Present at the launch were members of the Derry Diocesan Safeguarding Committee, including Mrs Mary McCafferty, Safeguarding Coordinator for the Diocese of Derry, as well as Bishop Hegarty, clergy and local safeguarding representatives from the parishes of the Diocese of Derry.

Welcoming the publication, Bishop Hegarty acknowledged the contribution of members of the lay faithful in the diocese to the safeguarding of children in all church and parish activities. He expressed particular gratitude to the parish representatives present and encouraged everyone to ensure that it becomes a ‘living document’. Bishop Hegarty said: ‘Words on a page will not protect children but proper implementation of best practice will help to minimise risk and prevent the serious errors of the past from recurring. I am therefore most grateful to all of the parish representatives and clergy for being here tonight and for your ongoing commitment to protecting children and young people in the Church. This evening has given us much food for thought and we leave with a plan for action to revisit our current practices, evaluate them in the light of these excellent resources and further refine and improve them’. In recognising the value of close cooperation with Social Services on both sides of the border and expressing gratitude to the Gardaí and PSNI, Bishop Hegarty went on to say: ‘I wish to state clearly tonight that all allegations of child abuse that are received by the Diocese are reported to the civil authorities in accordance with the national guidelines of the Catholic Church in Ireland’.

Mr Ian Elliott, Chief Executive Officer of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, addressed the gathering which was also attended by representatives of social services on both sides of the border.

Monsignor Eamon Martin, recently appointed Vicar General of the Diocese of Derry gave the opening address and facilitated the proceedings. Monsignor Martin said that it may take a long time to rebuild the sacred trust in the Church that has been grievously damaged but saw hope in ‘the active involvement and participation in child safeguarding of men and women, mothers and fathers in this Diocese who love their faith, who love their Church and who are committed to passing on the precious gift of faith to the next generation’. More than 250 lay people and clergy in the Diocese have recently received specialist training in safeguarding children. Monsignor Martin said:

‘The key purpose of our Safeguarding Policies and Procedures is to put in place, at diocesan and parish level, the personnel and structures to minimize the risk of any child being harmed or abused in any activity associated with the Church. In all our contacts with children, they have a fundamental right to be protected, respected and nurtured. All young people need to feel confident that they are safe with everyone they meet in Church settings, that their parish activities are closely monitored and that the horrific things that happened to children in the past won’t happen to them’.

The Safeguarding Procedures Policies and Procedures Document sets out the following:

• a clear and consistent reporting procedure showing the precise steps to be followed if a complaint is made including the prompt reporting of this complaint to the civil authorities;
• a clear safeguarding message on behalf of the Diocese of Derry and the ways in which the Diocese will communicate this message;
• a strong code of conduct for all adult personnel, children and young people to prevent children from harm and ensure a safe and nurturing environment in all parish programmes and activities;
• a commitment to ongoing training and education for all church personnel to ensure that they have the knowledge, skills and confidence to perform their roles;
• how anyone in the diocese can access specialist advice and support if they need information or have a concern about safeguarding;
a commitment to putting all these procedures into practice, implementing them, monitoring them, evaluating them and continually improving them.

The document also provides a series of resources and templates to support the implementation of the various safeguarding strategies and procedures.