 ________________________________________________________________________ 5 HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ___________________________________________________________________________ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The HSE National Office for Children & Families co-authored this report with the advice and expertise of Dr. Kevin McCoy of McCoy Consulting Ltd, social care consultant to this Audit. Mr. Mike Corcoran, National Specialist, Quality Assurance HSE Children & Families, was director of the project. In earlier phases the Church Audit project was led by the former national specialist for child protection, Mr. John Smyth and by assistant national directors Mr. Séamus Mannion (now retired) and Mr. Phil Garland. The former HSE Child care managers nationwide have provided valued analysis and assistance at various stages since the inception of the Church audit through both their liaison with bishops and the cross-referencing of allegations information provided by dioceses. Independent advice was also received from experts in the following fields: Dr. Jim Jamison provided expertise and advice in the area of statistical analysis and counsel to the Church Audit was Mr. Conor Dignam BL. Solicitor to the report was Ms. Tara Downes of HSE Legal Services. The National Bureau for Criminal Investigation of An Garda Síochána cross-referenced allegations information with its records and the co-operation and resources committed to this task by An Garda Síochána is acknowledged with gratitude. Thanks are also given to Liam Browne, Peter Feeney, and Patricia McCoy of McCoy Consulting Ltd who assisted in the analysis of data. The co-operation and forbearance of Bishops, Child Protection delegates, religious leaders and the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church, throughout this voluntary process is recognised with gratitude. ________________________________________________________________________ 6 HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ___________________________________________________________________________ PART ONE Background & Church and State Guidance ________________________________________________________________________ 7 HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland HSE Audit of Safeguarding Arrangements in the Catholic Church in Ireland ___________________________________________________________________________ 1. BACKGROUND The Minister for Health & Children formally established the Ferns Inquiry on 28 th March 2003 on foot of a recommendation contained in a preliminary report into the Roman Catholic diocese of Ferns in August 2002. The terms of reference of the Ferns Inquiry included a requirement to identify what complaints or allegations of child sexual abuse had been made against clergy operating under the aegis of the diocese of Ferns and the adequacy and appropriateness of responses by Church and State authorities. The final report of the Ferns Inquiry (generally referred to in this report as The Ferns Report ) was delivered to the Minister for Health & Children in October 2005. Twenty legal, regulatory and general recommendations made in the Ferns Report were accepted by the Government and the report was published on 25 th October, 2005. Chronology of Events On 26 th October 2005 the then Minister for Children, Mr. Brian Lenihan T.D., wrote to the Health